ÖÖI 8x 3 ^c- 0 - Acehbooks.org

S U M A T R A . 45
fattening in front with a large clafp of fillagree or chafed work, with
fome kind of precious ftone, or imitation of fuch, in the center. The
badjoo, or upper gown, differs little from that of the men, buttoning in
the fame manner at the wrifts. A piece of fine, thin, blue cotton cloth,
about five feet long, and worked or fringed at each end, called a falendang,
is thrown acrofs the back of the neck, and hangs down before;
ferving alfo the purpofe of a veil to the women of rank when they walk
abroad. The handkerchief is carried, either folded fmall in the hand, or at
length, over the fhoulder. There are two modes of dreffing the hair, one
termed coondye, and the othzr fangolL The firft refembles much the fafhion
in which we fee the Chinefe women reprefented in paintings, and which I
conclude they borrowed from thence, where the hair is wound circularly
over the center of the head, and faftened with a filver bodkin or
pin. In the other mode, which is more general, they give the hair a
fingle turn as it hangs behind, and then doubling it up, they pafs it crofswife,
under a few hairs feparated from the reft, on the back of the head,
for that purpofe. A comb, often of tortoifemell, and fometimes fillagreed,
helps to prevent it from falling down. The hair of the front,
and of all parts of the head, are of the fame length, and when loofe,
hang together behind, with molt of the women, in very great quantity.
It is kept moift with oil, commonly of the cocoa-nut, but thofe who can
afford it make ufe of an empyreumatic oil, extracted from gum Benjamin,
as a grateful perfume. They wear no covering, except ornaments
of flowers, which, on particular occafions, are the work of much labor
and ingenuity. The head drefles of the dancing girls by profeffion, who
are ufually Javans, are very artificially wrought, and as high as any modern
Englifh lady's cap, yielding only to the feathered plumes of the
year 1777. It is impoflible to defcribe in words thefe intricate and fanciful
matters, fo as to convey a juft idea of them. The flowers worn in
undrefs are, for the moil part, ftrung in wreaths, and have a very neat
and pretty effect, without any degree of gaudinefs, being ufually white
or pale yellow, fmall, and frequently only half blown. Thofe generally
chofen for thefe occafions, are the boongo-tanjong and boougo-melloor
: the ioongo-choompaco is ufed to give the hair a fragrance, but is
N concealed