Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

RELIGION 479
resembled that on the west, except that the opening on the east formed a
truncated triangle, typifying "day" or "light," this figure being supposed to
represent the sun rising behind the mountains. Behind the screen at the
eastern end stood a post of about 4 metres high, stripped of its bark, and
beyond this again a roughly built round roofless hut, quite 3 inches high, so that
nobody could see in except by the door, in front of which hung a mat decorated
with the leaf emblem plaited in red on a ground of yellow, the natural colour of
the undyed strips— a device the use of which was confined to the magicians. In
front of this door was a tire composed of three converging fire-logs.' The plot
within which the people stood was then measured off by the magician, beginning
at the north-east corner and proceeding westward. On its completion the
magician proceeded to the round hut already described. After half an hour's
wait he raised a fearful din in the hut by blowing into a bamboo of special
construction.- At this sound the men, each with his jungle knife, hurried to a
spot in the plot where some days before had been stuck a number of bamboos,
which were now sticking in the ground as though they grew there. Every one
now took one of these bamboos and fashioned a spear from it. Meanwhile the
women up above had begun wailing "Ah-wah," "Ah-wah,"' as soon as the
blowing of the bamboo in the magician's hut had ceased. On completing their
spears the men leapt forth brandishing their weapons, and looking in every
direction as though they expected the attack of some enemy. The concealed
magician now blew three deep booming notes, when there suddenly appeared
from behind the western leaf-screen the white-striped men who took the place of
the seven magicians of the seventh class, that in former times represented the
demons. Each of them bore a long piece of liana,'' bent in the middle and
forming a lasso, the two loose ends being held together. With howls and yells
the spear-bearers now turned round and took to running and proceeding first
from west to east, parallel to the southern boundary of the plot, and then from
south to north alongside the eastern boundary (along the line of the dotted
arrow), finally entered the plot at the north-east corner and took up their
positions in a row just within the plot's limits with their faces turned outward and
their spears in wait for the attack of the while-striped "demons." These last
ran in the same direction as that in which the boundary line had been drawn, all
round this plot, and attempted at the same time to throw their liana lassos over
the head of one of the men who were standing within the plot and using their
spears to prevent the lassos from falling over their heads, and for that alone.
Occasionally one of the three would let go one end of his liana so that it fell to
the ground, and poked it to and fro over the boundary line in an attempt to touch
therewith the legs of those who stood within. But as these latter leapt aside
and deflected the pliant lianas with their spears, none of them were hit. This
was a good omen, since any one so hit would soon after have been attacked by
cholera. Silent themselves, but accompanied by the fearful yells of the men,
shrill wails of the women, shrieks of the children, and barking of the dogs, the
"demons" ran round and round the rectangular plot, until suddenly at the sound
of the tooting of the magician who was in the hut the din ceased, except among
the children and dogs. One of the three '-demons" had thrown himself on the
ground, twitching and writhing as if he were in bodily pain. His two companions
dropping their lianas, ran to the magician's hut, and as they entered the magician
came forth. The dress of the latter consisted of a bark loin-cloth, together with
bracelets, neckband, girdle, anklets, and knee-bands, plaited from strips of tree
1 All fires as kindled by these tribes tuang," as to which vide note to vol. i.
are commonly of converging fire- p. 472 ante.
•' logs. By "liana'" no doubt some kind
2 Probably a " tuntong ""
or "tuang- of rattan {Calannts) is intended.