Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

142 DRESS PART 11
I.
—
Semang.
T/ie Gi7'dlc.
Kedah Semang".— By far the most remarkable and
becoming form of girdle worn by any of these tribes, and
one which appears, as has been said, to be of typically
Semang origin (though occasionally found among the
Sakai and even the Malays of Perak), was the girdle
made from the long black glossy strings of a fungus
(called in Malay the "Rock-vein Creeper").^ These
fungus girdles were of elaborate workmanship, the
strings of the rhizomorph being most beautifully woven
into a long narrow plait which was coiled round and
round until it formed a girdle of the requisite shape
and size, the loose ends forming a handsome fringe.
This girdle was rarely worn by men, but more
frequently by women, and it was from these latter
that I obtained the specimens now in the Cambridge
Museum.
A yet simpler form of personal attire worn by
the men of these Semang tribes as well as by the Sakai
consists of a simple waist-cord or string into which
leaves are inserted to form a fringe. The leaves
generally used are those of the " chalong " tree or the
" kelawe."
Even when the Semang were wearing the Malay
"sarong" they still frequently retained this string
underneath it, either from the mere force of habit or for
reasons connected with their belief in Magic. In such
a case, however, the leaves were more conveniently
omitted, and the string alone retained.
A similar leaf-belt was also sometimes worn by
' Mai. "akar"or " urat batu," i.e. "Rock-creeper"' or "Rock-vein Creeper."