Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

J/ALA VAN SEA-GYPSIES 165
their usually degraded condition. The girls will take
any object that glitters to wear upon their arms,
neck, or breast. Nowadays these objects are nearly
always the products of civilisation obtained from
Malays and Chinese, but formerly coloured bivalves,
seed-grains, etc., were employed. Vaughan-
Stevens saw a prettily composed necklace, with which
the woman who possessed it positively refused to
part. It was made up of variously coloured plant-
seeds growing on the coast, small variegated
marine bivalves gathered from the sands, and short
segments of crabs' legs (like one of our own coral
necklaces).^
The Hair.
The " turned in " (cingckdngfc) part of the claw
of a crawfish is often used by the Orang Laut as
a head-scratcher, and for this purpose is stuck in the
hair or kept in the girdle. If the claw is short, a
little piece of stick is stuck in it, in order to lengthen
it sufficiently. Half of the lower jaw of fishes which
have " needle-teeth " is frequently, even to the present
day, used in place of a comb.-
As might be expected from people who are so much
on the sea, the Orang Laut girls use brightly
coloured shells for hair ornaments, instead of the
flowers which are used by the Jakun.''
Up to manhood the boys do the same, but no
later, unless there is some special reason (besides
mere decoration of the person) for their doing so.^
At the present day the Orang Laut bind the hair
back to keep it out of their eyes either with a band
' Z.f.E. xxviii. 170. 2 /^. xxix. 178. ' Jb. * lb.