Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

174
HABITATIONS
persons at most, and the other members of the family
had evidently been sleeping on beds of heaped-up
leaves, which were still quite green and fresh on our
arrival. There were also the ashes of four separate
tires, one at least of which had been extinguished by
water ;
and there were fragments of the ribs of a small
tortoise on which they had been feeding, as well as a
half-smoked (native) cigarette, an indication that they
had probably had some traffic, either direct or through
the medium of "tamer" fellow-tribesmen, with the
Malays or Siamese of the locality.
Tree-shelters.
Perak Semang*.—Another obvious kind of " natural
shelter " is that afforded by the branches of trees, the
scanty protection thus obtained being speedily im-
proved by the building of a weather-screen, out of
which is easily and naturally developed the tree-built
hut. The exact purpose served by those arboreal
dwellings has been much disputed, but the most
reasonable explanation—and I think undoubtedly the
correct one—is that they are built for protection from
wild beasts. In most cases the proximity of wild
beasts is certainly their raison d'etre. We are told,^ for
instance, in so many words, that some of the Semang
" in the thicker parts of the forest, where the elephants,
tigers, and other zvild animals are most abundant, make
their temporary dwellings upon the cliffs and branches
of large trees," - The simplest form of the tree-shelter
*
J. I. A. vol. iv. 425, 426.
* Another possible cause (inundatheir
houses on the level of the ground.
When, however, safeguarding against
tions) is certainly suggested by the tigers is necessary, they build lietween
following note (for which see Bastian, the bianclies of the trees, just as the
Reiscn in Birma. Leipzig,
432):— '-The inhabitants of
1 886, p.
the hills
Puleahs
forests."
build
But
their nests in their
in the Malay Peninin
Pegu, who are insured [by their sula this first reason would rarely if ever
position] against inundations, build ^pply-