Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

GENERAL REMARKS 249
ments of iron, rely almost entirely upon wood or
bone for the blades of their weapons, as well as for
all their implements.'
Knives ami Spears.
The most primitive form of knife, and at the same
time the most natural form for the country, still to be
found among the wild tribes (as also on some cere-
monial occasions among the Malays) consists of a
sharp sliver of bamboo, which makes a very fair knife.
It is possible, and perhaps even probable, that
flakes and chips of stone may have been used in
former times when the knife of Malay civilisation was
not procurable." and when the work required could
not be performed by a knife of bamboo,^ or bone.
The Malay " dagger " or " kris " and other kinds
of Malay weapons are also occasionally used by the
wild tribes, especially the Jakun, but wooden and bone
awls (for boring purposes) are used to this day.'
In its earliest form the spear of the country
seems to have been some form of throwing-stick or
" squailer," the use of which has been recorded
among the Jakun by Logan,' whilst at least two
forms of it" are certainly still known to the Pen-
' Dc la Croix, p. 340, N\here this being nine of the tree- merely sharjx:ned whenever it is used,
huts which he discovered "a curious ^ F"or examples, sec pji. 316 and
instrument made of bone, and appar- 329, infra.
''
cntly intended to serve as a knife." Vo\ the spear, :•. /. /. A. vol. i.
And on p. 331 he says : "The only p. 257, and Lake iny. A'. A. S., S. />.,
other .articles found were a number of No. 25, p. 3. It is pre-eminently a
sharpened stones, serving the purpose "savage Malay " weapon, and is used
of knives." Cp. p. 269, /r. i, infra, universally by the Jakun.
^ Such ca.ses would, however, be
*"' One sharpened at one end, the
exceedingly rare, these bamboo knives oUkt .tI both.