Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

CHAP. VI SAVAGE MALAYS OF JOHOR 3^9
roughly carved into shape, the flat parts planed
and fitted together with a chopping - knife, bound
round with rattan "ties" at intervals, and carefully
rounded. The " ties " themselves are moved occasionally,
according to necessity, to enable the work
to be completed. The two halves are "trued" by
wetting one half and then pressing the two together.'
Next a broad black line is drawn with charcoal
down the centre, and the groove cut out with the
chopper, a quarter of the circumference at a time
only, to prevent warping. The cutting-out process
is continued until the cleaning-rod (" bingrot ") can
just pass along within the double groove, when the
two lengths are again bound together, at short
intervals, and made fast at one end within a
movable clamp or vice (" kahon "), the object ol
which is to hold the two divided halves of the tube
firmly together and at the same time to keep the blow-
pipe in position till the binding process is
-'
completed.
As soon as this process, which is effected with a
strip of cane (" rotan tunggal ") is over, the mouthpiece
is made. It is said that this was formerly made oi a
soft wood called " kelebok" (" libut "), but it is now
made of harder wood. The orifice was first bored
out with a " bone awl " and then gradually enlarged,
after which the end of the tube was warmed and
rubbed with resin and the mouthpiece fitted on to it
and shaped with the chopper. The outer case was
made of bamboo, the nodes being pushed out (as
usual) with a long stick. The baniboo was then
heated over a slow fire and bent downwards with a
constant pressure, which was applied by means ot a pair
of wooden pincers. This process was repeated about
' Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 102 uij