Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

348
CULTIVATION
to receive the seed. The men then prepared pointed
sticks (or dil^bles) made from the saplings of a special
kind of hard-wood tree called " tamun," ^ the bark of
which was peeled off, and a hollow made at the thicker
end to receive the seed, which was stored in the huts
in sacks.
The magician set out at sunrise for the fields,
accompanied by all the men, women, and children
who were going to take part in the sowing. On
arriving at the first available open space near
the middle of the field the magician drew a circle
round himself with a specially made staff, which like
the other dibbles was made out of " tamun " wood,
and all the planting-sticks were heaped up inside the
circle. The whole of the company sat outside the
circle in a wide irregular ring, forming what is called
the Rice-bin (" kepuk" ).- In the centre the " bunglei "
plant already mentioned was planted in the ground,
and near it a branch of the " tamun " tree from which
the planting-sticks had been made.^
The " tamun " wood was chosen because the
" tamun " tree bears its fruits in a ring round the
base of the trunk at a height of only about 2 dcm.
from the ground, the object of the planters being
that the rice should by sympathy flower near the
ground, as the " tamun " tree fruits, instead of
growing long and rank and weedy. So, too, the
" bunglei " plant was chosen because no animals ate it,
the hope being that the rice might be similarly spared.
The censer having been placed near this plant and
incense burned on it, seven small holes, each about
an inch deep, were made in the centre of the circle.
' Mai. "Satambun.'' - Mai. "kepok,"' a very large circular " lice-bin."
3 Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 149.