Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

CHAP. IX NEGRITOS OF PERAK 423
from any other people ; and
they add that in olden
times the magic comb only possessed three teeth. ^]
The E. Semang or Pangan still make their combs with
only four to five teeth to them, their sole instrument
for carving the bamboo being a rough chopping-knife
(" parang "), whereas the Semang of Perak (at Belum),
who possess a better class of Malay knives, give their
combs a dozen or even more than a dozen teeth.'
At the different places at which it was asked, the
question, " What is the use of the teeth ? " always
received the same answer, viz. that the combs would
soon fall out and be lost but for the long teeth, which
were the only means of fastening them into the hair.
The men, too, do not wear combs, because (as they
allege) their hair is too short. Their talismans are,
therefore, as stated above, incised on the quivers and
charm-holders. [It was further alleged that in very
ancient times the women also very often carried a
special charm-tube, on which all the seventy Disease-
charms were incised—in other words, a " gi " of a form
resembling that of the modern dart-quiver.^ This
special charm-holder was inserted in the loin-cloth or
girdle, in the same way as the quivers now carried by
the men. The modern girdle of the Semang men is
said to be based on this old custom, whereasj the
Sakai fasten on their quivers with special straps. It is.
moreover, still the custom for the Semang quivers
to lack any lid or covering; for if a quiver ("go'")
or charm - tube (" gi ") had a cover, the charms
being covered would therefore be powerless. The
' The suggestion is here made that and among the central Sakai, these
the multiplication of the number of combs have far more than three or four
teeth in these combs may have been teeth,
due to Sakai influence, .\niong I'erak ^ Z. f. E. xxv. 75.
Sakai who have Semang admixture. -^ See, however, p. 406, autr.