Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

458 DECORATIVE ART
Bamboo (" Gn ") No. 4. Height, 41 cm)
Bamboo No. 4 is of quite a dilfiferent kind from
the foregoing. The designs upon it only represent
" kh-cha " flowers. When the great chiefs or Puttos
laid these flowers in water, they could drive the
poisonous sea-snake " Ikub " back to the bottom of
the sea.^
BIRTH-BAMBOOS (" TAHONG ").
[The " tahong " is a bamboo tube which is worn
secretly under the girdle by expectant mothers. The
interior of the tube, when each extremity has been
stoppered, is used to contain flint and steel for making
fire and so forth. The main part of the pattern consists
of two portions, the upper part of which consists of
zigzag ring - lines, which serve as a charm against
nausea and vomiting ; the lower part contains a
number of rows or columns, each representing one of
the stages through which the woman has to pass from
the moment of conception till the birth.
As mentioned, the " tahong " is carefully concealed
by the Semang women under the girdle, and may not
be seen by any strange man. The husband cuts the
^ Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 127.
2 I.e. "Ikub Lingang" ( = Mal.
" ular berang"), a sea-snake of a kind
believed to be most venomous. In
case a Semang wished to employ these
flowers, they did not receive their
magic power until he received the
" gu' " as well. Vaughan-Stevens, iii.
126.
3 It is difficult to fix these stages
accurately, as the Semang people often
made mistakes in locating the exact
position of the ailment. The following,
however, is certain : the ring -like
marks at the point of one of the
^
—
column-lines (at the end of the black
chevroned line) represent the child in
the womb. The black chevrons form
the connection between child and
mother, the latter being represented as
much the larger. At the right extremity
of the vertical chevroned line is a row
of discs, on the side of the mother,
which represents the loss of blood by
the tearing of the vessels at birth (ibid.).
[It is perhaps worth while adding
that the word "tahong" is curiously
like IMal. "tabong, " a bamboo tube
a fact which raises some doubt as to
the genuineness of the word.—W. S.]