Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

SAKAI OF PERAK 475
The figures in this field are: (i) a bamboo ;
(2)
the vampire's claws, the double row of dots between
the claws again representing the "chawat" (or
" vampire's " loin-cloth) ; (3) a bamboo ; (4) clouds ;
(5) ;
a bamboo (6) the wings of the Argus pheasant
(7) a bamboo; (8) clouds; (9) a bamboo; (10) the
vampire, hanging downwards; (11) a bamboo; (12)
clouds.
The lowest part of the stem of the instrument
represents clouds and stars, as emblems of night,
during which the demons are especially active.
It is with a musical instrument of this kind that
the magician conducts the ceremony, his pupil mean-
while sitting behind him with painted bamboos, of
which those portrayed
The one marked A
at
is
A and
48 cm.
B are specimens.
long, and has a
diameter of 5 cm. ; B is 56 cm. long, and has a
diameter of 3^- cm. The patterns with which they
are painted are given again unrolled at the side of
this text, from a pattern made for Vaughan-Stevens
himself.^
[These particular bamboos were said to represent
in general the oldest form of this instrument. The
figure marked A was said to show the hot fingermarks
of Tuhan impressed upon the bamboo by way
of ornament, while the seven bamboos are again said
to be denoted by the peeled stripes.] From its shape
the object at A must represent the chief bamboo at
a " tuang-tuang " ceremony, and B the second one.
The figures portrayed on the second bamboo represent
two sorts of rattan, called respectively " riong " (or
" rayong " .?) and " butong " (? " bctong "), which play
an important part in the preparation of the Pangan
^ Z.f. E. xxvi. 171.
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