Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

49S THE SOCIAL ORDER
This last was also mentioned, if I remember rightly,
as the fine for murder. In default of paying the fine
the culprit should be " flogged with a rattan," or
" bound to a tree until he paid."
For cheating a fellow-tribesman a man would be
fined, so long as he had money to pay the fine
otherwise he would come in for a " thoroughly good
scolding " from all the members of the tribe (in other
words, he would have to run, on a limited scale, the
gauntlet of tribal opinion).
Perak Semang.—There were originally among the
Semang (according to one account) thirty Big Chiefs
or Puttos, but these have now all died out.^
Their duties were to choose the inferior chiefs from
the local Malays, with whom it would
be the usual "blood-money" (to be paid
by a murderer) ; in other words, it is
the fine which has to be paid, if possible,
in commutation of the death
penalty. These fines are always, I
believe, paid in kind.
1 Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 103.
There is no confirmatory record of
this title yet to hand, and it appeared
quite unintelligible to the Semang of
Kedali. If not Siamese, the word
may be due to some mistake or confusion
with some such word as the
Malay " Dato'," which simply means
big chief (lit. grandfather), and which
in its abbreviated form "To'" is still
commonly applied to Sakai chiefs as
well as to Malays. On the other hand,
this does not explain Sna-hut. [Blagden
compares " patao," the " wizard " of
the Jarai (Annam), who speak a
Malayan language.] The full account
given by Vaughan - Stevens
is as follows :— " According to the
Pangan, the Semang never had, at
any time, a Raja or liatin, or anybody
corresponding to those functionaries.
In ancient times the Puttos were
highly esteemed as the religious
teachers of the people, as well as
rulers. Pie, the Semang deity, was
their chief; but whether he was a
deity whose servants the Puttos gave
themselves out to be, or a chief chosen
by the Puttos, and who on his death
was replaced by another Putto, could
not be clearly ascertained. There were
' many '—some say ' thirty '— Puttos,
who met once in every eight months
to consult. Each of these thirty Puttos
had a district assigned to him. The
Semang of each district chose a Snahut
(roughly corresponding to the Malay
Penghulu), who decided all local ques-
tions. The Sna-hut received his directions
from the Putto of the district, who
gave his instructions in the name of
Pie. The Puttos were dreaded in the
highest degree as the messengers of
the deity ; they formed a separate class,
and were unmarried. When one died.
Pie elected a successor from among the
Semang. The command to move their
residence on the fifth day did not apply
to the Puttos ; they lived at Pie's abode,
on the 'Jelmol' mountain, in the
northern part of Perak, but are now
no longer in existence. Only the Snahuts
are still in possession of the charms
against misfortune and disease, and of
nmch other knowledge, which the
Puttos have communicated to them "
(Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 103).
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