Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

5o6 THE SOCIAL ORDER part ii
group of villages has a complete set of them all at
once. Some tribes have a Batin, Jinang, and Penghulu,
others a Jinang, Jukrah, and Penghulu, others a Ju-
krah only, and so on.
Three of these six titles (Mentri, Penghulu, and
Penglima) are used by the civilised Malays of the
Peninsula, but the other three are otherwise only
used by the Jakun, from whom the Selangor Sakai
have clearly borrowed.
The title of Batin is hereditary and passes as a
rule to the eldest son ; but if the Batin die without
issue, and none of his close relatives happens to
be a suitable person, the Jinang or Jukrah appoints
as Batin some close relation of another Batin of the
same tribe.^
The Batin is the executive, and at the same time
the administrative, head of the tribe, although his
methods of performing his duties are distinctly
patriarchal in character. In addition to the duties
already mentioned, he is required especially to insist
on the enforcement of the tribal customs generally,
and the selection of seasons and methods for the fishing
of the river.'^
A fine is the penalty most generally inflicted on
the guilty parties, but for insubordination or serious
crime it commonly takes the form of banishment from
the tribe, or death by the kris, in conformity with
ancient custom.^ Of these two forms of punishment
' Letessier, p. 99. The rule among closely with what I myself was told
the Sakai tribes of Selangor is on more than one occasion by the
certainly as described, but vide Logan Jakun chiefs. But from the extreme
in J. I. A. i, 275 : " At the death of
a Batin his successor is chosen from his
rarity with which anything of
sort happens, I am somewhat
this
in-
sisters' sons." This is probably among clined to doubt whether the power of
tribes under Rembau influence. inflicting the death ])enalty, which is
- Letessier, p. 99. claimed by the Batins, was not borrowed
•* Ibid. This last statement agrees by the Sakai from the Jakun or Malays.