THE ACHEHNESE - Acehbooks.org

Other charms Another charm for turning aside the enemy's bullets is a cocoanut
to CI IIS P in -
vulnerability. w ' tri one "eye" (u sabbh mata) worn about the body '). Another keubay-
3§
specific is a piece of rattan some sections of which are turned the wrong
way. Malem Diwa was so fortunate as to find such an awe sungsang,
as it is called, of such length that he was able to fasten it under his
shoulders round breast and back. Nowadays such freaks of nature are
only to be found of the length of a couple of sections.
Spots on the Certain peculiar spots on the skin, generally caused by disease, are
skin which , , , , , . , „ -
produce in- a ' so held to be signs or causes of invulnerability, buch for instance are
vulnerability. tiie ^vhitc freckles known as glum, which remain as scars upon the skin
after a certain disease. This disease, (called glum or leuki) is said to
begin between the fingers and in the region of the genitals and to
cause violent irritation. It is supposed to be infectious 2 ). Malem Diwa
had seven glums of the favourite shape known as glum biutang or
bungbug. Such marks arc considered by the Achehnese to enhance the
personal beauty of both sexes.
A sort of ring-worm called kurab beusb'e or iron kurab, which manifests
itself in large rust-coloured and intensely itching spots on the body, is
supposed to confer invulnerability, especially if it forms a girdle around
the waist. This disease is also very infectious. When it begins to declare
itself, the patient is asked by his friends whether he has been having
recourse to a du'a beusb'e ("iron prayer"), as it is supposed that the
kurab beusb'e can be brought about by the mysterious craft connected
with iron.
The science Where so much depends on the efficacy of weapons as in Acheh, it
of weapons.
is not surprising that the eleume'e which teaches how to distinguish good
weapons from bad is regarded as of high importance. This art has been
to a great extent (though with certain modifications) adopted from the
Malays. The Achehnese regard the Malays of Trengganu and the Bugis
as the great authorities on the subject.
The forger of weapons has his special eleumee, which according to
our European notions would contribute exceedingly little to the value
of their wares, though the Achehnese think quite the contrary. Equally
i) Teuku Ne' had such a cocoanut about him on his journey to Keumala.
2) Oil of kayu-putih or the roots of kueh or langkueuiih pounded fine and mixed with
vinegar are employed as remedies. Some strike the rash with a twig of the shrub called
leuki. This last remedy is of course an example of superstition with regard to names, as it
is based on the resemblance of the name of the plant to that of the disease.