shamani si credinte samanice -eng..doc

8/14/2019 shamani si credinte samanice -eng..doc

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I. INTRODUCTION

THIS book deals with the magic of the Muslim Malays of the Crown Colony of the Straits Settlements,comprising Singapore, Penang and Malacca; of the ederated Malay States, Perak, Selangor, !egri Sembilanand Pahang; of the "nfederated Malay States, #ohore, $edah, $elantan and Trengganu; and of Patani, anorthern Malay State belonging to Siam%

The Malay Peninsula is the most southern e&tremity of the continent of 'sia% It has the region of Indo(China tothe north% South lies the Malay 'rchipelago% It stands midway between India and China% !ature has laid it opento many influences, though students not presented with the e)idence of geography, anthropology and historyare apt to speak as if Malay magic were uni*ue and indigenous%

The language belongs to the Malayo(Polynesian or +ceanic or 'ustronesian family, which obtains fromormosa to !ew ealand and from Madagascar to -aster Island% To the eastern branch belong the languages of

Samoa, Tahiti and Tonga% To the western branch belong Malay, Malagasy, and languages of the Philippines,Sumatra, #a)a, .orneo and Celebes% This latter branch is termed Indonesian, rather unfortunately, since foranthropologists the word defines a particular physical strain found in the .ataks of Sumatra, the /ayaks of.orneo and the Tora0as of Celebes%

The typical ci)ilised Indonesian peoples, Malays and #a)anese, are )ariants of a Proto(Malay race with Indian,'rab and other foreign admi&tures% In that Proto(Malay race, whate)er else may be its components, there is aMongoloid strain%

In the south of the Peninsula, the bullet(headed straight(haired Proto(Malays are represented by 0ungle(tribesknown generally as #akun and specifically as .iduanda in !egri Sembilan, .landa in Selangor, and Mantra InMalacca% The coastal tribes are termed +rang 1aut, or 2Men of the Sea,2 and form a link between the Proto(Malays of the Peninsula and those of the 3iau 'rchipelago and Sumatra, their original home%

'nother aboriginal forest(dweller is the wa)yhaired long(headed Sakai, supposed mainly on linguistic groundsto ha)e come down from Indo(China and on anthropological grounds to be related to the 4eddas of Ceylon% ' branch of this tribe, the .esisi, ha)e intermarried freely with the #akun%

+ldest of all Malaya5s inhabitants are the Semang and Pangan of the north, small dark fri66y(haired !egritos,thought to be related to the 'etas of the Philippines and the Mineopies of the 'ndamans%

'lready at the beginning of the Christian era Indian religions, the caste system and go)ernment by ra0ahs had been introduced into #a)a and into Sumatra, whence most of the Malays of the Peninsula came, and Indianinfluence spread in a less degree throughout the 'rchipelago e)en as far as the Philippines% The old Malaykingdom of Palembang in Sumatra introduced Mahayana .uddhism into #a)a and had a )ague su6erainty o)erthe Malay Peninsula for se)eral centuries, until in the thirteenth the modern Siamese gained control in the northand Islam a permanent hold in the south% ' .uddhist inscription from Pro)ince 7ellesley opposite Penang 8inthe southern Indian style of writing found In 7est #a)a9 dates back to : '%/% .ut in Malaya, as in #a)a, thereligion of Si)a retained a footing until the ad)ent of Islam%

II. GODS, SPIRITS AND GHOSTS

(a) PRIMITIVE GODSTH- Mantra, a Proto(Malay tribe, claim to be descended from Mertang, the first magician, who was the childof two persons called /rop of 7ater and Clod of -arth% In the Moluccas the earth is a female deity, who in thewest monsoon is impregnated by 1ord Sun(Hea)en% The Tora0as in Celebes belie)ed in two supreme powers,the Man and the Maiden, that is, the sun and the earth% The /ayaks of .orneo hold that the sun and the earth


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created the world% The terms, 2 ather Sky and Mother -arth,2 occur in the Malay ritual of the rice(year, at theopening of mines and of theatrical shows and in the in)ocations of the $elantan shaman% ' $elantan accountrelates that sun and earth once had human form, sun the form of a man and earth the form of a woman, whosemilk may be traced in the tin(ore of Malaya and whose blood is now gold% 'ctors in the north of the MalayPeninsula say that 2the earth spirit, whom actors fear, is the daughter of Seretang .ogoh, who sits in the sunand guides the winds, and of Sang Siuh, the mother of the earth, who sits at the na)el of the world%2 Manyreligions at once unite and dissociate the fruitful earth and the gloomy underworld% .ut as Malay drama camefrom India, this northern tradition may be a corruption of Hindu mythology% .y some Malay actors 3a0a Siu,lord of the surface of the earth, is in)oked along with Si)a, and the name is perhaps a corruption of Si)a%'nyhow, in time Si)a and Sri usurped the place of ather Sky 8or ather 7ater, as he is sometimes called9 andof Mother -arth in the Malay pantheon, and to(day e)en the e&istence of these two primiti)e gods has beenforgotten%

The study of early cults shows that the place of a sky(god tends later to be taken by gods of the sun, the moonand the stars% So in some ancient layer of Malay beliefs before the introduction of Sai)ism, the white spirit ofthe sun, the black spirit of the moon, and the yellow spirit of sunset may ha)e been important, seeing that theyha)e Indonesian names 8 mambang 9, ha)e been incorporated into the Malay5s Hindu pantheon, and ha)esur)i)ed under Islam as humble genies%

2The fishermen along the west of the Peninsula sacrifice to four great spirits 2 8also called mambang 9 2who go by many names but whose scope is always the same% +ne is the spirit of the bays, another


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(b) SIVA AND THE HINDU GODS' white genie, 20ewel of the world,2 li)es in the sun and guards the gates of the sky% He has a brother, withse)en heads, king of all the 0inn% This white genie is entitled Mahara0a /ewa, a Malay corruption of Mahade)a,the blue(throated Si)a% The distinction between this white genie and his black brother, who li)es in the moon,is sometimes obliterated, as in the in)ocation used when opening the stage for a ma'yong playB((2Peace be uponMother -arth and ather Sky %%% Peace be upon thee, .lack 'wang, king of the earth %%% Peace be upon the

blessed saints at the four corners of the world %%% Peace be upon my grandsire, .atara @uru, the first ofteachers, who became incarnate when the body was first created, teacher who li)est as a hermit in the moon,teacher who rulest in the circle of the sun, teacher of mine whose coat is of green beads, teacher of mine whose

blood is white, who hast but one bone, the hair of whose body is upside down, whose muscles are stiff, whohast a black throat, a fluent tongue and salt in thy spittle%2 Incidentally it is interesting to find the Malay still

paying homage to Si)a as !atara0a, lord of dancers and king of actors, though to(day he is *uite unaware of thisname and rDle of the Hindu god whose theatre is the world and who himself is actor and audience% In anotherMalay in)ocation the .lack @enie too is painted as 2ha)ing but one bone, the hair of whose body is upsidedown, who can assume a thousand shapes%2 Though he has 2one foot on the heart of the earth,2 yet this .lack@enie also 2hangs at the gate of the sky%2

.atara @uru or /i)ine Teacher is the Malay name for Si)a% 'nd it is not surprising to find that on accepting theHindu deities into their spirit(world Malays paid great homage to Si)a under his sinister aspect of $ala thedestroyer of life% 'nyhow, here are the white spirit of the sun and the black spirit of the moon identified withmanifestations of Si)a% The spirit of the tides is often associated with the spirits of the sun and moon, and,again, the Malay e&pressly identifies him with Si)a and makes $ala the dread god of the sea%

urthermore, in Malay mythology there is a Spectre Huntsman, whom magicians identify with Si)a% ThisSpectre Huntsman is e)en known by the )arious Malay appellations of the /i)ine Teacher such as 23a0a ofland(folk,2 23a0a of @hosts,2 and 2@affer 1ong Claws%2 !ow Si)a, of course, was the 3udra of 4edic times%'nd it has been pointed out how in 3udra are found the same characteristics that distinguish the @erman7odan 8or +din9, namely those of a storm(god followed by hosts of spirits, a leader of lost souls, identified

both in Malay and @erman legend with the Spectre Huntsman% The association by Malays of the SpectreHuntsman with Si)a clearly corroborates the relationship between 3udra and 7odan and lends colour to thetheory of an Indo(@ermanic storm(god, the common source of the Indian and Teutonic myths%

The identification of Si)a with @affer 1ong Claws finds a parallel among the .hils, $ols and @onds of India,who also confound him with a chthonic tiger(god% 'nd like those tribesmen the Malay appears sometimes toconfuse Si)a with 'r0una, calling that demigod the earth spirit and king of the sea%

1ast phase of all, Si)a becomes father and king of the 0inn imported with Islam% -)en his white bull !andi isyoked to the ser)ice of the new religion% 'ccording to early Hindu mythology .rahma, or according to later

belief 4ishnu, took the form of a boar and raised the earth out of the waters% +ther stories current in India makean elephant or a bull the support of the earth% Muslim cosmogony definitely places the earth on a bull with fortyhorns ha)ing se)en thousand branches, a beast whose body stretches from east to west% So the $elantanmagician in)okes 2the father and chief of all 0inn practising austerity in the stall of the black bull who supportsand fans and shakes the world%2 The idea that the king of the 0inn is the father of se)en children may beconnected with the Muslim notion of se)en earths%

The wife of Si)a is known to Malays as Mahadewi 2the great goddess,2 as $umari 2the /amsel,2 and abo)e all,as Sri, goddess of rice(fields% 's Sri she may be said to ha)e taken the place of 2Mother -arth,2 0ust as herdi)ine spouse represented 2 ather Sky%2 's $umari she is supposed in the north of the Peninsula to ha)e beenmade by @affer Mahsiku out of a bit of eaglewood% 8In Patani a name for the earth spirit is Siriku%9 The

goddess married her creator% .ut the legend adds that she had one daughter by the god 8 deva 9 of the moon andone by the god of the sun, a remarkable preser)ation of the Malay myth that the /i)ine Teacher under differentmanifestations li)ed in both those luminaries% The same tradition adds that $umari is in)oked against lock(0awand dumbness, because she made her eldest daughter li)e on a hill as an ascetic with her mouth wide open till itgrew into a ca)e which Hanuman entered


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The Malay magician often )aunts that 2the sword of 4ishnu is before his face2 to protect him% 'nd with Si)a,.rahma, $ala and Sri, this god presides o)er the fi)e di)isions of the old(world di)iner5s day% .rahma is knownas .erma Sakti, but hardly enters into Malay magic% In $elantan, $rishna is said to be entreated to cure snake(

bites and the stings of scorpions and centipedes% @anesha, under the name of @ana, is little more than a )illagegodling%

The Hindu demons and demigods that ha)e found a place in the magic of the Malays may be con)enientlyinserted here% +f most of them the magician has only a literary knowledge% The 'suras e&alted demons thatwar not against men but gods, are represented by 3ahu, who causes eclipses of the sun and moon, and to theMalay mind is a huge dragon% /anu, a demon relation of his in Hindu mythology, is the serpent who inhabitsthe rainbow% In the north, where plays founded on the 3amayana are popular, Sri 3ama, the hero of that epic, isa demigod in)oked especially in charms connected, with the hunting of elephants, and Hanuman, the monkey(god, is an e)il spirit with the face of a horse and the body of a man% There, too, the great 3ishis or sages arein)oked, and the magician takes shelter behind the name of !arada and the name of Samba, his derider%

.huta and 3aksasa are often mentioned as demons e)en by Malay peasants% .ut to(day, at any rate,ac*uaintance with them is due mainly to popular romances that ha)e come from the /eccan% The Malay willturn, for instance, to the story of Marakarma and read of a 3aksasa who lights a fire as big as a burning town,

pours rice on a mat a hundred yards wide, and eats it along with spiders, centipedes, li6ards, flies, rats andmos*uitoes that, o)ercome by the steam, drop on to his food; he drinks a well of water, hiccups like thunder,and picks from his teeth with a log chunks of food so large that they kill cat, goose or fowl by their impact% +fthe cousinship between the Indian .hutas and the Indonesian spirits of men who ha)e perished by )iolence solittle is known that in one account the Spectre Huntsman is called a .huta and in a Perak charm the greatgoddess Sri is described as the 2@enie .huta Sri who presides o)er rice(fields 2 .ut in fact it is not theseimmigrant demons that are the concern of the Malay magician%

or centuries the Muhammadan 6ealot and more recently the ord car ha)e in)aded the fastnesses whereMalaya5s illiterate priests of Si)a in)oked these alien deities% The Hindu gods continue to sur)i)e in in)ocationsdegraded to magical charms% Still, too, at the installation of a Perak Sultan the real Hindu name of the demigod,

who descended on a Mount Meru in Sumatra and became the father of most of the royal houses of thePeninsula, is whispered by Sri !ara 5dira0a, keeper of the State secret, into the ear of the new ruler% He and hismaster are perhaps unaware that so at the initiation of a child into one of the higher Hindu castes his teacherwhispers a formula containing the name of the god who is to be his special protector through life% It is to behoped that fanaticism will ne)er e&tinguish this )oice from the past%

(c) GOOD AND EVIL SPIRITS OF DEAD MORTALSThe )iew that ancestor(worship is the oldest of religious practices no longer obtains% Some sa)ages ha)e

belie)ed in a god e&isting before the coming of death% Some sacrifice to gods and not to the ghosts of thedeparted% +thers, e&changing old lights for new, ha)e come to neglect their high gods and sacrifice to deadancestors% Many ha)e nature(gods% .esides, being a family cult, ancestor(worship cannot ha)e accompaniedthe group(marriage of the most primiti)e tribes%

The origin of this form of worship is easily intelligible% The dead appear to the li)ing in dreams% +r the deadmay be born again in a child, who is the image of a forefather% ' Malay prays at the gra)e of an ancestor to

beget a child, unaware that probably his worship is based on the idea of the dead welcoming reincarnation% Thee&act likeness of a male child to his father, that is, the possession of two hosts by the same soul, causes alarmto a Malay; one of the boy5s ears must be pierced, otherwise either the father or the son is likely to die%Curiously, the resemblance of a girl to her father or of a boy or girl to the mother is of no moment%

That the dead can be kind to the li)ing is a notion not foreign to the Malay mind% The ritual by which a Malayac*uires the powers of a shaman suggests that originally the magician5s familiars were spirits of the dead% 'tthe propitiation of the spirits of "pper Perak, in)ocations were addressed to the spirits of a famous 3a0a !ekand of the byegone magicians of the neighbourhood% ' ruler looks to his royal ancestors for the protection ofhis person and his State, )isits their scattered tombs after his installation or before any great enterprise, and


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when sickness afflicts his house sets a cooling potion for the patient o)ernight upon a family gra)e% 's aMuslim the Malay makes )ows to prophets and saints imploring their aid in the hour of need% In Singaporemany )ows are sworn at the shrine of Habib !oh, a humble clerk of the last century, who ga)e up the pride ofthe eye and the lusts of the flesh for religious asceticism until he could appear in se)eral places at once% 2Ine)ery part of !aning are found tombs of men famed for piety, in whose names the people make )ows for the

prosperous termination of any pro0ect and whose burial places they honour with fre*uent )isits and oblations%2+ne outward and )isible sign of the sanctity of such tombs is the supernatural lengthening of the space betweenthe head and foot stones, supposed to be the work of the deceased% There are the long gra)es of ShaikhMuhammad and Shaikh 'hmad on .ukit @edong in Malacca, the burial place of an old 'chinese medicine(woman at $emunting in Perak, the gra)es of Shaikh Sentang at Temerloh, of To5Pan0ang at $uala Pahang andof To5Pan0ang at $etapang in the Pekan district of Pahang% These sacred tombs, which e&ist throughoutMalaya, bear an 'rabic name 8 karamat 9, though the dead whose tenements they are need not be Muslim saintsand may ha)e been merely some powerful ruler or the re)ered founder of a settlement, or e)en a pagantrafficker with black magic% ' celebrated shrine is the reputed tomb of Sultan Iskandar, the mythical last Malayruler of ancient Singapore, whose gra)e on the slopes of ort Canning is the resort of many suppliants; and afew years ago, when it was desired to e&plore it, no one, Malay, Indian or Chinese, would undertake the task%In #empul, in !egri Sembilan, there is a gra)e shaded by a yellow(blossomed chempaka tree, whose branchesare always hung with strips of white cloth to commemorate the )ows paid to a magician interred beneath them%

If the entreaty for health or a son or whate)er may be desired wins a fa)ourable answer, then failure to sacrificethe promised goat and hold a feast with prayers and cracker(firing beside the gra)e brings tribulation upon the per0ured ingrate% The tenant of that #empul gra)e was belie)ed to attend his widow in the form of a tiger% Hewould frighten off his daughters5 lo)ers, protect the home when their mother was absent, and dri)e temporaltigers from their path% 2There are many little gra)eyards throughout #empul which are credited with ha)ing

produced tigers out of(human corpses%2 So, too, the spirit of the last chief of Muar is supposed to haunt thewooded hills round his home, a sacred tiger friendly to his people% The credulity of these Sumatran settlers in

!egri Sembilan finds a counterpart in that of certain Patani families, who in sickness or misfortune in)oke theaid of 5To Sri 1am, an ancestor5s sister who turned into a crocodile% !one of these spirits of the dead that can begracious to suppliants are homeless ghosts; they are attached to a religion, a district or a clan%

ear, howe)er, leads to respect for many sacred places% The anger of a Malay ruler is dreaded when he is ali)e;it is not less terrible when he is gone% ' -uropean who )isited the gra)es of the #ohore princes at $ota Tinggiin =EFG records how his guide trembled on approaching the place, declaring that any in0ury to the stones would

bring misfortune on all present and beha)ed 2as if a demon was about to pounce upon him%2 There may ha)e been a peculiar reason for this% 'mong the tombs is that of Sultan Mahmud, the last representati)e of the royalhouse of Malacca, which furnished rulers for most of the Peninsular States% He alone of Peninsular rulers wasmurdered, stabbed to death for a se&ual crime, the white blood of 8Muslim saints and9 Malay royalty gushingfrom his )eins% 'pparently he sur)i)es in $elantan as a white genie, Sultan Mahmud, a sea(spirit, who cancause chills and ague% ' chief, swearing to his su6erain that he had not offered a bribe to a @o)ernment officer,undertook in a tremendous oath 8which came into my hands9 to be smitten 2by the ma0esty of the ruler and ofhis royal ancestors,2 if he were committing per0ury% 'ttributable, perhaps, to this fear of deceased rulers is thecustom of dropping their real names after death and gi)ing them such titles as 2The /eceased who died at theThree Islands,2 2The /eceased Pilgrim,2 and so on% The magician also is not less terrible after death than inlife% +nly fear could regard as a sacred place the rock at .atu Harnpar, where a Sultan of #ohore, caused to bee&ecuted a pagan 0ungle chief 2detected in necromantic practices 2 Three months after his e&ecution this #akunchief appeared to his son on the same spot and thereafter haunted it, sometimes assuming the form of a whitecock%

-specially baneful are the homeless ghosts of those who perish by a )iolent death, of murdered men, of womenwho die in child(birth% To them no honour is paid% They are dri)en away by magical charms and amulets, by

prickly thorns, ashes, and the stench of burnt herbs%

'ccording to the Muhammadan faith those who die in child(birth are entitled to the rank of martyrs with whom@od is well pleased% The Malay has found it hard to accept this comfortable doctrine% The horror of theiruntimely end led his ancestors to think that such women generate male)olent spirits% Throughout Malaysiaterror is felt at the plainti)e cry of a banshee 8 Pontianak 9, which is supposed generally to appear in the form ofa bird and dri)e her long claws into the belly of the e&pectant mother, killing her and the unborn child% 'nother


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banshee 8 Langsuyar 9 flies in the shape of an owl with a face like a cat% The knowing imitate her hoot and utterthe insulting e0aculation, 2 our hoot is near, your gra)e is far, and you are sprung from the lid of a cooking(potin a deserted house,2 whereupon she keeps silent and cannot bring death or disaster to any one in the )illage% +rshe may wear the form of a beautiful woman with flowing tresses% .ut in the nape of her neck is a hole, whichshe is terrified may be found by the smooth(scaled climbing perch, used therefore by the cunning to make

protecti)e amulets% She flies by night and the rustle of her tresses is as the rustle of rain% She lo)es to alight ontall trees and hide in the bird5s(nest fern% 7hen this banshee passes, the pregnant woman should be bathed andthe following charm recited o)er betel()ine, which must be gi)en her to chew

I am a Great Rishi! I slay without asking leave I behead without making enquiry I am Allah's champion on earth I can destroy all creatures

nly what I create I cannot destroy"#e are children o$ di$$erent seed!

thou with broad bosom and small teeth!%hou with $lowing tresses and long nails!

%hou with the swaying gait! I$ thou alightest on a tree& istress (tick$ast is thy name! I$ thou alightest on a rapid&(ang Rangga is thy title!

I$ thou sittest on a tree)stump&%he *air +huta is thy name"

I$ thou alightest on the ground&%he *air (waying ne thy name!

I$ thou mountest the house)ladder&%hy name the *air (itter!

I$ thou sittest at the house)door&%hy name the *air +ar)door"

I$ thou sittest on a roo$)beam&%hy name the *air Peerer!

I$ thou alightest on the mat&%hy name the *air (eated #oman!

olest not the children o$ Adamr thou wilt be a traitor to Allah!

Such, at any rate, is the charm used in "pper Perak%

To pre)ent a woman who dies in child(birth from becoming one of these banshees glass beads are put in thecorpse5s mouth to keep her from inhuman shrieking, hen5s eggs laid under her armpits so that she may not liftthem to fly, and needles placed in the palms of her hands so that she may not open or clench them to assist herflight% 8' hen5s egg is laid also under the arm(pit of a still(born child before burial%9

'nother spirit 8 Penanggalan 9 which sucks the blood of those in child(bed, consists of a woman5s head and neckwith trailing )iscera, which shine at night like fire(flies% If she sucks the blood of woman or child, deathfollows% The lights of a hill in Perak called Changkat 'sah, lights described in that most readable book on thePeninsula, @eorge Ma&well5s In alay *orests , are thought by the superstitious to be troops of these shiningones%

Then there is a class of familiar spirits created from the dead% Many Malays say that their se)eral names areonly dialect terms for one familiar, but others distinguish three species% The +a,ang may be 0ust a malignantforest spirit or, according to others, a man5s familiar% 's the latter he is kept in a stoppered bamboo )essel andfed with eggs and milk% 3eleased he will cause sickness and delirium to his )ictims, especially to children% His)isible embodiment is a ci)et(cat% He may be the hereditary property of his owner, but more often is con0ured


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at dead of night from the newly(dug gra)e of a still(born child% Pour the blood of a murdered man into a bottleand recite the appropriate charm, and after se)en or twice se)en days a bird(like chirp will announce the

presence of a Polong % -)ery day the owner must feed this familiar with blood from his or her finger% Its )ictimdies ra)ing unless through his mouth the Polong will confess the name of its owner and of any malicious

person who may ha)e hired it from that owner% .ut the best known of these familiars 8 Pelsit 9 is of the niggettype and takes the shape of a house(cricket% ' woman goes into the forest on the night before the full moon,and standing with her back to the moon and her face to an ant(hill recites certain charms and tries to catch herown shadow% It may take three nights% +r she may ha)e to try for se)eral months, always on the same threenights% Sooner or later she will succeed and her body ne)er again cast a shadow% Then in the night a child willappear before her and put out its tongue% She must sei6e the tongue, whereupon the body of the child )anishes%Soon the tongue turns into a tiny animal, reptile or insect, which can be used as a bottle imp% 'ccording to amore gruesome )ersion the tongue that can change into this familiar must be bitten out of the e&humed corpseof the first(born child of a first(born mother and buried at cross(roads% This )ampire cricket is employedespecially by 0ealous wi)es to in0ure their ri)als or their ri)als5 children%

.esides these two classes of malicious birth(spirits and familiars, created from the corpses of man, there aregra)eyard spooks of the sheeted dead% In Patani one of the most noted of these 8 hantu bungkus 9 is thought toappear as a white cat or to lie like a bundle of white rags near a burial ground% 2Should a person pass it who is

afraid, it unrolls, twines itself round his feet, enters his person by means of his big toe and feasts within on hissoul, so that he becomes distraught and dies in con)ulsions, unless a competent medicine(man can e&orcise itin time to sa)e his life and reason%2 ' bold person an&ious to see ghosts has only to use as a collyrium the tearsof the wide(eyed slow loris

' relic of the Malay5s fear of the departed sur)i)es in the moribund custom of abandoning a house where adeath has occurred%

(d) PRIMITIVE SPIRITS, FAIRIES AND GHOSTSSpirits and ghosts that are not termed 0inn by the Malay spontaneously may be classed together as flotsam of

primiti)e beliefs% They may be the ghosts of men who li)ed too long ago to be associated ordinarily with thegenies of a religion they ne)er practised in their li)es% They may be fairies too human to ha)e sprung fromsmokeless fire% They may be godlings or nature(spirits too local or petty and neglected to ha)e attracted theattention of the pious% +r they may be spirits too )ague to ha)e ac*uired a local habitation and a name%Challenged, the de)out Malay would gi)e to all of them the sinister canonisation of #inn%

Some of this class are on the border(line between spirits and ghosts% There is the Spectre Huntsman, knowngenerally as a ghost, in one aspect an a)atar of Si)a, in another an u&orious )illager whose endless hunt for amouse(deer for his gra)id wife led to his being turned ali)e into a forest demon% In many lands a )an*uished

aboriginal people are allotted by their con*uerors to the borderland class between ghost and spirit% 7ere it notthat he also is identified with Si)a, it would be tempting to include in it .lack 'wang in his shape as a !egrito8p% supra 9%

Then there are 2.achelor2 spirits, who may be forgotten godlings or the ghosts of youths cut off in their prime%There is the .achelor Cock(fighter, who presides o)er mains and hates liars% There are the .lack .achelor andthe .oy with the 1ong 1ock, of whom Perak peasants speak%

There are a few spirits of high places, like the Chief of the mountain .erembun in Perak or /ato Parol, saintedlord of @unong 'ngsi in !egri Sembilan and commander of an army of the dead who ha)e sprung from theirgra)es as tigers% Most famous is the fairy Princess of Mount 1edang in Malacca, who married !akhoda 3agam,

a wandering prince of .orneo% 'fter his death at sea from the prick of her needle she donned fairy garb andflew to @unong 1edang, whence she migrated later to .ukit #ugra further up the coast with a sacred tiger as hercompanion% +thers make her consort of the founder of Malacca% .ut a foreign and literary origin is suggestedfor this fairy by the mention of her flying garb, the account in the se)enteenth century alay Annals of hergarth, her singing birds and her demand, when a Sultan of Malacca wooed her, for a betrothal present of se)entrays piled with the li)ers of mos*uitoes, se)en trays piled with the li)ers of fleas, a tub of tears, a basin of


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spirit of the cataract that lies 2prone on the water with head like an in)erted copper2; spirits of the sea that settleon masts in the form of St% -lmo5s fire; spirits of the 0ungle track; spirits that tamper with the noose and snareof the hunter; spirits that li)e in trees especially where wild bees nest; the spirit of the faded lotus% Many asacred place in 0ungle and gro)e, supposed now to be the site of some saint5s )anished tomb, is really a relic of

primiti)e worship of the spirits of nature%

(e) ANGELS AND DEVILS OF ISLAMTo(day in e)ery hamlet in Malaya, that has sufficient inhabitants to form a congregation, there is a mos*uewhere, along with his fellow )illagers, the magician acknowledges that there is no @od but 'llah andMuhammad is His Prophet% The office of Caliph or head of the Muslim faith within his own State is the mostcherished prerogati)e of a Malay ruler% His installation is attended by the magician, once master of theceremony but now merely an onlooker, who listens and hears the court heralds call to the four archangels tosend down upon their new ruler 2the di)ine ma0esty of kings by the hands of his angelsB the angels of the risingsun, the angels of the e)ening, the angels who stand upon the right and left of the empyrean throne, the angel ofthe 6enith and the horned princess, angel of the moon%2 Suckled in creeds outworn, the magician sits at the feetof the pious and learns all he can about these angels and the demonology of the youngest of Malaya5s religions%He adds the names of angels and de)ils and spirits to his repertory of incantations%

He learns that there are angels, demons 8or Shaitan9 and 0inn, all higher than man% 'ctually he has had a Malayaccount of Muhammadan mythology for nearly three hundred years in a work called the Garden o$ -ings ,written in =GJE '%/% by an Indian missionary of Islam in 'cheen% That work tells him of the four angels who

bear the throne +f @od, one in the form of a bull, one in the form of a tiger, one in the form of an eagle, andone in the form of a man% It tells also of the cherubim who cry incessantly 2@lory to @od%2 .ut more interestingto him are the four archangels with indi)idual names, who are concerned with the welfare of men% There is@abriel, the angel of re)elation, with si& pinions, each composed of one hundred smaller wings; he is co)eredwith saffron hairs; between his eyes is a sun, and between e)ery two hairs of his body a moon and stars% -)eryday he di)es three hundred and si&ty times into the Sea of 1ight, and e)ery drop of water from his wingscreates a spiritual angel 8 Ruhaniyun 9 in his likeness% Two of his pinions he e&pands only when @od desires todestroy hamlet or town% Two green pinions he opens only once annually on the night of destiny, when from thetree that stands by the throne of @od the lea)es fall inscribed with the names of those who shall die during theensuing year% There is Michael, created fi)e hundred years before @abriel and fi)e hundred years after Israfil%His whole body is co)ered with saffron hairs, e)ery hair possessing a million faces ha)ing a thousand mouths,each mouth containing a thousand tongues that entreat the mercy of @od, while the tears of his million eyes,weeping for the sins of the faithful, create cherubim in his likeness% These cherubim are his ser)ants, whocontrol rain and plants and fruits, so that there is not a drop of rain falling on earth or sea that is not watched byone of them% There is Israfil, whose head is le)el with the throne of 'llah and whose feet reach lower than thelowest earth% 7ith one pinion he en)elopes the west, with another the east; with a third he co)ers his person,

and with a fourth he )eils himself from mouth to chest% .etween his eyes is the 0ewelled tablet of fate% His dutyit will be to sound the last trump on the day of 0udgment% There is 5'6rail, who according to this )ersion is not8as he should be9 the angel of death but only his warder, and is like Israfil in appearance% The angel of death,

bigger than the se)en earths and the se)en hea)ens, @od kept hidden and chained with se)enty thousand chainsuntil the creation of 'dam% 7hen he was seen by the angels, they fell into a faint that lasted a thousand years%He has se)en thousand pinions% His body is full of eyes and tongues, as many as there are men and birds andli)ing things% 7hene)er a mortal dies, an eye closes% He has four faces% 7hen he takes the life of prophet orangel, he shows the face on his head; the face on his chest is shown to belie)ers, the face on his back toinfidels, and the face on the soles of two of his feet to 0inn% +f his other two feet one is on the borders ofhea)en, the other on the brink of hell% So huge is he that if the waters of all seas and all ri)ers were pouredupon his head, not one drop would reach the earth% !o li)ing creature shall escape death e&cept the four

archangels and the four angels who bear the throne of @od%

There is also a huge angel called 3uh or the Spirit, with the face of a man, who will stand beside the throne onthe day of 0udgment and implore mercy for the faithful%

There are the two in*uisitor angels, Munkar and !akir, who )isit the dead in their gra)es and en*uire if they


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are belie)ers%

!ight and day man is protected from de)ils and 0inn by two out of four attendant angels, who change guard atsunrise and sunset% 3ecorders of his good and e)il deeds, they are termed $iraman $atibin, the !oble 7riters;good deeds are written down by the angel on his right, bad by the angel on his left%

!ineteen abaniah 8or @uardian 'ngels9, under Malik their chief, are in charge of hell%

inally, Iblis, the fallen rebel angel who refused to prostrate himself before 'dam, is commander of an army ofsupreme interest to the magician, the host of infidel genies or 0inn%

(f) JINN#inn or genies sprang from three mangro)e(lea)es, the green 0inn from a leaf that soared into the green sky, the

black from a leaf that fell at the gate of the forest, the white from a leaf that fell into the sea% 'ccording toanother incantation they were created from the earth of the mountain Mahameru, the Malay +lympus with theHindu name% So Malays belie)e, unless it is to be supposed that in such charms the magicians were merelyin)enting fictitious origins for spirits they wished to control% 'ccording to some incantations the genies of theearth were born of afterbirth, according to others of the morning star% +ne magician5s account says that 0inn aresprung from the coconut monkey 'nother declares that they were created from Sakti(muna, a great serpentBthe king of the 0inn from his life5s breath, the white 0inn from the whites of his eyes, the black, blue, green andyellow 0inn from their irises, the genie that li)es in the lightning from his )oice% Muslims hold that #an was thefather of all% the 0inn, and #an in the Auran also signifies a serpent% There is another legend with a Muslimcolouring% 7hen Cain and 'bel were still in the womb they bit their thumbs till the blood came, and along withthem were born 0inn, black from the blood that spurted cloud(high, white from the blood that fell to the ground%So run the discrepant accounts of the Malay magician, who accepts also the Auran5s )ersion that 0inn werecreated from smokeless fire%

The account of genies in the Garden o$ -ings is as followsB #an, the father of all 0inn, was originally an angel,called firstly 'ristotle but later 5'6a6il% 7hen 5'6a6il refused to do obeisance to 'dam, his name was changedto Iblis or #an and his form into that of a genie; of the relation of Iblis to the genies, howe)er, there are se)eral)ariant accounts% .egetting a child e)ery two days, #an became the ancestor of all the genies, countlessshadowy beings, numerous as the sands of the earth and filling hill and ca)e, forest and plain% 't first theyinhabited the lowest hea)en% Thence they got the permission of 'llah to descend to the earth, se)en thousandtroops of them% In time they fought among themsel)es and disobeyed @od% So He sent Prophets and 'ngels to*uell them and pen them in a corner of the world% To plague mankind 0inn can assume any shape% Some takethe form of men, others of horses or dogs or pigs, others of snakes, others of insects% Some can fly% Some caneat, drink and marry% +ne tradition talks of three classes of 0inn, one winged, another in the form of dogs and

insects, another in human form% ' few are good Muslims and will go to hea)en; most are infidels doomed tohell% Their great age is illustrated from the story of the genie detected by Muhammad under the disguise of a)ery old man% .eing recognised as a genie, he admitted that he had met !oah and all the Prophets after him%

'gain the Malay has read of 0inn in his recension of the story of 'le&ander the @reat% That world(con*uerormeets a descendant of the genie Sakhr, who stole Solomon5s ring, and assuming Solomon5s shape reigned in hisstead for forty days% He and his kin are guarding till the day of 0udgment a mos*ue built for Solomon by Sakhrin retribution for his presumption% He appears to 'le&ander in the form of a handsome youth but turns byre*uest into his proper shapeB huge as the mos*ue, ha)ing se)en heads, each with two faces, each face ha)ingfour eyes like tongues of flame, a ca)ernous mouth, teeth like fiery tongues, a nose like the nose of a bull; oneach forehead are two snakey locks, and the genie has the feet of a duck and the tail of a bull !ear the border

of the world where the sun sinks 'le&ander finds genies guarding $ing Solomon5s treasure(house of 0ewels%They are the descendants of human men and ten daughters of Iblis% 7hen 'le&ander mar)els, the Prophet$hid6r *uotes the case of the Aueen of Sheba, who had a human father and a genie mother, and showed thisorigin by the hair on her cal)es%

'll 0inn are the sub0ects not of Muhammad but of Solomon, to whom @od ga)e authority o)er genies, the


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animal creation and the wind of hea)en%

+ne Malay charm speaks of 2#in the son of #an of the line of the Pharaohs,2 a pedigree founded on the 'rabnotion that the last king of the pre('damite 0inn was #an the son of #an, and that he built the Pyramids%

'ccording to Malay belief there are 0inn inhabiting the sun, the moon, the sky, the wind, the clouds% There areothers whose homes or hosts are ant(hills, wells, rocks, the hard heartwood of trees, ra)ines, fields, swamps,lakes, ri)ers, mountain or plain% +thers are genies of cape or bay, the sea, the tide, estuaries% Syncretism hasincluded in these classes Indonesian soul(substance and nature(spirits and Hindu di)inities; but one tradition ofthe Prophet also distinguishes three kinds of genies, one in the air, one on the land, and one on the sea% Malaymedical lore, ha)ing borrowed from 'rabia Plato5s theory of the origin of disease, differentiates a fourth class,the genies of fire and fiery sunsets%

The colour of a Malay genie )aries according to his habitation% @enies of earth and the dark forests andlowering clouds are black% Those inhabiting the sky are blue or to the Malay eye green% The 0inn of fire andsunset are yellow% In fleecy clouds and the shimmering sea they are white%

#ust as Plato ascribed disease to disturbance of the balance of power between the four properties of earth, air,

fire and water, out of which the body is compacted, so the Malay medicine(man ascribes all diseases to the fourclasses of genies presiding o)er those properties% The genies of the air cause wind(borne complaints, dropsy, blindness, hemiplegia and insanity% The genies of the black earth cause )ertigo, with sudden blackness of)ision% The genies of fire cause hot fe)ers and yellow 0aundice% The white genies of the sea cause chills, catarrhand agues%

'll these are e&ternal genies, )isible to lonely wayfarers, to the magician in a trance or, according to $elantan belief, to the ga6er upon the finger(nails of small innocent boys% They can talk among themsel)es or throughthe mouth of the shaman medium% @enies of the earth may appear in human form 2floating in the air and notalways remaining the same si6e,2 or in the form of animals or ants or scorpions or in any shape they please%The manufacture of old Chinese crackle(ware is ascribed by Malays to genies% Muslim genies haunt two

mos*ues in !egri Sembilan, flitting to and fro in long white robes and sometimes chanting the Auran% If a person stand under a ladder and bathe in water wherein a corpse has been washed, he has only to stoop andlook between his legs to see crowds of genies and demons sipping the water% Infidel genies of the earth arethought in Patani to assume the form of dogs and guard hidden treasure% If they take a fancy to a person, theychange into little old men and lea)e sacks of gold for their fa)ourites to remo)e% Peculiar bubbles on thesurface of the water indicate the presence of 0ars of treasure placed by genies in pool or well% There is a genie2supposed to resemble the human form but to dart about like a will(o5(the(wisp2 and da6e the man that crossesit% Sei6e a genie and hold him, no matter what terrifying aspect he may assume, and one can wrest from him thesecret of in)isibility% 2If a man had a tame genie, he could cause the meat from another man5s cooking(pot tocome to him%2 The founder of a house of great chiefs in Perak was a poor fisherman% His traps were repeatedlythrown on the bank and his weirs opened% He watched and saw the offender, a genie clad in the green robes andturban of a Muslim pilgrim% He sei6ed the genie and refused to let him go% The genie said 2Swallow this,2 spatin his mouth, and told him that he would become the greatest chief in the country and his family prosper forse)en generations%

.ut these e&ternal 0inn 8for whom Malay physicians find yet another origin suitable to their medical theories,namely wind9 cannot inflict disease without the help of the class of genies that inhabit the bodies of men% So, atleast, it is said in $elantan% 7hen the genie, whose host a man5s body is, has weakened him by loss of blood,coughing, dyspepsia, then only can 0inn from outside enter and cause him hurt% There is a yellow geniecontrolling a man5s fi)e senses% There is a white genie 8 ,in or malaikat 9, also called the 1ight of the Prophet,that 2takes up its abode in the heart of e)ery Muhammadan and pre)ents him from being wicked,2 -)en theseinternal 0inn ha)e colour and shape% alse etymology and recollection of the Indonesian bird(soul make PataniMalays identify a man5s white genie with a bird, one of Muhammad5s parrots

In some genies abstract ideas seem to find a local habitation and a name%

%he genie o$ golden li$e&


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%he genie o$ bright desireearing bangles o$ brass and coat o$ steel&

can both abduct a woman5s soul on her lo)er5s behalf%

The moral character of the white genie in man5s bosom may be due to confusion of this spirit with the 1ight ofthe Prophet% @enies, destined for hea)en, are moral beings, and belong to the se)eral schools of Muslim belief%The others are capricious and do not distinguish between good and e)il%

The syncretism that has made the name of Malay 0inn legion is patent in the Perak magician5s address to 2the procession of the thousand 0inn%2 In that in)ocation the e)il influence belie)ed by Malay animists to in)est thecorpses of deer, Indonesian goblins of the soil, the Misty .eauty that floats o)er blind wells, the Piebald Pony,four spirit guardians of the corners of the world, $ala or Si)a in his destructi)e form, Sri the Hindu Ceres, aHindu Moon airy beautiful upon waters, the Herald of the 7orld that dwells in the clouds with a name halfSanskrit half 'rabic, #amshid a spirit of the headlands bearing the name of a Persian king, the spirits of theMuslim dead(these and scores more are entreated so that the magician may display the wealth of his uncriticallore, offend none of the spirit world and let no genie escape the net of his magic%

'n e*ually good e&ample is found in the list of the guardian 0inii of Perak, or, to gi)e them their other name,the genies of the royal trumpets, whose indwelling spirits were fed and re)i)ed annually centuries before thecoming of Islam% These include the our Children of the Iron Pestle, +ld @rannie from up(ri)er, the Prince ofthe 3olling 7a)es, the Children of the @affer who li)es in the sky% .rahma, 4ishnu, and Indra are amongthem% $ing Solomon and 5'li, the fourth Caliph, find a place% There are royal familiars of the State shaman andhis assistant% There is the 3a0a of all the 0inn, who is throned on the bree6e of hea)en% There is the Sultan of the"nsubstantial 7orld 8 maya 9, who condescends to the ear(posies of kings from his throne on a crystal car that isfollowed by all the Sultans of the uni)erse% 'nd there are spirits with royal titles in Persian, and female fairieswith Sanskrit names% The list shows a wide knowledge of Malay romances, like the .ikayat (hamsu'l)+ahrain and the .ikayat Indraputra , that are based on Indian models and full of heroes and genies with Indian names%'c*uaintance with such literature was an esteemed accomplishment at Malay courts% 'mong the 0inn regarded

by Perak commoners is 5"mar "mmaiya, the "lysses of the Persian romance of 'mir Ham6ah

III. THE MALAY MAGICIAN'!TH3+P+1+@ and history confirm the )arious stages in the de)elopment of the Malay magician%

irst he was the Indonesian animist, re*uiring no initiation into his office and no help from a familiar spirit%Hunting, fishing, planting, and healing the sick demanded merely different e&perts ac*uainted with the practiceand customs of the particular craft% In the ritual of the rice(field, for e&ample, a midwife or other old womantook the leading part, because her se& had a beneficent influence on the fertility of the crop, and her e&periencewith human infants *ualified her to handle the rice(baby% Courtesy and persuasion and diplomatic languagewere the weapons of the Malay magician of animism%

!e&t came the shaman% Comparati)e study has, re)ealed that shamanism was 2the nati)e religion of the "ral('ltaic peoples from .ehring Straits to the borders of Scandina)ia,2 and 2probably of the early Mongol(Tartar

peoples and others akin to them, for e&ample, in China and Tibet%2 Its part in the religions of Malaysian tribesreminds one that on linguistic grounds it has been surmised the Malay descended from the continent of 'sia

and that anthropologists detect in him a Mongol strain% The shaman still retains his pride of place among theaboriginal tribes of the Malay Peninsula, !egrito, Indo(Chinese and Proto(Malay% +ne word is used by theMalay both for the magician e&pert in some particular line and for the shaman who controls spirits by the helpof a familiar% .ut a distinction between them is recognised% 2"pon the e&ercise of the shaman5s power e)eryMalay looks with considerable dread, and the least orthodo& shakes his head when it is mentioned%2 Islamlooks far more askance at the shaman who calls down spirits at a s/ance than at the commoner medicine(man


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who relies solely on charms and in)ocations co)ered with a )eneer of orthodo& phraseology% His brothers inmagic respect the shaman more highly% In $elantan when a shaman is operating in any district 2all othermedicine(men are dis*ualified for the time being%2

Sometimes the Malay shaman wears cords round his wrists and across back and breast o)er each shoulder andunder the opposite arm% He can use cloth of royal yellow at a s/ance % 3arely he is a 3a0a% In Perak the Stateshaman was commonly of the reigning house and bore the title of Sultan Muda% He was too e&alted to inheritany other office e&cept the Sultanate, and according to one account could ascend no temporal throne% He wasallotted a State allowance from port dues and the ta& on opium% The twenty(fifth holder of the office was agrandson on the distaff side of arhum -ahar , a famous ruler of Perak in the eighteenth centuryB on the spearside he was a descendant of the Prophet The wife of its holder bore the title of 3a0a Puan Muda% His deputy orheir(apparent was styled 3a0a $echil Muda% So, too, in parts of Timor two 3a0as are recognised(a ci)il ra0awho go)erns the people, and another ra0a who can declare tabus and must be consulted by his colleagues in allimportant matters%

't a curati)e 8but not apparently at a State(cleansing9 s/ance the spirit(raising shaman may be a woman%/uring the last illness of Sultan usuf, a nineteenth century ruler of Perak, a s/ance was conducted by 3a0a

!gah, a scion of the reigning house on the female side, 2a middle(aged woman dressed as a man2 for the

occasion(a de)ice I ha)e seen adopted by Malay midwi)es also% In $elantan the shaman may be a Malay or aSiamese woman%

!egritos and certain northern Sakai placed the bodies of dead shamans in shelters built among tree(branches%The soul of a !egrito magician may enter tiger, elephant, or rhinoceros, and there abide until the animal dies,when the soul at last goes to its own hea)en% Some $inta Sakai used formerly to lea)e the corpses of magiciansunburied in the houses where they died% The #akun of 3ompin put them 2on platforms and their souls go up tothe sky, while those of ordinary mortals, whose bodies are buried, go to the underworld%2 +ther #akun belie)ethat great magicians are translated ali)e to hea)en% Clearly it was the custom of the Peninsular aborigines not to

bury a magician% His soul might inhabit a large animal temporarily, but found its way in the end to some placein the air that is full of the unseen spirits he controlled% Malays ha)e long buried their magicians% 2The ma0ority

of sacred places in the Patani States are the reputed gra)es of great medicine(men%2 .ut in two of the States onthe west coast, at least, when a practiser of black magic is in the throes of death, it is belie)ed that the spirit oflife can escape only if a hole is made in the roof of the house%

' shaman by inheritance comes into possession of a familiar spirit, or perhaps he may inherit one from his preceptor% In Patani it is said that if a shaman does not be*ueath his 8or her9 art to a pupil before dying, then hisclothes, drums, censer, and other magical appurtenances will generate a sa)age ghost% There, too, it is held thathairy persons are especially *ualified to become magicians% The .enua, a Proto(Malay tribe, belie)e that thesoul of a dead shaman 8who has to be left unburied in the forest9 will in the se)enth day attack his heir in theform of a tigerB if the heir betrays no fear and casts incense on a fire, he will fall into a trance and be )isited bytwo beautiful female spirits who become his familiars; if the heir fails to watch by the corpse and obser)e thisritual, the dead man5s soul enters a tiger for e)er% 'ccording to the belief of the #akun his familiar spirit comesto a shaman by inheritance or in a dream% In all accounts the shaman must ac*uire as his familiar a spirit thathas not found rest% This he does in a trance, often during a )igil beside a gra)e%

$elantan Malays prescribe a method of ac*uiring a shaman5s powers that shows an accretion of Muslim beliefon a primiti)e idea, akin to the Proto(Malay superstition that round a gra)e a ditch must be dug wherein thesoul of the deceased may paddle his canoe% Sitting one at the head and one at the foot of the gra)e of amurdered man, the would(be shaman and a companion burn incense and make belie)e to use paddles shapedfrom the midrib of a royal yellow coconut palm, calling the while upon the murdered man to grant magical

powers% The landscape will come to look like a sea and an aged man will appear, to whom the re*uest formagic must be repeated% !ow one of the e)idences of Muslim saintship is the ecstatic )ision or dream of theProphet or of one of the greater saints of Islam% Possibly the 2aged man2 was 1u*man al(Hakim, the reputedfattier of 'rabian magic% +ne day, according to $elantan belief, the 'ngel @abriel was commanded to upset1u*man and his books at sea as a punishment for his pride, and the finders of the few scattered pages of those

books became medicine(men in their se)eral countries% ' Selangor account corroborates the $elantan beliefthat 1u*man was the first magicianB he li)ed in the sky, was descended from 'dam and -)e, was a son 8or


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perhaps brother9 of Si)a, and so a link with the Hindu element in the modern Malay medicine(man5sshibboleth

The Malay has always been apt to ascribe greater power to foreign magic, whether that of a naked illiterateaborigine from the woods or that of a Hindu trader or an 'rab missionary% In an eighteenth century history ofPerak it is recorded how among the medicine(men in attendance on the daughter of a famous Malay ruler therewere Sakai from the 0ungle% Magicians, like prophets, ha)e more honour outside their own borders% It is nowonder, therefore, that the Malay midwife learnt from the Hindu all the magic he could teach for the greatoccasions of birth, adolescence, and marriage, or that the Malay shaman added gods of the Hindu pantheon tohis demonology and made in)ocations and offerings to Si)a% 1ong before the introduction of Islamicmysticism, Hinduism had encouraged the Malay magician to fortify his powers and command the wonder ofthe credulous by ascetic practices% Malay romances, paraphrased from Indian originals, are full of stories ofheroes who ac*uire magic, especially for warfare, by retiring into a hermit5s seclusion on a mountain(top% InPatani there is a 2curious belief, perhaps more Siamese than Malay, that no man can become a really greatmagician in any country in which the peaks of the hills are rounded, and that therefore the State of Patalung, inwhich there are many conical hills, produces the most powerful medicine(men in the Malay Peninsula%2

7hen Islam came, the Malay magician sat at the feet of its pundits, studied their arts of di)ination, and

borrowed their cabalistic talismans% .efore his old incantations he set the names of 'llah and Muhammad,often in impious conte&ts% He detected his latest a)atar in the li)ing saint of Islam, to whom folk resort 2forad)ice in legal disputes or as to the success or failure of an enterprise or as intercessor for the sick or to get achild or to remo)e blight or plague or confound enemies%2 He will, therefore, seclude himself for certain daysof the week or for a period, the practice being gi)en an 'rabic name and ha)ing a religious colour% Sometimeshe keeps celibate% +r he may fast to impress the common herd and enable himself to see )isions% ' magician ofthis type is generally a disciple of a crude form of Sufism deri)ed from India% ' Selangor account, stronglyaffected by !eo(Platonic ideas, makes 'llah 8as 'bsolute .eing beyond all relations9 the first of magicians%27hen ha6e was still in the womb of darkness and darkness in the womb of ha6e, before earth bore the name ofearth or sky the name of sky, before 'llah was called 'llah or Muhammad was called Muhammad, before thecreation of the /i)ine Throne and its footstool and the firmament, the Creator of the worlds was manifested by

Himself and He was the first magician% He made the magician5s uni)erse, a world of the breadth of a tray, a skyof the breadth of an umbrella%%%% The magician before time e&isted was 'llah and He re)ealed Himself by thelight of moon and sun and so showed Himself to be )erily a magician%2 The first sentence of this *uotation is aMalay paraphrase of the Prophet5s simile for @od before the creationB 2the dark mist abo)e which is a )oid and

below which is a )oid%2 's Skeat has suggested, the conception of a miniature uni)erse, Plato5s 2fi&edarchetypes,2 would remind the Malay of the relation of the tiny Indonesian soul to the physical body% Itreminds also of Ibn 5'rabi5s saying that all the uni)erse contains lies potential in @od like the tree in the seed%Indeed, one Malay account of the origin of the magician relates how at the Muslim word of creation 8 kun9 2theseed was created and from the seed the root, from the root the stem, and from the stem the lea)es,2 and then inthe same sentence relates how the word of creation brought into being a miniature earth and sky% So time haschanged the Malay brother of the Siberian shaman into a humble relati)e of the Sufi mystic%

're there traces of the magician in the Malay king? 'mong some, at least, of the Proto(Malay tribes of thePeninsula the commoner chief or .atin is 0udge, priest, and magician%

.etween the old(world commoner chiefs of the matriarchal tribes of !egri Sembilan and the 3a0a ruler thereare se)eral ties% 1ike the magician 8and the -uropean district officer 9 both can influence the weatherB a wetseason will be ascribed to a cold constitution .oth are chosen from se)eral branches of one family,theoretically from each branch in rotation, actually from the branch that happens to possess the candidate mostsuitable in years and character% .oth, therefore, like the Malay magician hold 2offices hereditary or at leastconfined to the members of one family%2

1ike the .rahmin the Malay magician and the Malay ruler ha)e a tabu language% ' king does not 2walk2 but2has himself carried2; he does not 2bathe2 but is 2sprinkled like a flower2; he does not 2li)e2 but 2resides2; hedoes not 2feed2 but 2takes a repast2; he does not 2die2 but 2is borne away%2 +f the do6en or more wordsconstituting this )ocabulary half are Malay, half Sanskrit% Shaman and ruler both ha)e felt the influence ofHinduism%


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1ike the magician, the ruler has wonder(working insignia of office% The tambourine and other appurtenances ofthe shaman will generate an e)il spirit if not be*ueathed to a successor% To tread on a Malay State drum maycause deathB e)en a Chinaman has been known to swell up and die after remo)ing a hornet5s nest from thisterrific instrument% The regalia of a Malay ruler were miraculous talismans that controlled the luck of the State%Auite recently in Malacca a pretender to the chieftainship of !aning got hold of the insignia of office, refusedto surrender them, and declared that possession of them ga)e him a good title%

In the old annual ceremony of e&pelling malignant spirits from a Malay State, the ruler took a leading part% 'ndin the ritual of the now obsolete Perak court magician there are two noteworthy details% 't the s/ance heldduring his last illness Sultan usuf was placed shrouded on the wi6ard5s mat with the wi6ard5s grass(switch inhis hand to await, as at an ordinary s/ance the shaman alone awaits, the ad)ent of the spirits in)oked% 'gain,after the annual s/ance to 2re)i)e2 the Perak regalia, the State magician bathed the Sultan and in his person thegenies of the State, who would seem therefore to be regarded as His Highness5 familiar spirits% 'ccording to anold account the State shaman of Perak was eligible for the Sultanate, and the 3a0a Muda, or heir to the throne,could become State shaman%

Modern man has forgotten that in appropriating buffaloes with peculiar horns, albino children, turtles5 eggs andother freaks of nature, the Malay ruler started not as a grasping tyrant but as a magician, competent abo)e all

his people to face the dangers of the unusual and untried% or under paganism, Hinduism and Islam magicianand ra0a dead and ali)e ha)e been credited with supernatural powers% It is claimed for a modern Malaymagician that he can remain under water for an hour It was claimed for a bye(gone ruler of Perak that e)ery

riday he could translate himself to Mecca and once brought back three green figs as e)idence of his 0ourney%The gra)es of kings and the gra)es of magicians ha)e been alike the ob0ect of worship%

Sacred Te&ts Shamanism Inde& Pre)ious !e&t

IV. THE MALAY CHARMTH-3- are three words used by Malays for incantation or charm, two of them Sanskrit 8 ,ampi ; mantra 9, theother the 'rabic word for prayer 8 do'a 9% Charms are employed in agricultural operations, by fishermen, hunters,fowlers and trappers; to abduct or recall the soul; to re)i)e ore in a mine or a patient on a bed of sickness;against cramp, poison, snakebite, enemies, )ampires, e)il spirits; at birth and at teeth(filing; to sa)e men fromtigers, and crops from rats and boars and insect pests; for beauty, )irility, lo)e; to weaken a ri)al in a race or ina fight; to di)ert a bullet or break a weapon as it is being drawn%

' Malay charm may form part of a primiti)e ritual, like that of the rice(year, conducted by a skilled magician%It may be merely recited on an appropriate occasion by any layman who has learnt it% +ne may buy the wordsof a lo)e(charm, for e&ample, from an e&pert 2for three dollars, three yards of white cloth, cotton and thread,limes and salt, areca(nut, and betel()ine,2 or for 2limes and salt, three small coins, fi)e yards of white cloth anda needle%2

The charm may re*uire to be supplemented by contagious and by homKopathic or mimetic magic% Sand fromthe foot(print of the woman lo)ed, earth from the gra)es of a man and woman, the hair(like filaments of

bamboo, black pepperB these are often steamed in a pot while a lo)e(charm is being recited% 'nother method isto 2take a lime, pierce it with the midrib of a fallen coconut palm, lea)ing one finger5s length sticking out oneither side whereby to hang the lime% Hang it up with thread of se)en colours, lea)ing the thread also hanging

loose an inch below the lime% Take se)en sharpened midribs and stick them into the lime, lea)ing two fingers5length pro0ecting% The sticking of the midrib into the lime is to symbolise piercing the heart and li)er and lifeand soul and gall of the belo)ed% Put 0asmine on the end of the midrib skewers% /o this first on Monday night,for three nights, and then on riday night% Imagine you pierce the girl5s heart as you pierce the lime% 3ecite theaccompanying charm three or se)en times, swinging the lime each time you recite the words and fumigating itwith incense% /o this fi)e times a day and fi)e times a night in a pri)ate place where no one shall enter or
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sleep%2 ' woman recites a charm for beauty o)er the water in which she bathes or o)er the coconut oil withwhich she anoints her hair%

Sometimes the Malay appears to be indebted to India for a charm and to ha)e forgotten or purposely omittedthe accompanying ritual% In the Atharva)0eda there is an incantation to arouse the passionate lo)e of a womanB

ay love& the disquieter& disquiet thee do not hold out upon thy bed" #ith the terrible arrow o$ -ama I pierce thee in the heart!%he arrow winged with longing& barbed with love& whose sha$t is undeviating desire& with thatwell)aimed -ama shall pierce thee in the heart!#ith that well)aimed arrow o$ -ama which parches the spleen& whose plume $lies $orward&which burns up& do I pierce thee in the heart!1onsumed by burning ardour& with parched mouth& come to me woman& pliant& thy pride laidaside& mine alone& speaking sweetly and to me devoted!

I drive thee with a goad $rom thy mother and thy $ather& so that thou shalt be in my power& shaltcome up to my wish!

All her thoughts do ye& itra and 0aruna& drive out o$ her" %hen having deprived her o$ herwill put her into my power alone"

!ow turn to the modern Malay e*ui)alentB

In the name o$ God& the erci$ul& the 1ompassionate! +urn& burn& sand and earth! I burn the heart o$ my beloved And my $ire is the arrow o$ Ar,una! I$ I burnt a mountain& it would$all I$ I burnt rock& it would split asunder" I am burning the heart o$ my beloved&(o that she is broken and hot with love&

%hat giveth her no rest night or day& +urning ever as this sand burns" Let her cease to love parents and $riends! I$ she sleeps& awaken her! I$ she awakes& cause her to rise and come2ielding hersel$ unto me&

3evoid o$ shame and discretion! +y virtue o$ the poison o$ Ar,una's arrow& +y virtue o$ the invocation&4%here is no God but God and uhammad is .is Prophet"4

The Malay lo)er only talks of 'r0una5s arrow% .ut the Hindu lo)er pierced the heart of a clay effigy by meansof a bow with a hempen string carrying an arrow whose barb was a thorn and whose plume was plucked froman owl%

-)en in 4edic times, howe)er, often no ritual was re*uired and the mere recital of the )erbal charm sufficed% 'Hindu would mutter in the presence of a hostile witnessB((2I take away the speech in thy mouth, I take away thespeech in thy heart% 7here)er thy speech is I take it away% 7hat I say is true% all down inferior to me%2 So,too, the Malay today without any ritual recitesB((2+ @od let the world be blind, the uni)erse deaf, the earthstretched out dumb; closed and locked be the desire of my enemy2; or he whispers,

m! king o$ genies!%he rock)splitting lightning is my voice! ichael is with me! In virtue o$ my use o$ this charm%o make heavy and lock&

I lock the hearts o$ all my adversaries&


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I make dumb their tongues& I lock their mouths& I tie their hands& I $etter their $eet" 5ot till rock moves(hall their hearts be moved

5ot till earth my mother moves(hall their hearts be moved"

The )oice of the Malay animist is heard in the charm calling the corn(baby to her embroidered cradle, or in thesailor5s in)ocation for a bree6eB 2Come, wind, loose your long flowing tresses,2 or in the Perak raftsman5saddress to the spirit of a perilous rapidB((2'ccept this offering, granddam Send our raft safe through the longrapid, we beseech thee Cause us no harm in mid 0ourney% +pen like the uncurling blossom of the palm +penlike a snake that uncoils%2 .ut it is not in many incantations that the Malay roars thus 2gently as any suckingdo)e%2

Most of his charms bear all the characteristic marks of the Indian mantra % They must be kept secret% They are inrude metrical form% Many are a mi&ture of prayer and spell% !umerous spirits are generally in)oked so that the

particular spirit whose help is wanted or whose male)olence is to be baulked shall not escape mention% 'nd asknowledge of a man5s name will gi)e another power o)er him, so it is sought to influence and control a spirit by enumerating his )arious names% 5Take an address to the -arth(SpiritB((

At daybreak thou art called Lord o$ the (un)Ray& In the morning Lord o$ *ortune& At mid)day Lord o$ the #orld& At evening Lord o$ the 6vening Light7 In the high $orest thy name is the Lea$y rchid& In mid plain& the *lat ne& In the rivulet& the *lowing ne&

In the spring& the %rickler"

1ike the .rahmin, the Malay magician will e&haust a series of possibilities, e&pelling disease from

(kin and bone and ,oint and vein& *lesh& blood& heart& spleen& racked with pain

or bidding

Genies o$ the mountains return to the mountains!Genies o$ the hills return to the hills!Genies o$ the plain return to the plain!Genies o$ the $orest return to the $orest!

or the Malay, too, as for the Hindu the origin of a thing or spirit gi)es magical control o)er them% In the'thar)a(4eda the mention of the names of the father and mother of a plant, for e&ample, is a typical part of amagic formula% Incense is hailed by the Malay magician as a product of the brain of Muhammad, 2its smokethe breath of his spiritual life%2

3ice(pasteB((

It came down $rom Allah's presence& *rom a drop o$ dew descended! *rom the water whence eternal Li$e comes)that it's source o$ being"

The trapper addresses genies (


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I know the source o$ you& genies! *rom the mangrove leaves ye were sprung!

ne soared into the sky and became the green genies"ne $ell at the gate o$ the $orest and became the black genies!ne $ell in the sea and became the white genies!

Sometimes an absurdly base origin is purposely assigned, as in a charm against tigersB((

.o tiger! I know your origin!2our mother& tiger& was a toad!

n the plains o$ (yria you were begotten!

The Malay magician under Indian influence threatens and commands, though he is apt to disclaimresponsibilityB((

%ake this bait& crocodile& A cake o$ yellow rice%he gi$t o$ thy sister *atimah!

I$ thou takest it not&%hou shalt be cursed by her&

or againB((

bey my words& trapped elephant! I$ thou obeyest not&%hou wilt be killed by (ri Rama"

I$ thou obeyest&%he Great Rishis will keep thee alive"

In a charm to weaken a ri)al the Malay boastsB((

It is not on the earth that I tread! I tread on the heads o$ all living things"

In a charm against a thunderstorm he outroars the tempestB((

m! 0irgin goddess& ahadewi! m!1ub am I o$ mighty tiger!'Ali's line through me descends!

y voice is the rumble o$ thunderhose bolts strike a path $or my seeing

*orked lightning's the $lash o$ my weapons! I move not till earth moves! I rock not till earth rocks! I quake not till earth quakes& *irm set as earth's a8is" +y virtue o$ my charm got $rom 'Ali And o$ Islam's con$ession o$ $aith"

To frighten and capture a male elephant the hunter stands on one leg at sunrise and )aunts his prowessB((

y countenance is the light o$ breaking day! y eyes are the star o$ dawn! y body is as that o$ a tusker! y prop is a $ierce tiger! y seat is a ravening crocodile!


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Sitting on the skin of a tiger was supposed by Hindus to gi)e in)isible strength% .ut these daring assumptionsof power were )ery far from the mind of the primiti)e animist, who addressed all things in hea)en and earthwith courtesy and deference%

In Malay as in Hindu charms the curse plays a weighty partB((

I would wed the image in the pupil o$ my mistress' eye#ith the image in the pupil o$ my own!

I$ thou lookest not upon me& ay thy eyeballs burst!

+r againB((

Genies o$ supernatural power!2our home is at the navel o$ the sea&

+y the tree on the broken rock! 6nter not the line drawn by my teacher! 6lse will I curse ye with the words&

4%here is no God but Allah and uhammad is .is Prophet"4 m! I neutralise all evil& (olomon! In the name o$ God"

The mystic +m, symbolical of the Hindu triad, 4ishnu, Si)a, and .rahma, still remains a word of power withthis Muslim magician, though almost supplanted by the 'rabic kun, 21et it be,2 the creati)e word of 'llahB((

In the name o$ God& the erci$ul& the 1ompassionate! I $ry sand $rom the $oot)print o$ my beloved 5ay& I $ry her heart and liver 5ight and day& as this sand is $ried"4Let it be&4 says God"4And it is so&4 says uhammad& .is Apostle"

Let her body itch with desireGiving her no rest $rom longing $or me"4And it is so&4 says Gabriel"

Islam, coming first from India, introduced the Malay to a wide field of fresh magic% ' woman desiring the lo)eof a man gets the following charm written down, wrapped in cerements that ha)e co)ered the face of a malecorpse, and buried where her lo)er is bound to step% The charm is interesting, because so, too, the Moroccan

bride will pray to 'llah and the Prophet and atimah that her husband may 2be fond of her as the dead is fondof his gra)e2; and Syro(Christian charms 8which appear to ha)e influenced early Islam9 in)oke the ather andthe Son to bind the tongues of false witnesses and the na)el of the newly(born child as 2the o& in the yoke, thedead in the gra)e%2 The Malay charm runs as followsB((

I$ uhammad can be sundered $rom Allah And a corpse move in the grave&

nly then shall my lover's desire move to another"%he desire o$ his heart shall be only $or me(traying now hither he shall be my mate unto death&(a$e near me like a corpse in the grave"

The Muslim element in Malay magic will form the sub0ect of a separate chapter% .ut the final e)olution of thespoken charm in the Malay )ernacular may be illustrated here by the incantation whereby the $elantan shamane&orcises the demon of disease at a s/ance B((

universe& the world o$ Adam! 6arth was made $rom a clod rom Paradise&


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#ater $rom a river o$ Paradise& *ire $rom the smoke o$ .ell& Air $rom the $our elements"(kin and hair& $lesh and blood&

+ones and sinews& li$e and seed 1ame $rom $our elements o$ sperm"(kin and hair were created by Gabriel&

*lesh and blood by ichael& +ones and sinews by Isra$il& Li$e and seed by 'A9rail!#here is this genie lodging and taking shelter:#here is he lodging and crouching:Genie! i$ thou art in the $eet o$ this patient&

-now that these $eet are moved by Allah and .is Prophet I$ thou art in the belly o$ this patient& .is belly is God's sea& the sea& too& o$ uhammad" I$ thou art in his hands& .is hands pay homage to God and .is Prophet"

I$ thou art in his liver& It is the secret place o$ God and .is Prophet! I$ thou art in his heart& .is heart is Abu +akar's palace" I$ thou art in his lungs& .is lungs are ' mar's palace" I$ thou art in his spleen& .is spleen is ';sman's palace" I$ thou art in his gall)bladder& .is gall)bladder is 'Ali's palace"%he heart& the lung& the spleen& the gall)bladder

Are the homestead o$ li$e&

5ot the homestead o$ genie or Iblis& 5ot the homestead o$ sickness or su$$ering" .o there& genie! thy origin was $rom the tonguelike $umes o$ smokeless hell" I know thy origin&%he name o thy $ather& thy mother& and o$ thy child"

!e&tB 4% The Soul of Things Sacred Te&ts Shamanism Inde& Pre)ious !e&t

V. THE SOUL OF THINGSTH , primiti)e Malay looked below the outer aspect of man and beast and plant and stone and found a )eiled

power or inner life for which their e&terior is the host or tabernacle% This animating spirit he called the )ital

2spark2 8semangat9, probably because the dead are cold% or lack of an e&act e*ui)alent, it may be termed soul,despite that word5s other connotations% It is possessed by all things 2in widest commonalty spread%2 There is noaristocracy among souls, no 2rank, condition or degree,2 distinguishing the soul of man from the soul of plantor animal% .ut souls inhabiting things useful to men, like rice, arrest the Malay5s attention only less than hisown soul% The soul is the personal property of its host% It is also an impersonal substance, whose deficiency inthe sick can be supplied by soul(substance deri)ed, for e&ample, from proper diet, rubbing with a be6oar stone,
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being breathed upon by the medicine man or brushed with the lush grass of his aspergillum%

This substance, which enters the Malay child the moment the bamboo knife 8or midwife5s teeth9 se)ers theumbilical cord, permeates his whole body and its secretions like an electric fluid% In some parts of the globe itis belie)ed that there are separate souls for the head, the blood, the heart, the sali)a, and e)en the foot(prints% 'sur)i)al of this idea may be traced in the Malay shaman5s altar piled with morsels representing e)ery part of the

beast sacrificed% 'ccording to one Malay account the soul li)es in the belly% His head to a Malay is sacredB heresents it being touched e)en in play% 'll parts of the body where soul(substance is present must be guardedfrom the sorcery of enemies% ' woman5s blood can be employed to her hurt by a disappointed lo)er% Clippingsfrom hair or nails are hidden or destroyed for fear possession of them may gi)e an enemy control o)er theirowner5s soul and so o)er his life% Clippings from finger(nails can turn into fire(flies 0ust as the soul of a wholeman can turn into a firefly% So strong is the soul(substance in the hair shorn at a girl5s first tonsure that it is

buried at the foot of a barren tree to bring fruit as lu&uriant as her tresses% The abundance of this substance inhair and teeth makes it politic to sacrifice all sa)e a lock of a Malay boy5s hair and to file off part of a child5steeth at pubertyB formerly the stumps were blackened, it has been surmised, to conceal from the spirits the

partial nature of the sacrifice% In old days warriors especially, like Samson, wore their hair long and uncut% 'ndafter a death relati)es used to sacrifice some or all of their locks so that the dead might not re)isit them% Thehistory of Pasai tells of a Malay princess born from a bamboo whose life was bound up with one golden hair

that glittered among her ra)en tressesB when her consort pulled it out, white blood gushed forth and she died%

The Malay5s respect for sali)a is shown by the deputing of a courtier to take charge of the royal cuspidore onceremonial occasions% The midwife spits on the baby she welcomes into the world% This is a gift of a portion ofone5s self, a pledge of union and good(will, a diluted form of blood(co)enant% 3eligious teachers of piety andlearning are in)ited by parents to spit upon a child5s head or into his mouth to endow him with intelligence andfacility for learning to recite the Auran% The sali)a of a li)ing saint brings benefits to the credulous% ormedicinal purposes sali)a is often reinforced by scarlet betel 0uice% 't a sacrifice in Malacca to the earth spirit

before the planting out of the young rice a man walked round the field, spitting rice from his mouth, probablynot a mere offering of food but a bond of union between himself and the earth to which his rice(plants were to

be entrusted%

'fter(birth is full of soul(substance, and dropping on the earth can generate e)il spirits% In many charms themagician threatens such spirits with knowledge of their originB((

I know the origin whence ye sprang!#hen the discharge be$ore birth began&

A drop o$ blood $ell to the earth&1reating genies o$ the earth& goblins o$ the soil"

The soul may be attacked through ob0ects that ha)e come into contact with its owner% +ne way to abduct agirl5s soul is to 2take sand or earth from her foot(print or from her garden path or the front of her door or fromher carriage wheels or her pony5s hoo)es%2 rying this soul(substance in oil, one recites a charmB((

I am burning the liver& the heart& the lusts and passions o$ my beloved&(o that she is broken and hot with love&

adly in love with me and restless& +urning as this sand burns"

The personal soul may depart in sleep 2what it sees the man dreams%2 ' well(known Malay *uatrain tells how agirl pats her pillow and calls upon her lo)er5s soul, which comes to her in dreams% Sudden awakening, fright orsorcery may separate soul from body for e)er% Then the house of life will fall into disrepair and, unless the

shaman or medicine(man can recall the wanderer, the body will die% The shaman5s personal soul *uits his bodyin a trance to hold intercourse with spirits% The soul may lea)e the human frame and enter that of a tiger to preyupon men%

The !egrito of the Malay Peninsula concei)es a man5s soul to ha)e human shape, to be red like blood, and no bigger than a grain of mai6e% ' .esisi legend finds it in a person5s shadow% .oth these conceptions of the soul


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in its personal aspect recur in the beliefs of the Malay%

The soul is in the shadow of the physical body% +ne should not walk upon a person5s shadow, the agriculturistmust not hack his own shadow and the magician, to establish and )aunt his in)ulnerable strength, will declarehis shadow to be 2the shadow of one belo)ed by 'llah and the Prophet and angels forty(and(four%2

The personal soul is in one5s name% The Malay is reluctant to utter his own name lest breathing it he may partwith a piece of his soul(substanceB a third party must be asked to di)ulge the secret% ' child recei)es a tentati)ename before the umbilical cord is cut, but if the infant falls sick the name will be regarded as unlucky andchanged to mislead the spirits of disease% ' name like 5'bdu5l(Aadir may offend the Muslim saint who foundedthe great religious order% Some parents e)en call their children by such names as 2"gly2 or 2 ool2 in order to

persuade demons that they are unattracti)e prey% It is desirable always to disguise one5s real name% 'n adultMalay is often known as 2father 8or mother9 of so(and(so%2 ' neighbour calls her friend5s husband 2yourhouse%2 ' Perak man refers to his wife as 2the person at home2 or 2my rice(bag,2 a Perak woman to herhusband as 2my chopper%2 The Malay seldom mentions the names of close relations, alluding to them as 2elder

brother,2 2younger sister,2 2grandad,2 2mother(in(law,2 and so on% +f the dead person he speaks as 2that soul,2using an 'rabic word% To his ruler he refers as 21ord2 or 2He(under(whose(feet(we(are2B and the life name of adead Sultan is always dropped for a new 'rabic title, 2The /eceased on whom 'llah ha)e mercy2, 2'llah5s

@reat Saint,2 2The riend of 'llah,2 2The /eceased who was strong%2 The mention of Si)a is rare in Malaycharms, the god was in)oked as the 2Supreme Teacher2; and the worldly Malay Muslim in ordinary talk speaksof 'llah simply as 21ord,2 both practices suggesti)e of a tabu of di)ine names% The Malay is afraid e)en toattract the spirits of beasts% In the 0ungle the dreaded tiger is 2grandfather%2 +n a mine the elephant, whosehea)y feet and ro)ing trunk can undo the work of puny men, must be called 2the tall one,2 the blunderingwater(buffalo 2the unlucky one,2the poisonous snake 2the li)e creeper%2 In Patani .ay fishermen call acrocodile the 2gap(toothed thingummy(bob,2 a goat or sheep 2the baabaa,2 a buffalo 2moo,2 a sea(snake 2thewea)er5s sword,2 a tiger 2stripes,2 a monkey 2Mr% 1ong Tall,2 a )ulture 2bald(head,2 a .uddhist monk 2theyellow one,2 and sea(spirits 2thingummies%2 Smallpo& in many places is termed 2the complaint of the goodfolk%2 The mention of the real name may attract the capricious attention of the lords of the sea, the spirit of adisease, a human ghost, a king, a mammal or a mother(in(lawB it may also frighten away such elusi)e things as

ore in a mine or camphor in a tree% So on a tin(mine the ore must be called 2grass(seed 2 and the metal 2whitestone%2 Collectors of camphor use an elaborate tabu )ocabulary of aboriginal, rare and artificial wordsB the

bamboo is called 2the drooper,2 bananas 2the fruit in rows,2 bees 2seeds on branches,2 blood 2sap,2 a cat 2thekitchen tiger,2 a fire(fly 2a torch for the eyes,2 the nose 2the smeller,2 the 0aws 2the chewers,2 a bed 2thecuddling place,2 and so on% !ot only is the name of camphor itself a)oided, but no words are uttered whichmight lead the tree to suspect that Malays were in search of its treasures% So human in anger and fear are treesand minerals and beasts%

or there is no difference between the soul of man and the soul of beasts and plants and ob0ects% 's the soul ofman can take the form of insect or bird, it is easy to figure him re(incarnated in animal form% The deer was aman who died of abscess on the leg% The tiger wears the stripes he earned as a naughty school(boy% Theelephants ha)e a city where they li)e in the shape of men% 1imes can be used to abduct the soul of an elephantas well as the soul of a girl% The solid(cas*ued hornbill was a malicious son(in(law, the argus pheasant once awoman% In using dogs to hunt deer, the magician reminds them of that common kinship which in a Malay folk(tale makes the house(dog a fitting bridegroom for his master5s daughter, and he urges them by promise ofrelationship or marriage with the *uarry

+uck and he shall be thy brother 3oe and she shall be thy mistress"

/ogs, like rice, are close friends of man and ha)e personal names and souls%

To make it bear fruit the durian tree is beaten like a naughty child% 2There are plants to which a particularlystrong soul(substance is attributed, on account of their tough )ital power% 'mong all Indonesians, 3racoenaterminalis stands foremost% It is the sacred plant, which is used by magicians in all their proceedings, andwhose strong soul(substance they try to transfer to man%2 Moreo)er, plants, like men, ha)e this substance ine)ery part of them% Take the tree, where wild bees nest% Its root is called the Seated 3a0a, its stem the Trailing


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3a0a, its branch the Pendent 3a0a, its leaf the Soaring 3a0a(in Malay the word 3a0a denotes either se&% Similarnames are gi)en to the parts of the lime tree, and the spirits of the parts of the eagle(wood tree

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