Borneo -- Social life and customs; Children -- Borneo
The witch doctor now produces his _Batu Ilau_ ("stone of light") and
gravely looks into it to see where the soul is, and to discover what is
the proper ceremony for the case. When there is serious illness, the
witch doctor affirms that the spirit of the afflicted person has already
left the body and is on its way to the other world, but that he may be
able to overtake it and bring it back, and restore it to the person to
whom it belongs. He pretends to converse with the evil spirit that
troubles the sick man, repeating aloud the answers that the spirit is
supposed to make.
There are many different ceremonies resorted to in cases of illness, but
the following is what is common to all _Manang_ performances.
In the public hall of the Dyak house, a long-handled spear is fixed
blade upwards, with a few leaves tied round it, and at its foot are
placed the medicine boxes of all the witch doctors who take part in the
ceremony. This is called the _Pagar Api_ ("fence of fire"). Why it is
called by this curious name is not clear.
The _Manangs_ all squat on the floor, and the leader begins a long
monotonous drawl, the rest either singing in concert, or joining in the
choruses, or singing in turn with him. After a tiresome period of this,
they stand up and march with slow and solemn step in single file round
the _Pagar Api_. The monotonous chant sometimes slackens, sometimes
quickens, as they march round and round the whole night through, with
only one interval for food in the middle of the night. The patient
simply lies on his mat and listens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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