Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay PeninsulaSkeat, Walter William
Religion
Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay Peninsula
Skeat, Walter William
Magic -- Malay Peninsula; Malays (Asian people) -- Folklore; Malays (Asian people) -- Social life and customs
Then the First Bearer, slinging the basket of the Rice-child about her
neck (by means of the red cloth before referred to), took an umbrella
[426] from one of the party, and opened it to shield the Rice-child
from the effects of the sun, and when the Pawang had reseated herself
and repeated an Arabic prayer (standing erect again at the end of it
with her hands clasped above her head), this part of the ceremony
came to an end. Moving on to another part of the field, the Pawang
now cut the next seven "heads" and deposited them in one of the three
rice-baskets, which she then handed to one of the female bearers,
telling her and her two companions to reap the field in parallel
straight lines facing the sun, until they had filled the three
rice-baskets, after which they were to return to the house. Leaving
the three reapers at their task, I followed the Pawang and Eldest
Bearer (the latter still shielding the Rice-child from the sun
with the umbrella) and arrived in time to witness the reception
of the party as they reached the foot of the house-ladder. Here
(on the threshold) we were met by the wife of the owner, and other
women of his family, the former thrice calling out as we approached,
"Apa khabar?" ("What news?"), and thrice receiving the reply, "Baik"
("It is well"). On receiving this reply for the third time she threw
saffron-rice over the Pawang and repeated these lines:--
"Chop the 'tree' Galenggang (a kind of shrub),
Chop it to pieces in front of the door:
Yonder comes One swinging (her) arms;
That (methinks) is a child of mine."
To which the Pawang immediately replied:--
"Chop the young bamboo-shoots as fine as you can,
If you wish to stupefy the fish in the main stream.
In good sooth I have crossed the stream,
For great was my desire to come hither."
And the bearer of the Rice-child added--doubtless on the Rice-child's
behalf:--
"This measure is not a measure filled with pepper,
But a measure filled with rice-husks.
My coming is not merely fortuitous,
But great (rather) was my desire, the wish of my heart."
She then entered the house and laid the Rice-child (still in its
basket) on a new sleeping-mat with pillows at the head. About
twenty minutes later the three Bearers returned, [427] each of
their rice-baskets covered with a sarong. These baskets were carried
into the bedroom and deposited in order of size on the mat at the
foot of the soul-basket, the largest basket being the nearest to the
soul-basket. Finally, the Pawang removed the sarongs which covered each
basket and deposited them on the Rice-child's pillow, and sticking
the "penuweis" into her hair, fumigated the entire row of baskets
and the Rice-child, and covered them over with the long white cloth,
after which the wife of the master of the house was told to observe
certain rules of taboo for three days.
The following were the taboos imposed upon her:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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