Women as well as men may become _manangs_, though it is not usual to meet many such nowadays. I have only come across one woman _manang_, and that was at Temudok, though I have heard of several others in different parts of the country. The fact that the _manang_ claims to be able to hold communion with the spirit-world would lead one to suppose that he is the priest of the Dyak system of worship. But in practice the _manang_ is more a doctor than a priest. His aid is always called in case of illness, but not necessarily at the great religious functions of the Dyaks—the sacrifice of propitiation to Pulang Gana, the god of the earth, or the sacrificial feast to Singalang Burong, the god of war. Generally, other Dyaks are the officiating ministers on these occasions, the only requisite qualification being the ability to chant the invocation and incantations which accompany the offering and ceremonies. Also at marriages or at burials the _manang_ is not the officiant, but some old man of standing, who has a reputation for being fortunate in his undertakings. A _manang_ may be the officiant, not by virtue of his office, but for other reasons. CHAPTER XIV NATIVE REMEDIES AND DYAK CHARMS Native remedies—Cupping—Charms—A Dyak medicine-chest—Smallpox and cholera—My experience at Temudok. As has already been shown in the preceding chapter, the Dyak looks to the _manang_, or witch-doctor, to help him in all cases of illness. All sickness is caused by some evil spirit, and the _manang_ alone has power over these unseen enemies, and he uses incantations to appease or frighten these demons away. But though in all cases of serious illness the _manang_ is called in, yet the treatment of every disease is not left in his hands. Dyaks use some things as outward applications, and certain herbal remedies are given internally in the case of illness. I have seen Dyaks boil some bitter bark in water and drink this liquid when they have fever. Certain oils are also used as liniments. The betel-nut and pepper-leaf (_sireh_) mixture is used as an outward application for many complaints. Some man—generally one who is successful in what he undertakes—is asked to chew some of this hot mixture in his mouth. Having done this, he leans over and squirts the red saliva over the affected part, and rubs it in with his fingers. Dyaks with a headache will be seen with their foreheads smeared over with it. Newly-born babes have their stomachs and chests covered with daily applications of the same thing by their mothers. Ground ginger is also used as a poultice, especially in the case of women who have given birth to a child; and the water in which pieces of ginger have been boiled is drunk by people suffering from ague, as well as by lying-in women.