Pong along-along ......
Kerinting riang-riang, Crick-crick (?) (sing) the crickets (?)
Ketapong kebalok ......
Minyak `Arab, minyak sapi, Arabian oil and ghee; [712]
Pechah telor sa-biji. Here's one egg broken.
Here the lowest fist is flattened out. In the same way each of the
four eggs (i.e. fists) is broken till the top is reached, when the
four hands are moved up and down on the left knee of one of the
players as the chant recommences--
P'ram p'ram pisang ... the plantain,
Masak sa-biji di-gonggong bari-bari The fruit-bat seizes a ripe
one,
Bawa lari, And takes it away
Terbang-lah dia! As off he flies!
Here both players raise their hands above their heads; then one player
commences to rock to and fro (with arms now folded), the other holding
him (or her) by the arms and crying--
Goyang-goyang Pah Ponggor Swing, swing, Father Ponggor;
Pah Ponggor mati akar! Father Ponggor, the climbing rattan is
dead!
Si `Ali ka padang Si `Ali's gone to the plain,
[Di-]tudongkan daun Sheltered by the leaves,
Sa-hari ta' makan, With nothing to eat for a day,
Ta' makan sa-tahun. Nothing to eat for a year.
Here they hook their little fingers together, and rock their bodies
to and fro, singing--
Angkei-angkei p'riok ... the cooking-pot,
P'riok deri Jawa The cooking-pot from Java;
Datang 'Wa' Si Bagok Here comes Uncle Bagok
Bawa ketam sa'ekor: Bringing a crab.
Chepong masok ayer, A dish (?) to put water in,
Chepong masok api, A dish (?) to put fire in,
O nenek, O nenek, O granny, O granny,
Rumah kita 'nak runtoh! Our house is tumbling down.
Reh! Reh! Rum! . . . . . .
Finally they sit still with hands clasped on knees, and sing--
Nuria! Nuria! . . . . . .
Tali timba 'ku The rope of my bucket,
'Nak 'nimba lubok dalam, To draw water from a deep hole,
Dalam sama tengah, Right in the middle of it,
Saput awan tolih mega. Veiled by the clouds, looking up at (?)
the welkin. [713]
Of minor children's games the following may be mentioned:--
(1) Tuju (not tujoh, [714]) lobang, which appears to be identifiable
with "Koba," and which is played by throwing coins as near as possible
to a hole (or holes?) in the ground.
(2) Chimplek, which is a sort of "heads and tails" game; "heads"
being called chaping, and "tails" sim.
(3) Porok, which consists in kicking (with the side of the foot)
a small cocoa-nut shell, with the object of hitting a similar shell
a few yards off.
This game appears to be identical with what is called main gayau in
Selangor, in which, however, a fruit or seed called buah gandu is
substituted for the cocoa-nut shell and propelled by the big toe of
the player's foot.
(4) Main seremban, which is played with cockle-shells by two girls at a
time, each player taking twenty cockle-shells (kulit k'rang) into her
lap. Each player in turn has to toss up one of the cockle-shells and
catch, simultaneously snatching a fresh shell from the heap. If the
girl who is playing fails in either task, she loses to her opponent.
10. THEATRICAL EXHIBITIONS
The Malay Drama, taking the word in its widest sense as comprising
every kind of theatrical exhibition, includes performances of several
different types, which derive their origin from various distinct
sources. Most of them bear some traces of their foreign extraction,
and though they have been much modified by the Malays, and are now
quite "naturalised" in the Peninsula, it is pretty clear that the
greater part have been borrowed from India, Siam, China, and possibly
other countries. It is noteworthy that many, perhaps most, of the
plots represented in these performances owe their origin to the old
classical Indian Epics, and especially to the story of the Ramayana,
which has been handed down traditionally, much modified by local
colouring, in Java and Siam as well as in the Malay Peninsula.
It is not within the scope of this work to give anything like a full
description of these different kinds of dramatic representations, but
it is desirable to give some account of the ritual which accompanies
them, and the ideas and superstitions which they seem to involve.
The most important of the ceremonies which relate to the Malay theatre
is that of inaugurating or "opening" (as it is called) a site for
the performance. The following is an account (by Mr. Hugh Clifford)
of the performance of this ceremony:--
"When one of these companies arrives at a place where it intends to
'open,' it erects a small, square shed, open at all four sides, but
carefully roofed in, and with a hand-rail running round it about two
feet from the ground. This shed is called a Bangsal, and the space
which its sides enclose is termed Panggong. Before the play begins,
the ceremony called Buka Panggong, which has for its object the
invocation and propitiation of certain spirits, is gone through....
"The ceremony, which is a curious one, is performed in the following
manner: The company having entered the shed and taken their seats, a
brazier is placed in front of the Pawang, or Medicine-Man, who is also
the head of the theatrical troop. In this brazier precious woods and
spices are burned, and while the incense ascends, the Pawang intones
the following incantation, the other members of the troop repeating
each sentence in chorus as he concludes it.
"'Peace be unto Thee, whose mother is from the earth, and whose father
has ascended to the Heavens! Smite not the male and female actors,
and the old and young buffoons with Thy cruelty, nor yet with the
curse of poverty! Oh, do not threaten with punishment the members
of this company, for I come not hither to vie with Thee in wisdom
or skill or talent: not such is my desire in coming hither. If I
come unto this place, I do so placing my faith in all the people,
[715] my masters who own this village. Therefore suffer not any
one to oppress, or envy, or do a mischief unto all the body of
male and female actors, together with the young and old buffoons,
and the minstrels and bridegroom, [716] together with Sri Gemuroh,
Sri Berdengong. [717] Oh, suffer them not to be hurt or destroyed,
injured, or maimed; let not the male or female actors be contused
or battered, and let them not be injured or maimed; let them not be
afflicted with headache, nor with undue physical heat, nor yet with
throbbing pains or with shooting aches. Oh, let them not be injured
by collisions like unto ships, the bows of which are telescoped, [718]
nor afflicted with excessive voiding. Suffer them not to vomit freely,
nor to be overcome by heavy weariness or fatigue or weakness. I ask
that Thou wilt suffer them to be as they have been accustomed to
be in former times, and to feel cool and fresh like unto the snake,
the chinta-mani. [719]
"'Peace be unto Thee, O Black Awang, [720] who art King of the
Earth! Be not startled nor deranged, and be not offended, for Thou
art wont to wander in the veins of the ground, and to take Thy rest
in the portals of the Earth. [721] I come not hither to vie with Thee
in wisdom, for I only place my trust in Thee, and would surrender
myself wholly into thy hands; and I beg Thee to retire but three
paces from the four corners of our shed, and that Thou shalt refrain
from wandering hither and thither, for under Thy care I place the
male and female actors, and all the buffoons, both young and old,
together with all the musicians and the bridegrooms. I place them
under Thy care, and do not oppress or envy them, neither suffer evil
to befall them, do not strike against them as Thou passest by. I place
them under Thy charge, together with the actors and actresses, the
musicians and bridegrooms, the buffoons, both young and old, also the
spectators and the owners of this house and compound; suffer them not
to be afflicted with headaches, throbbing pains, nor yet with shooting
pains, nor yet with toothache, nor with itchings and skin irritations,
nor with burning sensations; for I pray that they may be suffered to
get cool and refreshed like unto the snake, the chinta-mani.'
"The Pawang here scatters parched rice stained with saffron in
every direction, and chants the following incantation the while:
`Peace be unto thee! I am about to move from within this enclosure
four paces in each direction of the four corners of the universe. O
ye Holy Ones who are present in this place, within the space of
these four paces towards the four extremities of the universe, be
not startled nor deranged, do not remove to a distance, and be not
angry or wrathful, for thy servant cometh not hither to vie with
ye in wisdom within this thy territory and village. Your servant
cometh to satisfy the desires of all the people who own this place,
and your servant desires to abandon himself unto ye, his guardians,
the Holy Ones of this place, and thus presuming he asks pardon of ye,
and would commend to your care himself, and the actors and actresses,
O Grandsires, ye Holy Ones of this place; and in like manner would
he commend unto ye the musicians and the bridegrooms, the buffoons,
both old and young; and he prays ye not to show envy towards them,
nor yet to oppress them, nor do them any injury; suffer them not
to be destroyed or injured; and he entreats thee, his Grandsires,
and all your many imps, to refrain from striking against them as ye
pass by them, neither to address them, nor to pinch or nip them, and
let not your youths, O Grandsires, remove our means of livelihood;
and your servant prays ye to refrain from destroying or damaging,
injuring or hurting the whole company of the ma'iong, and suffer them
to be cool and refreshed like unto the snake, the chinta-mani.
"'Peace be unto Thee! I am about to remove from thee my Grandsire
who art styled Petera Guru, the original teacher, who art from the
beginning, and who art incarnate from thy birth. Teacher who dwellest
as a hermit in the recesses of the Moon, and who practisest thy magic
arts in the womb of the Sun; teacher of mine whose coat is wrought
of green beads, whose blood is white, who hast stumps for bones, the
hairs of whose body are turned the wrong way, and the veins of whose
body are adamant, whose neck is black, whose tongue is fluent, whose
spittle is brine! [722] Oh, because thou, my Grandsire, art a man of
magic, whose prayers are answered, whose desires come to pass, do not,
O Grandsire, show cruelty, or afflict with poverty or with punishment
any of the actors or actresses, the musicians and bridegrooms,
and the buffoons both young and old! And I pray thee, O Grandsire,
to stretch forth thy feet--the feet at which I prostrate myself;
and thy hands--the hands which I take in salutation. And I beg from
thee, O Grandsire, the white charm (antidote), the medong ber-sila;
cause to descend upon me three drops thereof together with thy magic,
O Grandsire; I wish to sprinkle therewith all the actors and actresses,
the buffoons both young and old, together with all the musicians
and bridegrooms, and suffer them not to be destroyed or injured,
and let them not be laid open or exposed to any evil influence; I
pray thee not to suffer them to be injured, maimed, or battered. And
now I will arouse all the actors and actresses from within the seven
Chambers of the seven Palaces, the seven Pavilions--the Palaces which
are on high, the Palaces which were from the beginning, which in the
beginning came into being in their entirety. [723] I am about to open
the portals of the seven Chambers of the seven Palaces; I am about to
open the closed doors from the exterior even unto the inner portals of
the seven chambers of the seven Palaces. Let them be opened together
with the Gates of Lusts and Passion, together with the Gate of Desire
and Faith, together with the Gates of Longing and Supreme Desire. The
Longing which lasts from Dawn unto Dawn, which causes food to cease to
satisfy, and renders sleep uneasy, which remembering causes to remember
unceasingly, hearing to hear, seeing to see! I will awake all from
the exterior even unto the inner Chambers of the seven Apartments of
the seven Palaces! remain not plunged in slumber, but awake! One and
all awake and hear my tidings and my words! Awake and hearken unto
my words, for they vanish not, neither are my senses slumbering, nor
is my memory a blank! Awake, O actors and actresses, and await one
upon another! Awake, O buffoons, together awake! Awake, ye drummers,
together awake! Awake, ye gong-smiters, together awake! Awake,
ye bridegrooms, together awake! Be not removed far from your means
of livelihood, nor destroyed or injured! Oh, suffer them not to be
hurt or damaged--all this company of actors and actresses, all this
company of players who sit within this shed!'
"When this incantation is finished the player, whose turn it is to
begin the performance, prostrates himself before the Herbab, or large
Malay fiddle, washes his face in some imaginary essence which the
gong is supposed to contain, and then arises and begins to act his
part." [724]
A similar ceremony was witnessed in 1897 by Mr. Everard Fielding
and the present writer at the back of the Bungalow at Jugra
(in Selangor). The object of the ceremony was to drive away evil
spirits from the spot where the performance was to take place, and the
performers were a little band of players from Penang who had settled in
the neighbourhood and had planted their holdings with Liberian coffee.
The Pawang or magician in this instance was a Malay named 'Che Hussein,
who acted as clown, and subsequently wrote out at my request rough
transcripts of more than a dozen of the plays acted by his company.
A big mat or mats having been laid upon the ground in a spot carefully
selected for the purpose, four corner posts were planted and a big
awning or ceiling-cloth (langit-langit) stretched between them. The
square space between the posts was then fenced off by carrying a
couple of cords round it horizontally from post to post, one at the
height of two, and the other about five feet above the ground. From
these cords were suspended various ornamental objects made of plaited
strips of cocoa-nut leaf, fashioned into rough resemblances of animals,
birds, fruit and flowers, a few bananas being added at intervals,
these latter serving as light refreshments for the players whenever
they felt so minded. Stems of banana trees with their leaves fastened
at each post made the structure complete, and the general effect,
enhanced by the bright costumes of the performers, was extremely
picturesque, and, as it was intended to be, extremely rural. [725]
A tray with the usual brazier of incense and small bowls of rice
variously prepared was then brought in, and all the instruments,
though not necessarily the players, being in their places, the ceremony
commenced as follows:--
First came the Lagu Pemanggil, or Invocation, a peculiar air performed
on the instruments and accompanied by the Pawang. The latter heaped
incense on a brazier in front of him, and "waved" in the incense
first the fiddle (rebab) and then the masks, wooden daggers, and other
"properties" of the company, until they were well fumigated. He next
lighted three tapers, which he charmed and took between the closed
palms of his hands (held in front of him), with the fingers straight
and the thumbs crossed. He then proceeded to "wave" these tapers,
pointing them first to the right, then in front of him, and finally
to the left, and then distributed the tapers, putting the first
on the rebab, and the second on the big gong, and the third on the
edge of a brazen ring in front of the place where he is sitting. He
now reached for the betel-leaf box (which should be close by), and
dipping the tip of his finger into the moist lime which it contained,
smeared the metal all round with it, and made the sign of the cross
inside the ring. Next he shrouded his head with a black cloth, and
taking a handful of rice in his closed fist held it in the incense,
sprinkled some of it over the brazier and "charmed" it, holding it
close to his mouth. Then he suddenly scattered it first to the right,
then in front, and lastly to the left, the scattering being in each
case accompanied by a single boom of the big gong.
The distribution of the rice being completed, he took four "chews"
of betel and handed one to each of the two drummers (juru-gendang);
the third he threw on to the top of the ceiling-cloth (or roof in the
case of a shed, bumbong bangsal), and the fourth he buried underneath
the bottom mat. [726] With his head still shrouded he now placed the
tip of his right thumb within the metal ring, in the very centre of
the cross, called the Heart of the Earth (pusat bumi or hati tanah),
and pressing downwards with it, worked it round to the left and back
again repeatedly whilst he recited the necessary charm. After this
he leaned in turn on the upper end of each of the drums, which he
inclined over the brazier and "charmed," concluding in each case with
three loud taps on the drum which he was "charming," each tap being
accompanied by similar taps on the other two drums. Finally, the Pawang
put the flageolet (serunei) to his lips, and the other instruments
accompanied him in the performance of the tune called taboh. [727]
As has already been observed, the performances at these theatrical
exhibitions are of several distinct kinds, and vary considerably
in different places. The Joget, a kind of dramatic and symbolical
dance, has been described under the head of Dances. The Ma'yong is a
theatrical performance which includes both dancing (or posturing as
Europeans would be tempted to call it) and singing. It is generally
performed by travelling companies of professional actors and actresses,
who go on tour and perform either at the houses of Rajas or other
persons of some social standing, or before the general public in some
public place. [728] Just as the dances of the Joget are supposed to
be symbolical of different actions and ideas, and are accompanied by
appropriate music, so in the Ma'yong there is quite a long list of
tunes, each of which is considered to be appropriate to a particular
action, or to some one or more of the dramatis personæ. In fact,
one may almost say that we have here, in principle, the rude germ
of the Wagnerian Leitmotif. Thus when one of the performers is
supposed to be sent to sleep, the Lagu Legor Radin is the one used;
in the representation of a death, the Lagu Merayu; when a character
is supposed to be entering the jungle, the Lagu Samsam; when any one
sits down, the Lagu Patani Tuah. Similarly the Lagu Puyuh, the Lagu
Dang Dondang Lanjut Kedah, and the Lagu Sendayong Dualapis Putri are
appropriated to the Princess (Putri), one of the stock characters
of this species of play, while other tunes can be used only by the
Princess and the Raja or principal male character (Pa'yong); and
others, again, are employed indifferently to accompany any of the
parts, whether prince, princess, clown (P'ran), or maid (Inang).
The costumes of the performers in the various kinds of dramatic
exhibitions vary, of course, with the subject-matter of the
representation. The clown's masks and the forest demon (hantu hutan),
of which illustrations are given, will serve as specimens to indicate
the nature of some of the accessories in use. A fairly full list of
their Malay names will be found in the classification given below.
The Ma'yong is perhaps the most typical form of Malay theatrical
representations, but another very characteristic performance is the
Shadow-Play, properly termed Wayang, a name that has been loosely
extended to cover theatrical exhibitions in general.
"The show is called Wayang Kulit, or leather puppets. It is exhibited
in a rough shed, which has a flooring raised about three feet from
the ground; the building is usually twenty feet square and enclosed on
three sides, the front alone being open; across this opening a white
sheet is stretched on which the shadows of the puppets are thrown and
seen through by the audience; the latter sit or stand in the open air.
"The show seems to be of Hindu origin, if we may judge from the
strong resemblance the figures bear to the representations of gods and
goddesses worshipped by the Hindus of India; it is probably obtained
from Java.
"The figures are made of buffalo hide, and the arms alone are movable;
they are moved by slips of wood attached to them, which are very
clumsily contrived, and as their shadows are seen with the puppets
the effect is very much destroyed. Various scenes of a domestic nature
are exhibited, and they take the shape of a play, but with no definite
plot running through or connecting the different scenes.
"The following is a specimen:--
"An old man appears weeping for a long-lost son, and moves to
and fro for some time bewailing his loss; the showman speaks each
figure's part, and alters the tone of his voice to suit the age of
the speaker; a second figure comes on, representing a young man armed
with a kris, who endeavours to pick a quarrel with the first comer,
and the conversation is witty and characteristic, eliciting roars
of laughter from the lookers-on; a fight ensues, and the old man is
wounded; he falls and cries out that were he a young man, or if his
lost son were present, his adversary should not thus triumph over
him. In his conversation he happens to mention his son's name; the
young man intimates that his name is the same, an explanation ensues,
and it ends by the old man discovering in his late adversary his
long-lost son. The old fellow weeps and laughs alternately, caresses
his son frequently, and declares they shall never part again; the
scene ends by the youth shedding tears over his late inhuman conduct,
and he finally walks off with the old gentleman on his back.
"The conversation is carried on solely in the Malayan dialect. Warlike
scenes please most: a warrior comes on the stage and challenges his
invisible enemy to mortal combat; suddenly another figure comes on at
the opposite side and a desperate fight ensues, which lasts for a very
long time, and ends in one of the combatants being killed. Occasionally
a battle in which ten or twelve figures join takes place, and for
hours will the Malays look on at such scenes.
"The show concludes with an exhibition of various animals--deer,
horses, tigers, crocodiles, etc., also birds and fishes. The figures
are perforated to represent the eyes, shape of the dress, etc.
"At the back of the shed, concealed by the sheet, sit the musicians,
who keep up an incessant din on drums and cymbals." [729]
The puppets for these shadow-plays are usually cut out of deer-skin
(not buffalo hide) and it is worth remarking that they are all
considered to be more or less animated; a stringent propitiatory
ceremony has to be performed in their honour, incense being burnt
and rice scattered about, just as in the Ma'yong ceremony already
described.
The present writer, while in Selangor, bought from a Kelantan
Malay named 'Che `Abas, a performer of shadow-plays, his entire
stock-in-trade, including not only his musical instruments (amongst
which were some curious drums called gedu and gedombak), but also his
candle (with its shade), the rice used for the ceremony, and his entire
stock of shadow-pictures, all of which are now in the Cambridge Museum.
The following classification of the more important kinds of theatrical
performances, which was drawn up for the present writer by 'Che
Hussein of Penang, the actor of whom mention has already been made,
may be of interest, and will serve to indicate briefly their several
characteristic features, though it does not profess to be absolutely
exhaustive:--
Classification of Theatrical Performances known to Malays of the Peninsula
Name of Instruments. Dress. No. of Place of Names of Stories
Performance Performers. Performance, Represented.
and Reputed etc.
Place of
Origin
1 Lekun or Gendang besar, Head-dress: 100 to 200 Indoors, with S'ri Rama, Dewa
Lakun (Kedah gong, gambang kechobong, chawat (in choruses) proper scenery Matahari, Sendrong,
and Siam). dua-b'las, kromong (sayap all females, and dresses Prak Jusin.
(or mong-mong), layang-lay-ang), except the (masks).
anak ayam, sabok, bimpau, sap musicians.
breng-breng, suang, g'lang,
serunei, cherek. g'lang kana (=
kena), changgei,
saluar.
2 Mendura Gedombak, gedu, Same as in the About 10 to Out doors; no S'ri Rama, Lak
(Siam). serunei, cherek, Lekun. 15 good scenery. Kenawan, Timun Muda,
mong, breng-breng performers; Iprat, Prak Jusin,
anak ayam; but not all male, Pran Bun, Sendrong,
gendang, rebab, or including the Dewa Matahari.
gong. Princess.
3 Ma'yong Rebab (yang Head-dress: tanjak 10 to 20 (15 Out doors; no Dewa Sri Rama, Dewa
(Siam). betuah), gendang (sapu tangan), g'rak is the scenery, which Muda, Dewa Pechi,
(2), gong (2), gempa, sabok, bimpau average), is, however, Gambar Lilin, Batak
gedombak (2), g'lang, changgei, both male and described by the Puteh, Siamang Gila,
gedu-gedu (1), saluar, sarong, female. performers. Raja Gondang, Gajah
b'reng-b'reng (1); baju, topeng (pran). Panggong and Dang Daru, Bijak
mong-mong (2), langit-langit Laksana, Raja Muda
serunei (1), anak are all that is sama Puyuh, Pran
ayam (2), cherek required. Bun, Timun Muda, Lak
(10-20). Kenawan, Iprat,
Putri Duab'las, Dewa
Bisnu, Solong Sakti,
Putri Bongsu, Megat
Gembang Sultan
Kechil Bongsu
di`Alam, Bongsu
Kechil S'ri`Alam,
Bujang Lempawi.
4 Wayang Kun Gong, gendang, Same as in the 30 to 40, Indoors; no Same as in the
(Siam). kromong, anak ayam, Lekun, except that both male and scenery. Lekun.
b'reng-b'reng, the kechobong is not female.
gambang dua-b'las, used, but a sort of
serunei; but not ornamental sampul or
cherek or rebab. songko' with
artificial flowers,
Different airs g'rak gempa. Females
(lagu) from those wear jambangan, a
used in the Lekun. made-up head-dress,
also sambok, sap
suang, chawat,
saluar; but not
g'lang or changgei.
5 Mek Mulong Same as in the Same as in the 8 to 15, Out doors; a Malim Bongsu, Awang
(Siam?) Ma'yong, but the Ma'yong. males and panggong, as in Salamat.
rebana is used females. the Ma'yong.
instead of the
rebab, gendang, and
b'reng-b'reng.
6 Bangsawan Biola, kechapi, Persian in 30 to 50, all Indoors; Lela Majnun, Sap
Parsi Indra gendang (dul), character. males except sevenfold langit Jafri, Raja Gelepam,
Sabor gong, etc., as in 2 or 3 langit, and etc.
(Persia?) the Mendu. females. tabir; wires are
used in some
performances to
enable
performers
impersonating
Dewas, etc. to
fly.
7 Mendu Gendang (dul), Same as in the 20 to 50 Indoors; the Saifu-'l-Yazan, Siti
(Pontianak). gong, Wayang China, i.e. Malays acting same rough Zubeidah, Ken
b'reng-b'reng, Chinese in Malay scenery as in Tabohan, `Abdul
biola, kechapi, character: a baju stories, but Chinese Muluk, Bestamam,
piano (or argin, teratei, a small in Chinese theatres; there Mara Karma,
i.e. concertina), jacket without dress; both are small Bidasari, Dewa Mendu
sam dyen (Chinese), sleeves; head-dress: male and theatres for the di Negri Langkadura,
resembling the mahkota (bulu female. Mendu at etc., most, if not
rebab; chen-chen kuang), beard and Singapore, all, being war-like
(cymbals), and whiskers. Pahla-wans Penang, and themes.
gendang singa. are distinguished by Malacca.
a koh sah
(decoration on the
fore-head); socks
are worn.
8 Wayang Makau The same as in the Chinese in 20 to 50, Indoors. Siti Zubeidah, and
(China). Mendu. character. male and also Chinese
female. subjects.
9 Wayang Kulit Various. According to the -- Indoors. Chekil Wanam Pati,
(Java) [but nationality Jarang K'lena, Misa
the stories represented. Perbu Jaya, Misa
are Kiamang, Lalat
Javanese, Hijau, Kalang
Malay, Bongkang, Panji
Siamese and Samerang, K'ra Amas,
Chinese]. Iran Kasuma, etc.
11. WAR AND WEAPONS
Such charms as might be used in time of war, or in case of danger
from wild beasts or other enemies, are partly what may be called
"defensive" and partly "offensive" in character.
The Malays who use them pray, on the one hand, for a supernatural
appearance wherewith to scare their enemies and protect themselves,
and on the other for supernatural powers to assist in the destruction
of their foes.
Thus, one of their charms runs:--
"Let me face the Seven Suns,
But let not my enemies face me.
Ha! I am a Tiger and thou art a Dog." [730]
The use of such charms is supplemented in various ways: thus a
champion (penglima) will sometimes draw a line in front of him, which
he believes his enemy will be unable to pass; [731] this is done by
simply scraping the ground with the right foot and threatening the
foe with a dire curse if he attempts to cross it.
"Push and you die, step across and your leg shall break.
I apply the charm of the Line called the Swollen Corpse."
According to another method of gaining martial vigour and immunity in
fighting, you take a wick as long as the short span between your thumb
and first finger (sa-jengkal telunjok), and after passing it over your
body upwards (di-naikkan) thrice, take it between your two hands and
try and turn it round while you repeat the charm. The ceremony must
take place at the time of full moon, and if you do not succeed in
turning it the first time, you can try again at the next full moon,
and so on up to three full moons. At night, if you succeed you will
(according to the Malay account) see the vision of a man, a sign,
it is to be supposed, that the charm has been effectual, and that
the prayer has been heard.
The charm begins as follows:--
"In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate!
May this nerve of stone pierce stone,
Pierce stone and split stone,
Pierce planks and go right through them,
Pierce water and dry it up,
Pierce the earth and make a hole in it,
Pierce the grass and wither it,
Pierce mountains and cause them to fall,
Pierce the heavens that they may fall," etc.
The charm concludes with the following magnificent boast:--
"Of Iron am I, and of Copper is my frame,
And my name is 'Tiger of God.'"
In a somewhat similar charm, a warrior prays that he may be
"Fenced with Hell-fire up to the eyes;"
and another expresses the wish that his enemies may be
"Ground to powder like tin-ore after washing."
In actual warfare a number of rules are laid down, the observance of
which is supposed to be necessary in order to achieve success. As in
several other pursuits, [732] there is, of course, a "taboo" language
of war (bhasa pantang p'rang), of which the following are examples:--
Dagger (k'ris) = pisau (lit. knife).
Bullet (peluru senapang) = kumbang puteh (lit. white beetle).
Ball of swivel-gun (peluru lela) = kumbang hitam (lit. black beetle).
Stockade (kubu) = batang melintang (lit. transverse trunk), or balei
melintang.
Cannon (meriam) = batang kabu-kabu (lit. cotton-tree trunk), or batang
buloh (lit. trunk of bamboo).
Cannon-ball = buah niyor (lit. cocoa-nut).
When a man is out in the wars his pillows and sleeping-mat at home
have to be kept rolled up. If any one else were to use them the
absent warrior's courage would fail, and disaster would befall him
(ter-tentu-lah kachau hati tuan-nya yang di p'rang itu, datang-lah
mara). His wife and children must not have their hair cut (ta'
buleh potong rambut atau berandam) during his absence, nor may
he himself. Strict chastity must be observed in a stockade, or
the bullets of the garrison will lose their power (peluru jinak |
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