Pagan Races of the Malay Peninsula

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 Excerpt: ...thereby transferred to the Latoomflower, in which it was believed to be imprisoned by the " s'lowk" tassels. Vaughan-Stevens found these charms among the Central Sakai (Senoi), Besisi, Kenaboi, but not among the Jakun or Benua-Jakun.3 'Favre in Ann. de la P. de la Foi, xxii. 303.! Cp. Z.f. E. 1894, p. 152. "S'lowk " qu. = " sela' " (" leaf")? 3 Eth. Notizblatt, i. 1-4. Interpretation of Dreams--the Dream Ceremony. The Sakai attach great importance to dreams, bringing formal reports of them to the magician or the midwife; the man to the former, the woman to the latter. The dreams of the lay members of the tribe are of no special interest, but the magicians in dreams receive inspiration from spirits that are well disposed.1 Of special significance are those dreams regarded which are awaited by all magicians and the whole tribe on important occasions, the Batin being the chief person involved. These gatherings were held on the highest accessible mountain summit in the territory of the tribe, and occupied several days' time, since it was required that each of the dreams should be repeated upon three successive nights. There has been no such gathering since the disappearance of Berchanggei Besi; all that the present magicians know with regard to such ceremonies being that the Batin invoked the help of Tuhan in some form now forgotten, and that the Batin then fell immediately asleep and the dreams came to him in a disguised form, and after his awaking were interpreted by the magicians.2 Sakai children are named in accordance with dreams, in which there appeared the track of a tiger, a tree, an insect, etc.8 Use of Love-philtres. The Sakai, like the Semang, have a great reputation (especially among the Malays) for love-philt...