Malay Magic _ Being an introduction to the - Walter William Skeat

On one occasion, during my residence in the Kuala Langat district of Selangor, I
had the good fortune to be present at the “waving” of a sacrificial tray (anchak)
containing offerings to the spirits. The account of this ceremony, which I shall
now give, is made up from notes taken during the actual performance. To
commence:—The Pawang sat down with his back to the patient, facing a
multitude of dishes which contained the various portions of cooked and
uncooked food. The tray itself was suspended at a height of about three feet from
the ground in the centre of the room, just in front of the Pawang’s head. Lighting
a wax taper and removing the yam-leaf covering from the mouth of the jar
containing “holy” water, the Pawang now “inspected” the water in the jar by
gazing intently into its depths, and re-extinguished the taper. Then he fumigated
his hands in the smoke of the censer, extended them for a brief interval over the
“holy” water, took the censer in both hands, described three circles round the jar
with it, set it down again, and stirred the water thrice with a small knife or
dagger (k’ris), the blade of which he kept in the water while he muttered a charm
to himself. Then he charmed the betel-stand and the first dish of cooked food,
pushing the latter aside and covering it with a small dish-cover as he finished the
charm. Next, at the hands of one of the company, he accepted, in two pieces, five
cubits of yellow cloth (yellow being the royal colour), and a small vessel of “oil
of Celebes,” with which, it may be added, he anointed the palms of both hands
before he touched the cloth itself. Next, he fumigated the latter in the smoke of
the censer, one end of the cloth being grasped firmly in the right hand, and the
remainder of it being passed round the right wrist, and over and under the right
arm, while the loose end trailed across his lap. Next, after repeating the usual
charm, he breathed on one end of the cloth, passed the whole of the cloth
through his fingers, fumigated it, and laid it aside; took an egg which was
presented to him upon a tray, and deposited it exactly in the centre of a large
dish of parched rice. Next, he pushed aside the jar of holy water, lowered the
tray by means of the cord attached to it (which passed over a beam), and
proceeded to supervise the preparation of the tray, which was being decorated
with the “centipede” fringe by one of the company acting as an assistant. The
fringe having been fitted by the latter to the edges of the tray, and the latter lined
with three thicknesses of banana leaf, the Pawang described a circle round it
thrice with the censer, and then deposited the censer upon the floor, exactly
under the centre of the tray. Then anointing his hands again he passed them over
both tray and fringe. A brief pause followed, and then the Pawang took the larger
piece of yellow cloth and wrapped it like a royal robe around the shoulders of