draught or potion.
In the morning the cosmetic must be white (bĕdak puteh lulut), at noon it must
be red (bĕdak merah), and at sundown black (bĕdak hitam). The “trash” of the
limes (after squeezing) is wrapped up in a birah leaf at evening, and either
carried out to the sea (into which it is dropped), or deposited ashore at a safe
distance from the house. The only special taboo mentioned for this ceremony is
that the patient must not during its continuance meet anybody who has come
from a distance.
Another very curious form of this ceremony of “casting out devils” was
described to me by a Kelantan Malay. It is worked on the substitute or
“scapegoat” principle (tukar ganti), and the idea is to make little dough images
of all kinds of birds, beasts, fishes, and even inanimate objects (a few of the
former being fowls, ducks, horses, apes, buffaloes, bullocks, wild cattle
(sĕladang), deer, mouse-deer, and elephants, besides those enumerated in the
charm itself, whilst exceptions are to be the “unlucky” animals (bĕnatang sial)
such as cats, tigers, pigs, dogs, snakes, and iguanas). When made they are to be
deposited together in a heap upon a sacrificial tray (anchak), together with betel-
leaves, cigarettes, and tapers. One of the tapers is made to stand upon a silver
dollar, with the end of a piece of particoloured thread inserted between the dollar
and the foot of the taper; and the other end of this thread is given to the patient to
hold whilst the necessary charm is being repeated.
Part of this charm is worth quoting, as it helps to explain the line of thought on
which the medicine-man is working:—
“I have made a substitute for you,
And engage you for hire.As for your wish to eat, I give you food,
As for your wish to drink, I give you drink.
Lo, I give you good measure whether of sharks,
Skates, lobsters, crabs, shell-fish (both of land and sea)—
Every kind of substitute I give you,
Good measure whether of flesh or of blood, both cooked and raw.