takes care that those severed portions of himself shall not be left in places where
they might either be exposed to accidental injury, or fall into the hands of
malicious persons who might work magic on them to his detriment or death.”^60
Thus we invariably find clippings of the victim’s hair mentioned (together with
parings of his nails, etc.) as forming part of the ingredients of the well-known
wax image or mannikin into which pins are stuck, and which is still believed by
all Malays to be a most effective method of causing the illness or death of an
enemy.^61 I was once present at the curious ceremony of cutting the hair of a
Malay bride, which had all the characteristics of a religious rite, but the detailed
account of it will be reserved for a later chapter.^62
The same difficulties and dangers which beset the first cutting of the hair apply,
though perhaps in a less degree, to the first paring of the nails (bĕrtobak), the
boring of the ears of girls (bĕrtindek tĕlinga), and the filing of the teeth (bĕrasah
gigi) of either sex whether at puberty or marriage. One or more of the nails are
frequently worn long by Malays of standing, and the women who engage in
“nautch” dancing and theatrical performances invariably wear a complete set of
artificial nails (changgei). These latter are usually of brass, are often several
inches in length, and are made so as to fit on to the tips of the fingers.
Occasionally a brass ring with a small peacock, or some such bird, of the same
material will be attached to the end of the nail by a minute brass chain. The
practice of wearing long nails is sometimes attributed to Chinese influence, but it
is hard to see why this particular detail of Malay custom, which is quite in
keeping with the general trend of Malay ideas about the person, should be
supposed to be derived from China. The borrowing, if any, is much more likely
to have been on the part of the Chinese, who undoubtedly imported many Indian
ideas along with Buddhism. The custom appears to be followed, moreover, in
many places, such as the interior of Sumatra, where Chinese influence is non-
existent. In Siam, again, it appears to obtain very strongly;^63 but no reason has
yet been shown for supposing that this is anything but an instance of the
similarity of results independently arrived at by nations starting with similar
premisses.
The ear-boring and tooth-filing ceremonies which still not infrequently take
place at the age of puberty in both sexes are of no less religious import than the
rite of cutting the first lock. The main details of these ceremonies will be