28
Vide pp. 353–355, infra. ↑
29
Of the Pahang customs Mr. Clifford writes:—
“Umat rushes off to the most famous midwife in the place, and presents her with a little brass
dish filled with smooth green sîrih leaves, and sixpence of our money (25 cents) in copper, for
such is the retaining fee prescribed by Malay custom. The recipient of these treasures is
thereafter held bound to attend the patient whenever she may be called upon to do so, and
when the confinement is over she can claim other moneys in payment of her services. These
latter fees are not ruinously high, according to our standard, two dollars being charged for
attending a woman in her first confinement, a dollar or a dollar and a half on the next occasion,
and twenty-five, or at the most fifty cents being deemed sufficient for each subsequent
event.”—Clifford, Studies in Brown Hum., pp. 47, 48. ↑
30
To each corner of this hearth is fastened a bunch of lemon-grass leaves, each of which is
separately charmed by ejecting betel-leaf upon it (di-sĕmbor); at the same time a pillow is
prepared for it by the insertion of a needle at each end. The fire (api saleian) is always lighted
by the Bidan, and must never be allowed to go out for the whole of the 44 days. To light it the
Bidan should take a brand from the house-fire (api dapor), and when it is once properly
kindled, nothing must be cooked at it, or the child will suffer. Moreover, whenever during this
same period there happens to be a hen sitting on its eggs in the house, the blades of weapons,
such as daggers (k’risses) and spears, must not be reset in their handles (mĕmbalau) either over
the hearth-fire or the fire of the saleian. ↑
31
J. D. Vaughan in vol. xi. of J.I.A.
Cp. the following passage:—
“Later, comes a day when Sĕlĕma nearly loses her life by reason of the barbarities which
Malay science considers necessary if a woman is to win through her confinement without
mishap.”—Clifford, Stud. in Br. Hum., p. 51. ↑
32
The following methods are resorted to for the curing of faintness: (a) the patient is made to
smell (di-isapkan), first with one and then with the other nostril, the bottom of the copper (or
brass) receptacle (pĕkaporan) in which the lime, which is one of the invariable concomitants of
the betel-chewing apparatus, is kept; (b) the “rattan” (rotan sĕga) “cure,” which is said to
consist in charring the end of a piece of rattan (rotan sĕga), taking the burnt end in the mouth,