who pokes out its eyes with a special needle (which must be one out of a score—
the packets being made up in scores—and must possess a torn eye) will be able
to inflict blindness, by sympathy, upon any person against whom he has a
grudge.^315
The fish called kĕdĕra is supposed to change into a sea-bird.
I will now proceed to describe the ceremony which is supposed to secure an
abundant catch of fish in the stakes.
In January 1897 I witnessed the ceremony of sacrificing at the fishing-stakes
(mĕnyemah b’lat) which took place at the hamlet of Ayer Hitam (lit.
“Blackwater”), in the coast district of Kuala Langat (Selangor). The chief
performer of the rites was an old Malay named Bilal Umat, who had owned one
of the fishing-stakes in the neighbourhood for many years past, and had annually
officiated at the ceremony which I was about to witness. I and my small party
arrived in the course of the morning, and were received by Bilal Umat, who
conducted us to the long, low palm-thatch building (bangsal kelong), just above
high-water mark, in which he and his men resided during the fishing-season.
Here we found that a feast was in course of preparation, but what most attracted
my attention was the sight of three large sacrificial basket-work trays,^316 each
about 2½ feet square, and with high fringed sides which were suspended in a
row from the roof of the verandah, on the seaward side of the building. These
trays were empty, but had been lined with banana leaves to prepare them for the
reception of the offerings, which latter were displayed upon a raised platform
standing just in front of them.