the seven Representatives (orang waris)^38 in turn was sprinkling it with the
‘Neutralising Rice-paste’ (tĕpong tawar) by means of the usual bunch or brush
of leaves. A little in front of this pair stood a youth supporting in his hands an
unhusked cocoa-nut shell. The crown of this cocoa-nut had been removed, and
the edges at the top cut in such a way as to form a chevroned or ‘dog-tooth’
border. Upon the indentations of this rim was deposited a necklace, and a large
pair of scissors about the size of a tailor’s shears were stuck point downwards in
the rim. The cocoa-nut itself was perhaps half-filled with its ‘milk.’ Close to this
youth stood another, supporting one of the usual circular brass trays (with high
sides) containing all the ordinary accessories of the tĕpong tawar ceremony, i.e.
a bowl of rice-paste, a brush of leaves, parched rice, washed saffron-stained rice,
and benzoin or incense.
“I was now requested to open the proceedings, but at my express desire the
Pĕnghulu (Malay headman) did so for me, first scattering several handfuls (of
the different sorts of rice) over the bride, and then sprinkling the rice-paste upon
the palm of her left hand, which was held out to receive it as described above.
The sprinkling over, he took the scissors and with great deliberation severed the
end of the first lock, which was made to fall with a little splash, and with the ring
attached to it, into the cocoa-nut with the ‘dog-tooth’ border.
“Five other waris (Representatives) and myself followed suit, the seven tresses
with the rings attached to them being all received in the cocoa-nut as described.
“A child of the age of about two or three years underwent the tonsure at the same
time, each of the Representatives, after severing the bride’s lock, snipping off a
portion of the child’s hair. The child was in arms and was not veiled, but wore a
shoulder-cloth (bidak) thrown over his shoulder. At the conclusion of the
ceremony we left the room, and the Korān-chanting was resumed and continued
until the arrival of the bridegroom in procession (at about five P.M.), when the
bride and bridegroom went through the ceremony of being ‘seated side by side’
(bĕrsanding), and the business of the day was concluded.
“The cocoa-nut containing the severed tresses and rings is carried to the foot of a
barren fruit-tree (e.g. a pomegranate-tree), when the rings are extracted and the
water (with the severed locks) poured out at the tree’s foot, the belief being that
this proceeding will make the tree as luxuriant as the hair of the person shorn, a
very clear example of ‘sympathetic magic.’ If the parents are poor, the cocoa-nut