472 THE WILD TRIBES OF THE MALAY PENINSULA. 



MUSIC AND DANCING. 



It would take too lon^- to describe in an}" sort of detail the musical 

 instruments of these ti'ibes. Suffice it to say that they are almost 

 always made of Ijamboo, some of the most primitive kinds being- of 

 sj^ecial ethnographical interest, notably the bamboo jews-harp and the 

 nose flute. One or two of these latter (PI. I, 5) may be played at a time, 

 the performer l)reathing- into the mouth hole of the flute through the 

 nostrils. This instrument is found among- tribes who do not use the 

 blowgun, as well as among those tribes who do, but the accomplish- 

 ment sliould be an easier one for the latter, i. e., the Sakais, to acquire, 

 from the healthy development of the lungs with the blowpipe exer- 

 cise. Simpler forms of instruments are represented by a couple of 

 sticks which are struck together, producing a sound like castagnettes, 

 and (among the Semang) l)y big internodes or '"joints'" of baml)oo, 

 which are closed naturally b}" the node at the lower end and played 

 by being ))eaten at the upper end with a fan-shaped palm-leaf beater. 



The most important instrument of the Jakuns is the drum, which is 

 made of a hoUowed-out trunk of screw pine, headed with the dressed 

 skins of mouse deer or monkeys. 



On festive occasions, e. g. , for singing and dancing, both sexes 

 decorate the person profusely with festoons of leaves. The Sakais 

 and Jakuns in addition wear upon the head a curious circlet made of 

 strips of palm-leaf (licuala) in the form of a plait with long streamers 

 so depending from it as partially to conceal the face of the dancer. 

 That of the woman has in addition a number of short sticks on which 

 are spitted fragrant leaves or flowers, on a principle of which we seem 

 to have the counterpart in the design of some of our peers' coronets. 

 In the girdle, head-band, and festoons (which arc crossed upon l)ack 

 and breast) are inserted bunches or bou(]uets of cunningly W()\<'n 

 strips of palm-leaf representing nooses, etc., which are said to l)e 

 intended to entrap evil spirits when they make assault upon the person 

 of the dancer. 



Finally a short wand or scepter is can-ied. which takes at times a 

 most peculiar shape, reseml)ling a series of crescents and double axes. 

 (Pi. 1, 5.) 



FKAsrS AM) S()N(;S. 



In former days at InuACst time the Jakuns kept an annuai fcsti\al, 

 at whicii, the entire settlement ha\ ing been called together, fermented 

 luiuoi ))rewed from jungle fruits Avas drunk; and to the acc(>ni})ani- 

 ment of strains of their rude and incondite nuisic, ))oth sexes, crown- 

 ing themselves with fragrant leaves and flowers, indulged in bouts of 

 singing and dancing, which grew gradually wilder throughout the 

 night, and terminated in a strange kind of sexual orgie. 



The songs which were sung on these occasions were sonu^times 

 merely topographical, hut more often llic theme was a (iescri[)ti()n of 



