184 



crossed over the chest are known as tenwug manik. The temvug 

 pattern is frequently found on the central panels of bamboo combs 

 and it seems not at all unlikely that Vaughan Stevens, while 

 intendino" to obtain the name of the central panel of the combs was 

 merely told the name of the pattern which decorated the panel of 

 the particular comb which he was studying at the time. Skeat's 

 quotations from Vaughan Stevens' woi^ks do not, however, make it 

 sufficientl}^ clear whether these observations were made among the 

 western or the eastern Semang (Panggan), and Skeat's quotations 

 are the only medium by which the writer can at present obtain 

 access to Vaughan Stevens' works. * 



At least one man denied that the dart-quiver patterns had any 

 magical meaning, but another told the writer that the pattern helped 

 them to obtain food in the jungle. With regard to the quivers it is 

 probably true that they are supposed to have sympathetic magic 

 powers since nearly all the designs represent articles of Semang diet, 

 either animal or vegetable. A Lenggong Semang volunteered a 

 statement that this was the case (vide Lenggong paper), so it is most 

 probable that the same thing is also true for Ijok. One or two men 

 informed the writer in reply to direct questions that the patterns of 

 the combs had no use as charms, while a single individual on being 

 rather hardly pressed would only say that perhaps the patterns 

 were of use, as the women always wore the combs. It is possible 

 that the patterns had formerly a magical use but that this has now 

 been almost forgotten. Examples of designs taken from quivers are 

 given on plate XVI and also a " tenwug " pattern from a comb. It 

 will be noticed that the designs differ very little, if at all, from 

 those in use at Lenggong, and that the method of producing many 

 of them is typically I^egrito, the outer skin of the bamboo being cut 

 away around the patterns to form a dark coloured background, 

 the patterns themselves thus standing out slightly in the original 

 white outer skin of the plant. 



AGRICULTURE. 

 At the time of the writer's visit the aborigines had no ground 

 under cultivation, but one man said that he intended to open a small 

 clearing. They were supposed to be at work preparing ataps for 

 re-roofing the Ijok Mosque but as far as could be seen their labours 

 did not seem to progress rapidly. The local Malays spoke very 

 scornfully of the Semangs' agincultural operations saying that they 

 were too lazy to undertake the troublesome business of burning the 

 jungle, and that when occasionally they did overcome their natural 

 indolence an^ had planted a little padi or other crop, they would 

 probably leave the locality just before it became ripe and everything 

 would be eaten by birds and monkeys. 



* Most of the combs figured by Skeat after Vaughan Stevens are said to be 

 eastern Negrito, but from where it is not stated. 



