tgi8. I. H. N. I.van. . Miscellanea. 221 



the above, who had occasion to rebuke his u ife, in my In ai ii g, 

 for breaking this tabu also). 



If the owner of a gun constantly uses it for shooting big 

 game, lie should not keep, or place it, in a leaning position; 

 otherwise animals that he shoots, it mortally wounded, will 

 not fall dead foi ome time. From the same Malay as the 



a hove i. 



l'.l I \ KAMl'i ing. 



/.'...i tampong i an annual i remony which is performed 

 by the Malays of the Endau —ami. 1 believe, in othei parts of 

 the country as well- -in order to avert misfortune and disease. 

 It is difficult to give a suitable translation of the name for 

 these rites, and the nearest approach that I can make is 

 "cherishing the village." Thej are purely pagan ami. as such, 

 are frowned upon by the more orthodox Malays. 



While I was -topping in Kampong Pianggu on the 

 Endau River m August of tin- yeai (1917), a bela kampong, 

 which was about to be held, was postponed owing to the 

 presence of three Dyaks, who were with me. These men 



were engaged in si ting birds and mammals and in collecting 



insects and botanical specimen-, such actions being tabu 

 while the ceremony is in progress. 



The Dyaks having left me temporarily, 1 asked the 

 Pawang to perform the rites while I was in the village, and 

 before my men should return from up-stream. This, however, 

 appeared to be impossible, as he each day made -ome excuse 

 — that there was a wedding 011, or that someone had died and 

 that it was tabu to hold the bela kampong in consequence. As 

 I had already mad.- arrangements for leaving the Endau, I 

 was unable to postpone my departure until the Pawang should 

 fix upon an auspii ii ;i- da\ ; m \ ei 1 heli ss, by dint of qui stion- 

 ing him. and others, I got some information which is. perhaps, 

 worth placing on record. 



According to old custom while the bela kampong is being 

 performed, the village is laid under a three days' tabu by the 

 Pawang, and during this period strangers must not enter it, 

 nor may am- of the inhabitants shoot animals, gather 

 cocoanuts, sireh, or banana leaves; leave the village; dig their 

 land; use abusive language; or make a loud noise (e.g. beat 

 gongs as at a wedding). 



The day chosen for the beginning of the rites depends 

 partly on the Pawang's dreams. Should he have fixed a day. 

 he will put it off if he. has an unlucky dream during the night 

 before — that he is being chased by a tiger, for instance, 01 

 that somebody is angry with him ; hut will hold it if his 

 dreams are lucky (e.g. that he has been given many presents). 



When a village 1-; under t aim white rags are ted to cords at 

 the bathing-places jamban), if the settlement is on the main 



