SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS 231 



These creations of the imagination, who in the northern 

 island are called Sfyas, seem much akin to the Nats of Indo- 

 China, but are far less localised, and, as a rule, have no particular 

 tree, rock, or stream for their abode. They are the cause of 

 every misfortune and disease that occurs to man, but death in 

 the ordinary course of things is considered to be a natural 

 event. 



It would appear that in Kar Nicobar, Teressa, and Chaura, 

 where the superstitious practices are nearly alike, some idea 



" Scare-devil," or device for exorcising evil spirits (Kachal). 



is entertained of spirits not altogether inimical to mankind ; 

 but in the other islands, whose beliefs are all homogenous, the 

 Izvt's are all harmful to human beings, and are kept at a distance 

 by a redundancy of charms and talismans that does not occur 

 in the north.* 



The latter, which include various objects, such as figures of 

 men, women, animals, etc., pictures, banners, and so on, are 

 none of them regarded as idols or worshipped, neither are they 

 fetishes — the instruments of spirits, or themselves endowed with 



* Tanamara, headman of Malacca, Nankauri, when questioned on this 

 point, stated that the spirits were all evil : — " What, no got good devil — hantu 

 baik? No, all bad; plenty fever-devil, plen-ty devil eat man." But, with 

 reference to this assertion, Mr Man writes: — "The names of certain good 

 spirits have often been given to me at Nankauri, and by Tanamara himself." 

 One inference is, that the latter purposely denied their existence in order to be 

 spared the trouble of answering further questions on the subject. 



