10 Journal of the F.M.S. Museums. [Vor. IX, 
For ten days after giving birth, as I was told, a woman 
must not step into water, nor may she eat salt, fish, or flesh. 
The flesh of the bamboo-rat is especially tabued, as, if she 
were to eat it, her child’s face would grow into a resemblance 
of that of the rodent. 
While Pregnant, too, a woman must not go out dariie 
‘‘hot rain ’’ (z.e. ta in with sunshine), fetch water in the late 
afternoon or evening, or go to the hills alone. If she breaks 
the last siekdbation, she will meet a tiger and be devoured. 
Henweh. 
Henweh is a disastrous thunderstorm accompanied by 
floods of rain, ee and possibly by welling up of water 
from under the earth. Such sto orms, known among Sakai 
tribes as terlatk or Pes, are sent as punishment if anybody 
does any act which is particularly offensive to the gods, and 
they involve the death of the offender and his relatives, and 
the swallowing up of his home by the earth. The following 
story which I got from Tokeh, illustrates these ideas very 
well. It may be noted that such actions as copying the notes 
of certain birds are—both among the Sakai and the Negritos— 
thought to be particularly displeasing to the Powers Above. 
Some Negrito children once copied the note of a Sagwong- 
bird,! and there came thunder and lightning and a great 
flood, and all the Negritos there were drowned, with the 
exception of one halak, who managed to make his escape. 
For this reason the Sagwong and the Chorh must not be 
copied till the present day. Yak Lepeh, Yak Manoid and 
Yak Takel made the waters rise from under the ea 
Tokeh said that legendary sites of several old Negrito 
encampments, which are said to have been overwhelmed in 
this manner, are still pointed out in the neighbourhood of 
Ijok. For fear of H enweh, it is also forbidden for a man an 
a woman to have sexual intercourse in the camp—an act 
which particularly enrages Tapern. They must retire to the 
jungle for the purpose. As far as I could find out, no such 
prohibition is found among the Negritos of Grik, though, for 
the same reason, sexual intercourse is not indulged i in during 
the daytime. 
Tabued Days. 
Among the Menik Kaien, Tokeh told me, the sixteenth 
day of any month is tabu, and anyone who does work on it 
will meet with some misfotune, such as being struck by a 
falling tree, bitten by a snake, stung by a scorpion, or eaten 
by a tier: Tabued days are called Hai*® biak membeh-ud, 
1 Said to be the bird known to the Malays as Burong sa *hawan (Anthace. 
malayanus). 
oo ee Some of the Negritos 
