A CDETOUS KELANTAN CHABM. 117 



well as a rough, oval, grey-coloured stone, which was protected in 

 the same way. Both of these were found in the folds of the long- 

 strip of white cloth, the inner surface of which was covered from 

 top to bottom with Siamese drawings, letters, and numerals. A 

 reproduction, taken from a tracing of the original design, is shown 

 in photograph (B). Although the belt (pakaian) is described 

 above as beina- rudely fashioned, both the inside yellow covering 

 and the outside covering of white cloth were really very neatly 

 twisted and strongly bound: the various talismans being secured 

 by means of twine in the folds of the cloth, so implying that they 

 must have been of value to the owner. Unfortunately two other 

 stones or talismans had been cut out and stolen after the exhibit 

 had been produced in Court and Awang Tanda acquitted. 



At the time of the trial in 191?. the charm was described by 

 the Kelantan Malay Police as an amulet connected with thieves, 

 (azimat lazim di-pal-ai oleh fyenchuri-penchuri) and it is stated by 

 them, to contain both batu guliga and batu ular as well as the tuft 

 of hair from the pig. The mention of batu ular is of interest be- 

 cause batu ular is the (stone that is supposed to be vomited by the 

 snake and to possess luminous qualities. Xone of the stones that 

 were found in the belt correspond however, in weight or size or 

 colour with the usual conception of the bezoar stone, a calculus 

 .found sometimes inside small land animals, trees and more rarely 

 in arachnida. (sic); they seem., by common consent, to be merely 

 polished pebbles from a river bed. Xone of them give a yellow 

 reaction to the native test for guliga by rubbing with lime (hapur). 



The Police Magistrate. Tengku Hassan, (son-in-law to H. H. 

 the Sultan of Kelantan), remarks in his notes that Kelantan yokels 

 describe the charm as buntat, (petrified stones found in the bodies 

 of animals supposed to contain, but not always, talismanic pro- 

 perties). One witness said that such a charm would protect the 

 skin of the wearer from hurt or harm by any sort of weapon; that 

 some think eliemara bail to be very useful to burglars because it 

 keeps people in a sound sleep, (sekot) : while others say that 

 eliemara babi is invaluable because, if the wild pig should attempt 

 to gore the wearer, it would not be able to wound him. The 

 Magistrate ends his notes by remarking that many old men surmise 

 that a charm of this nature will protect our skins; it will make 

 people afraid of us and make us daring. Tengku Hassan writes 

 in conclusion that he himself has never seen any information about 

 a charm of this kind in any of the original Malay books on charms 

 and medicines for charms. 



The chief interest of this curious belt seems to centre on the 

 hair of the wild pig (eliemara babi). Superstitions about the wild 

 boar (Sus cristatus), mentioned by Skeat in "Malay Magic/'' p. 

 188, are fully believed in by the Kelantan people: they do not seem 

 however to recognize the fable of the " wild boar's chain " 3 but pin 

 their faith on a kind of hair necklace which they say i:he boar 

 is very particular about keeping clean. A lucky man may find it 



R. A. Soc, No. 82. 1920. 



