‘THE AKUAN OR SPIRIT-FRIENDS. 379 
The method of conjuring them, which is more or less the same 
in main details for every “owner,” may probably be of some special 
interest to students of modern Spiritualism. A general description 
of it like the following which has been gathered from a number 
of villagers who have themselves seen the proceeding independently 
of each other at different places and times, may be obtained almost 
anywhere among the rustic population of Ulu Jémpul, Kuala 
Jémpul, Batu Kikir, Juasseh, Sungai Dua, Séri Ménanti, Rémbau, 
Jélébu, Léngging, Béranang and other places. The ceremony is 
called Béréjin (from Jinn, gen or demon) or Bérhantu, literally to 
call up spirits or to have spirit-meetings. It is always performed 
during the first part of the mght at the patient’s house, and 
occupies some three hours, say from 8 to 11 p.m. The function 
being one not often met with, the people within one mile and a half 
around regan. it with great interest and come to attend in crowds. 
The “owner” of the ak uan plays the part of a medium, and some 
one, usually his wife or one of his closest lady-friends or pupils, 
takes up the role of an interpreter, as the medium will talk in 
some language unknown to the uninitiated audience. Before the 
meeting begins the preparations for it have to-be got ready. This 
consists of bérteh (toasted wet rice-in-the-husk), three or five or 
seven pots (pérént or buyong) of water, betel-leaves and all their 
accompaniments arranged in the most ceremonial manner in a 
richly ornamented bujam, or pérminangan. To all these are added 
new, rich little mats, spread specially for the expected spirit-guests, 
so that the scene presented “is just like one when there is going to 
be a marriage ceremony” (macham orang na nikah). Ail the 
relatives and friends of the patient are informed and asked to be 
present, as the occasion will finally settle whether the sickness is 
curable or fatal. As the expected hour comes, the actor of the 
evening arrives. All is now solemn and silent. He takes his seat 
on the rich mat reserved for him near the other articles of prepara- 
tion. He veils his face, and then recites some strange songs of 
invocation in a weird appealing tune, and in a language partly un- 
intelligible. He begins to be unconscious as the trance state of 
mind gradually overmasters and takes possession of him. He 
shivers terribly while the smell and smoke of the burning incense 
(kéményan) becomes suffocatingly diffused in the air. He may 
dash his hands and feet against the floor and his body against the 
wall. He may even rise, walk about the room, throw off his veil, 
disclose his flashing blood-shot eyes, sit upon the earthenware pots, 
snatch some of the red-hot cinders from the incense-urn (pérasapan, 
pébaran or témpat bara) and chew them in his mouth—all these 
without causing himself the least injury. The house shakes and 
the spectators are full of awe. As the medium grows more and 
more frantic in his movements and recitations, the spirits invoked 
come one by one. Sometimes only one of them turns up, the others 
excusing inability. If they are Moslems their greeting on arrival 
would be “ Assalamu ‘alai-kum” communicated through the me- 
R. A. Soc., No. 86 1922. 
