TEE WORK OF THE BOMOR 35 



force in Kelantan in 1910 during an epidemic of cholera. 

 One was the village quarantine called pupoh kampoTig, 

 and the other was house quarantine, called pupoh 

 rumah. The former was estabUshed for a period of 

 thirty days, either in favour of the outsiders to an 

 infected village, or in favour of the inhabitants of a 

 village that had escaped infection in an unhealthy area. 

 A string called tali pujjok was stretched across the main 

 path entering the village, and twists of leaf depended 

 from the strmg. At either side of the path was stuck 

 a bamboo, the upper end of which was spht into a 

 bowl-like shape, and contained a young coco-nut, and to 

 the stem was tied a fold of betel and a native cigarette. 

 These were not, as might be thought, offerings to the 

 evil spirits of disease, but a sacrifice to other spirits 

 called up by the bormr to combat the evil spirits of 

 cholera, who are not always to be recognised. In one 

 village the Jianiu raya^ an incestuous evil spirit of great 

 power and treachery, had been raised m order to assist 

 the hanwr. On the near side of the string a hollow 

 bamboo clapper was hung, and all persons wishing to 

 enter and pass through the viUage had to beat at the 

 clapper and wait for the hoTJioT to admit them after a 

 muttered incantation and the scattering of a handful 

 of rice over the passengers. As the bonior was not in 

 constant attendance, a troublesome delay was often 

 caused to travellers. Passers-by are not permitted to 

 stay the night in a village under this form of taboo. 

 The fee payable to the bomor by anybody found to have 

 disregarded it is rather heavy : two silver dollars and 

 twelve and a half cents in cash ; one and a quarter 

 pomids of rice cooked with turmeric ; two and a half 

 yards of white cloth and three skems of white thread 

 are demanded. House quarantine lasts for three days 

 only, and excludes all outsiders from the infected house. 



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