BLACK AET IN MALAY MEDICINE 79 



Along the bridge of the Seven Doora,* along the Nine Roads.' 

 To the Mountain Setong/ the Water-way of Life. 



Presently, when the To* Mindok has finished his 

 chant, or even before he lias done so, the homor peteri is 

 seen to nod and shake his head, and he soon begins to 

 roll it round and round in the most violent manner (if a 

 woman is officiating, her long black hah- twii-ls and 

 smrls in unison) : his eyes are closed ; every now and 

 again be cleai-s bis throat as if about to speak and claps 

 bis hands to emphasise the consecutive coming and 

 going of the individual helping spirit. These possess 

 him one at a time until he has chosen the one that be 

 desires to retain. This goes on until the bo7}ior petiri 

 reaches a state of frenzy, the musicians, with true 

 comradeship, playing unceasingly. At last when be is 

 BO dizzy that he can no longer continue, he raises both 

 bands as a signal for the To' Mindok to stop singnag and 

 for the band to cease playing. He is dazed — ^be swoons 

 — ^he is in a trance. The stage has now been reached 

 when be ('* the man who forgets ") is actually in posses- 

 sion of the helping spirit whose aid he has invoked, and 

 now be is regarded as representing a p^i^ri spirit m 

 whatever he says or does ; be is acting, in fact, as a 

 medium. 



These peteri spirits are all good spirits ; they are 

 divided iuto two classes. One class contains the 

 princesses of olden days who became good fairies, such 

 as the hantu pari referred to in the introductory song of 

 the To' Mindok, as well as the peteri SaJcdom and others. 

 The second class consists of the pinggawa or control 



I The Seven Booa are given aa : tihindai (wmhee), aiikai (faith), chinta 

 (longiBp), tasa (perception), kaxffa (affections), nqfm (desitefl), and mgan-aTigan 

 (thoi^hts), 



« The Nine Roada are given as : mvM (the mouth), hidong (the nose), mata 

 (the eyes), tUinga (the eare), «&«n-tffrutt (the fontanelies), pusai (the navel), 

 jttboT {the onus), Hmaluan (the genitals), and plgangan (the hand-graep). 



* The moimtain Siiong ia said to be the head of the PUiri. 



