80 MALAY POISONS AND CHARM CURES 



spirits, good spirits who are summoned by the To* 

 Bomor Peieri to help him in casting out the evil spirit or 

 spirits that may have got into the sick man*s body. 

 Among these good helping sphits are Budak Kechil 

 Kuda Kuala ; Budak Kechil Telur (the hsping lad), who 

 are males ; and Piteri Mayan^ Mas (the princess of the 

 golden palm blossom), who is a female spirit. There are 

 many others. The bomor peieri claims that with the 

 help of the ho7mr mimlok he can draw evil spirits, bat 

 only one at a time, out of a sick man, and for this pur- 

 pose he regards himself as actually becoming a pinggawa 

 spirit for the time being. The spiiit-raising bomor is 

 generally a hard-featured man or woman of good 

 physique. In Kelantan he or she is also called the 

 tukang ehiig, or the " head shaker." 



When the performance of mairhfiiMri is being given in 

 order to cm-e the sick, the hoimr peieri is instructed by 

 the To' Mindok to find out first of all if the illness is 

 being caused by disease, or if it is the work of a demon. 

 He is then, as the^case may be, required to cast out the 

 disease or to suck the evil spirit or spirits out of the sick 

 man*s body by drawing their essence into his o^vn body 

 {isap akan uap serta anginjin di-dalam itu). As soon as 

 the " man who forgets " (now a peieri spirit) is in the 

 trance, every one is expected to keep quiet ; but when he 

 seems to be commg round he is subjected to a number of 

 questions ; they are put to him only by the To' Mindok. 

 The queries begin with " Who is he '? " ; and the name 

 of a p^nggawa spirit is given in reply. It may be con- 

 sidered unsuitable. The To' Mindok, for instance, may 

 think that a more powerful spirit is required, and m this 

 case he will say that another must be called up. The 

 singing and fiddling reconmiences and continues until 

 the honior peieri is again brought mto a trance. Several 

 false starts of this kind may be made. Eventually the 



