86 MALAY POISONS AND OH ABM CUBES 



Main Bfirhantu. — The Mrhantu of Perak and 

 Selangor is similar in many respects to the permainan 

 fet^ri of Kelantau. Berhaniu has been described by 

 Sir Frank Swettenham in his book *' Malay Sketches," 

 p, 153, the patient in this case bemg a reigning Sultan of 

 Perak. Mi\ W. W. Skeat has also described it as 

 practised by a b&mor helian on an ordinary citizen in 

 Selangor, and Mr. J. R. Wilkmson gives an interesting 

 summary of the two aecoimts in " Papers on Malay 

 Subjects " (The Incidents of Malay Life), p. 45 (Ref. 8). 

 Di'. Winstedt has written of a Mrhantu he witnessed on 

 the Perak river (** Malayan Memories " : A Malay 

 Seance) (Ref. 11). Main jpeieri is always played for 

 three nights in succession, sometimes for seven nights, 

 and then the patient is left to take care of himself. If 

 his condition improves, the same performance is gone 

 through again, after a lapse of one or two weeks ; but if 

 no improvement is noticeable, nothing further is done. 

 In the event of an obvious recovery, a final performance 

 {malam herjavm) is given ; this is a special sacrificial 

 offerijig to ail the spirits concerned and conducted in a 

 small shed or out-house. It is an elaborate proceeding. 



The model of a square platform with four posts and 

 five stories is made out of bamboo or of stems of the 

 sago palm and decorated with eoco-nut palm leaves. A 

 miscellaneous collection of every kind of food for which 

 ghosts and spirits are believed to have a passion is placed 

 on each stoiy. In addition to the sacrificial offering, 

 already referred to as the kendurif the following things 

 are put upon the platform : fish — a bit of skate, of 

 shark, a crab, a prawn ; flesh — pieces of chicken, duck, 

 goat and beef, both cooked and raw ; vegetables — • 

 various, both cooked and micooked, boded rice of seven 

 different coloms ; two kmda of intoxicating hquors 

 (aiTack and toddy) ; some bananas, various kinds of 



