RECIPROCAL PEELING OF JAKUNS AND MALAY. 
27 » 
plaints against the Malays, as being bad people, cruel, murderers; 
and, what is no less criminal before them, thieves, pilferers, and 
Jiers. Some made to me the sensible remark, that the numerous 
sambayangs, or prayers of the Malays, could not be of any use for 
them so long as they continued addicted to so many vices; but they 
take great care before they thus express themselves to look about, 
for they know that if any Malay shonld chance to overhear them, 
they would not remain long uninjured. The Jakuns thus hate and 
abhor the Malays, but they fear them; and what makes their posi¬ 
tion more irksome is the necessity they are in of being obliged to 
have commerce with them: the dammar, and several other products 
they find in the forest cannot be disposed of excepting by the hands 
of the Malays; which establishes a daily intercourse between theim 
But it is really surprising that these communications are always in 
good terms, and though the Jakuns are rude and wild they yet know 
how to give to the Malays de Veau benite de court , and keep habi-* 
tually great harmony and peace in their relations. But if the Jakuns 
hate and fear the Malays, the Malays in return despise and fear 
extremely the Jakuns. The Malays consider the Jakuns as Cafirs, 
that it as infidels, and in that quality to be despised, and as being 
in a rank only a little higher than animals 5 but on the other hand, 
the Malays are superstitious in the extreme. For Malays, every 
thing they do not understand is a mystery ; everything not common 
must be endowed with extraordinary virtue; and consequently, for a 
Malay, a Jakun is a supernatural being, endowed with a supernatu¬ 
ral power, and with an unlimited knowledge in the secrets of na¬ 
ture 1 he must be skilled in divination, sorcery and fascination, and 
able to do either evil or good according to his pleasure ; his blessing 
will be followed by the most fortunate success, and his curse by the 
most dreadful ennsequences. When he hates some person, he turns 
himself towards the house, strikes two sticks, one upon the other, 
and, whatever may be the distance, his enemy will fall sick, and even 
die, if he persevere in that exercise for a few days. Besides to 
a Malay the Jakun is a man who, by his nature, must necessarily 
know all the properties of every plant, and consequenly must be a 
