Journal of the Federated Malay States museums - Sabrizain.org

toi8.] [.H.N .
fs of the Behraug-Valley Senoi. 195
.
ipar-wu n\ (?), rattan known as kerai, and
two kin and chiuchong), must not
be burnt in the fire of the c< It is also forbidden
to roast or boil the lie I
,
,01 of the Kera-monkey, at
a fire on which dried (ish lia ked. In addition the
many kinds insects must not be imitated
when heard, for instance that ol the cicada. Even such
actions as playing with the sand by the river-side and laughing
loudly, as children like to do, or looking into anothei pei n'
face and laughing, ai to their ideas, capable' of
bringing on oni ms st< irms.
Katil told me that a lew months before my visit a man
dried fish in the jungle, making his fire,
without thinkin: matter, at the foot of a clump of
rattan-palm of the kind known as rotan kerai [Doe\
geniculates). Asa result of this, a violent thunder-storm came
re he had finished eating. On realizing what he had
done, he took his working-knife and cut his loot with it
(presumably with the intention of propitiating the Spirit of
the Storm} ; then, on the bli lod gushing out, the sti inn sti ipped.
He had only intended to make a superficial cut, but found
that he had wounded himself so badly that he had to be carried
>y his companii >ns.
Thunder-storms caused by the infraction of one of these
prohibitions are called terlax rms.")
In this connection, chilau, which I understand from the
Sakai of the Ulu Sun was said by Katil to
mean " thunder storm," but this is not supported by the
comparative vocabulary 111 Skeat's "Pagan Races" where
chilau, cognate with kilau (Malay) " to glitter," is recorded
as meaning lightning among the Sakai of the Korbu Valley.
Ungku was given to me as the word for " thunder," and is not
uncommon in various Sakai dialects. Ungku, Turul, or
Nanchet, moreover, is the spirit who makes the thunder. His
young brother. Bonsu, asked him to go with him to a place
above the, sky. but Turul (Ungku) would not consent, as he
wished to 1 causi trouble on earth. Bonsu
thus left him below, svhere he remains till the present day.
Turul has four children, three of them females, VVah Hilong,
Wah Hideh, and Wah Dampen ; the fourth. Puntok Keboie, a
While I was with the Snmi I had an opportunity of
eeing how they behave during a storm, for on two successive
evenings there arose a high wind with distant thundei and
lightning. On the first evening, while the wind was blowing
in violent gusts. I heard tin- people in the next hou e calling
out loudly, rmd I asked Katil, who was with me, what they
ying. I did not. however, go into the matter deeply
then, as I thought that he might bi talk about the
storm while it was still raging. On I
most of the people of the settlement were in the hut in which