Connecticut western news., 1894-06-07
THE MINE SORCERER.
MALAY FAklRs WHO WORK THE lG-
 RoRANT AND SuPERSTiTlous.

They Are Not So Potent They Were | Some Years AEo-ceremonies Observed | by the Pawang In Invoking the Hsntu, l
 or TuteIary Spirit, of the Mine.
 Miners in all countries have been noted | for their superstitious beliefs as to va- rious matters affecting their good or Ill i luck. Soothsayers, sorcerers, or at least 1 lode finders, were in past ages trusted to secure the satisfactory results which are l now nowadays more reasonably hoped | for on the report of the mining expert and engineer. The latest survival of belief in the occult powers of the 'med | icine man" oS sorcerer is probably to be found in the Malay peninsula, which contains the most important tin work ings yet known to exist. The individ' ual who thus guides his employers to fortune, or the reverse. is known as a pawang.
 Until the practical termination of in- dependent Malay rule throughout the major portion of the peninsula, about l9 years ago, the pawang was a recognized member of every mining staff, and recog. nized not only by the mine owners but by the petty chiefs, who alternately en- couraged or obstructed mining enter prise.
 So potent was he that he could foreten the prospects of mine, levy fines (which went into his own pocketl, direct the offering up of animal sacrifices and en- force rules respecting the workings of a mine which but for him would have been simply ridiculed by the miners. Al though in many districts his pretensions are now discredited, he still fingers on. superstition with the existing generation of miners having yet a firm hold in the more remote districts
 The pawang may or may not be the hereditary successor of a predecessor. In some cases he is self made, and at tains his position by & few lucky fore casts as to the value of projected mine. In a territory where, as is sometimes said, "If you dig up the highway, you are sure to find tin" the supernaturally gifted prospector has a tolerably easy task. Not that tin is always found when a hole is sunk. But moderate ac- quaintance with the usual indications is quite sufficient. Chinese of limited means do not often trouble & pawang in the initiatory stages. But when the mine-''stream tin, or tin sand, with an overburden of 10 or % feet earth and gravel-is fairly started, the pawang suggests that he alone knows how to keep good luck in sight. Sometimes he is politely informed that his services are not wanted, and he leaves in wrath, pre- dieting all sorts of disaster to the unbe- heving towkay or manager. Upon the whole, however, he manages to get his way.
 A fine physical appearance is indis- pensable. When engaged in any duty, such as invoking spirits or offering sacri- fees, he is allowed to assume only one of two positions-with his hands resting on his hips or with them clasped behind his back. He alone is allowed to wear a black coat in the mine. AS in the case of camphor hunters in Formosa and gutta percha hunters in Malaga, he uses peculiar vocabulary. Thus cats, ele- phants, tigers, buffaloes, etc., must not be mentioned by their usual designation, nor are such animals (igers unfortu nately sometimes prove unpleasant ex- ceptions) ever allowed upon & mine. Perhaps the oldest article in the pa wang's "index expurgatorius" Is the lime fruit or lemon, which under no cir. cumstances may be brought to a mine, and should the juice be thrown into the mine water dire results are dreaded. Raw cotton, glass and earthenware or an unsheathed spear or kris arc equally anathema, all the articles mentioned be- ing offensive to the hantu or spirits which haunt the mine.
 Assuming that the pawang is engaged by & mine owner at a fee varying from e15 to e30, his first business is to erect platform or altar, constructed of & spe- cial kind of wood. The four branches, which serve as supports, have the bark peeled off for about 4t feet from the ground to where the twigs begin. The leaves on the latter are not removed. A square platform, measuring l5 inches each way. of peeled sticks is fixed to these supports at about three feet from the ground. A foot above this comes railing round three sides of the plat form, while a railed ladder with, four rungs reaches from the open side of the platform to the ground. Fringes of CO., coanut ornament the railing, and the whole construction is bound together with creepers, rattan, however, being forbidden. Upon it offerings are laid, and the pawang invokes the hantu or tutelary spirit of the mine to bless it with good fortune. A bag of tin sand from the first washing is the fee paid for this service.
 Sometimes & cheaper kind of altar is made by placing in the ground single peeled stick with its upper end split in four, upon which is placed the little platform above described. The next process is to hang an ancha, or square frame, about IS inches each way in the smelling house just under the caves of the roof. This serves as an interior altar, upon which the miners place their offerings to the hantu. The accurate hanging up of the ancha is matter of special care.
 These preliminaries accomplished, the mine is considered sure of luck,-Pall Mall Gazette.