Book contents
- Miracles and Material Life
- Asian Connections
- Miracles and Material Life
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Maps and Figures
- Prologue
- Acknowledgements
- Notes on Transliteration
- Abbreviations
- An Introduction
- 1 Compendia of Forest Patois and Agrarian ‘Ilmu
- 2 Pawangs and Munshis in Muhammad’s Ricefields
- 3 The Pawang’s ‘Wonderful Nose’ for Ore
- 4 An ‘Ilmu of Violence
- 5 Gun Gurus and Sufi Shooters
- Conclusion
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
- Asian Connections
3 - The Pawang’s ‘Wonderful Nose’ for Ore
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 June 2020
- Miracles and Material Life
- Asian Connections
- Miracles and Material Life
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Maps and Figures
- Prologue
- Acknowledgements
- Notes on Transliteration
- Abbreviations
- An Introduction
- 1 Compendia of Forest Patois and Agrarian ‘Ilmu
- 2 Pawangs and Munshis in Muhammad’s Ricefields
- 3 The Pawang’s ‘Wonderful Nose’ for Ore
- 4 An ‘Ilmu of Violence
- 5 Gun Gurus and Sufi Shooters
- Conclusion
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
- Asian Connections
Summary
In A Sketch of Malayan Mining, published in 1928, Geologist to the Federated Malay States John B. Scrivenor reminisced about the ‘heyday of the pawang’. During those ‘palmy days’ of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was considered ‘fatal to not consult the pawang’ before mining for tin or gold. The ubiquitous pawangs worked as prospectors and were known to be adept at locating, excavating and smelting tin ore. They were also mediums for the spirits that guarded tin and gold deposits.
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- Miracles and Material LifeRice, Ore, Traps and Guns in Islamic Malaya, pp. 111 - 151Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020