Page:Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje - The Achehnese - tr. Arthur Warren Swete O'Sullivan (1906).djvu/431

 spot, escorted if possible by the gampōng authorities (keuchiʾ and teungku) and with the two traditional drums (geundrang) and a flute (srunè) leading the van. After the leubès have recited some passages from the Qurān followed by the customary prayers, an animal is slaughtered and a kanduri held.

The woman whose task it is to bore the ears begins with the usual precautions against evil influences. Invoking the name of Allah, she scatters breuëh padé (husked and unhusked rice) over the child, and besprinkles her with a besom formed of the three "cooling" plants, which she dips in flour and water (teupng taweuë). Finally both she and the other old women who are present at the ceremony rub yellow glutinous rice behind the ears (peusunténg) of the young maiden. The expert then bores the holes with a thorn or a golden needle.

Every time of life has its special amusements, which play no inconsiderable part in the bringing up of the young. These will be described in a subsequent chapter. We shall also discuss later the elementary instruction of children, but one or two points which rather concern the attitude of the parents in respect to such teaching may fitly be dealt with here.

At the age of about 6 or 7 the boys are brought by their father, and the girls by their mother, to the school where they are taught to recite the Qurān. This instruction is given chiefly by women, though some men who have not been able to find a more lucrative means of livelihood also act as ureuëng pumubeuët, as these teachers are called.

Wednesday is generally chosen as the day for bringing the children to the schoolmaster or mistress. As a gift for the teacher, they bring a large dish of glutinous rice with grated cocoanut and red sugar on top. The parent addresses the teacher somewhat as follows : "I come to hand over my child to you. Teach it and spare not the rod; so you make it not lame or blind, let the rest be at your discretion."

From this time forth the child attends school pretty regularly until