The “rejang” in Malay pantuns
H. Overbeck’s short note examines how the “Rejang” system of lunar month symbols appears in Malay pantuns, building on W.G. Skeat’s earlier discussion in Malay Magic (p. 219).
Summary
Overbeck reports that, in addition to the mnemonic verses (Sha’er Rejang) cited by Skeat, the Rejang symbols also occur in three series of pantuns in his own collection: “Rejang Siak,” “Rejang Sindiran,” and “Rejang Sombang” (p. 219). The first two consist simply of pantuns whose opening word is the symbol name, while the “Rejang Sombang” assigns each day’s symbol to a separate pantun followed by additional quatrains repeating that symbol (p. 219–220). Overbeck notes that the “Rejang Sombang” contains Javanese-looking numerals such as “lekur” (twenty) and “sa-lawe” (twenty-five), but a Palembang informant identified these as old Sumatran counting terms, and the “hantus” (spirits) used as symbols are unknown in Java (p. 220). A comparative table of the symbols across all three Rejangs and Skeat’s list is provided, showing substantial agreement in the first ten days but increasing divergence thereafter, with the “Rejang Siak” incomplete from day 11 onward (p. 220).