Tall Mound (Busut Jantan)

An example of busut jantan in the middle, with two busut betina at the sides.

So what are you having in you mind?

 

 

 

The Malays always reminded us about the taboo regarding mounds. ‘busut jantan’ or ‘tall mound’ is thought to possess spirits, some kind of mystical elements or a watcher. Hence kids are forbidden to play around these mounds. Men are also forbidden to urinate onto the mound in fear that his genitals will become rotten.

 

Types Of Mound

 

·         Termite Mounds

 

Mounds are piles of earth built on top of termite mounds. According to tips of old, eggs if coated with a layer of termite mound earth with some salt can be used to make salted eggs.

 

·         Bird Mounds

 

Not all mounds are built by termites. Some of the mounds are the work of ‘ayam tambun’. This type of bird is mainly found in Sabah and Philippines.

 

The ‘merak pongsu’ bird however will make use of an termite mound to build its nest. This is because termite is one of the diet of ‘merak pongsu’.

 

The Belief Of Busut Jantan

 

Basically there are two types of mounds:

 

·         Busut jantan (male): a tall structure

·         Busut betina (female): a rounded structure

 

It is only that ‘busut jantan’ becomes a taboo in the Malay society.

 

The old folks belief it is forbidden to shoot a partridge that perch on a mound. The reason is that this partridge is protected by jinn. Disaster will be fallen on to the hunter who shot the partridge.

 

In the case of choosing a piece of land to build a house, it is a bad idea to choose a land with mound and termites. The Malays believe whoever live in this house will live in privation. This is reflected with the below expression:

 

“Tanah berbusut beranai-anai

Busutnya penjemput bala

Anai-anai penjemput hutang

Tak kering kain di pinggang

Tak bersiang tak bermalam”

 

“Land with mound contains termites,

The mound attracts bad luck,

Termites invite debt,

As if the cloth never dries at my waist,

As if there is no days and night.”

 

In the practice of black magic, people who want to have ‘hantu raya’ must find a ‘busut jantan’ that is far away from general public. Then this person must carry out offering ritual in the middle of the night with a raw egg. This egg must first be punctured a hole then followed by dropping a drop of blood drawn from his/her own little finger. Other stuffs needed are: yellow glutinous rice, betel nuts, betel leaves together with lime, one piece of cigarette and a fistful of rice. The purposes of obtaining a ‘hantu raya’ are to protect oneself, family, plantation and properties.