Bersandui: verses recited by collectors of honey in Rembau
This short note by O.T. Dussek documents a series of Malay verses (bersandui) traditionally recited by honey collectors in Rembau, published in JMBRAS Vol. 6, No. 4 (1928).
Summary
The text presents numbered stanzas (5–8) corresponding to specific stages of the honey-collecting process: burning the tree bud (mëmbakar tunam), cutting the comb (memotong sarang), lowering the comb to the ground (mëngulorkan sarang turun ka-tanah), and the pawang’s descent (pawang turun) (pp. 56–57). The verses employ the characteristic Malay pantun form, with nature imagery and metaphorical language—references to birds, flowers, and the wind—interwoven with practical descriptions of the activity. A footnote clarifies that “tunam” in the first stanza refers to carrying fire (p. 57).