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Story
August 13, 1891
Indian Chieftain
Vinita, Craig County, Oklahoma
What is this article about?
Ethnographic description of Malay women's scrupulous cleanliness, faithfulness as wives and mothers, obedience to parents, but also their dangerous jealousy leading to cunning and undetectable poisoning of rivals or spouses.
Clipping
OCR Quality
96%
Excellent
Full Text
ABOUT THE MALAY WOMEN.
Faithful and Neat Wives, but Given to Poisoning.
In person and attire the scrupulous cleanliness of the Malay woman is proverbial throughout the Orient. Twice daily she bathes, changes her garments, and washes and rinses her luxuriant black hair, whose glossy lengths, frequently touching the ground, render this no light undertaking.
She is a faithful wife to an appreciative husband and a devoted mother to her numerous children, never grudging them time or attention. She is also an obedient and attentive daughter, observing with reverent regard the admonitions of her parents, holding it a sacred duty as their years increase to augment her respect for their advice.
With all these excellent qualities, however, the Malay woman has one dangerous element in her character. She is easily made jealous, and when once this passion is aroused her habitual amiability is suddenly supplanted by spasmodic fits of uncontrolled fury. Her desire for revenge then resolves itself into a calm and merciless cunning, which appeases its ferocity by practicing the artful methods of slow and secret poisoning, in which the skill of the Malay woman is unsurpassed and which she manages so adroitly that detection is almost impossible.
With smiling face and insinuating courtesy she proffers the deadly cup, or with inimitable patience, waits and watches for weeks to detect in her intended victim an opportune moment of lassitude or hunger in which to present the weakened body or famishing appetite with a palatable or strengthening dish. This accomplished, she notes day by day, with serene satisfaction, the subtle development of her plans, frequently allowing months to elapse before her work is completed, during which time she is ever on the alert to repeat a needed dose and to lavish special care and affection on her slowly dying rival, lover, or husband, never relaxing her tenderly anxious vigilance and weeping from time to time in apparent sorrow over the torturing exhibitions of pain, which prove the slow fulfillment of her implacable desires.
A MALAY SERVANT
Faithful and Neat Wives, but Given to Poisoning.
In person and attire the scrupulous cleanliness of the Malay woman is proverbial throughout the Orient. Twice daily she bathes, changes her garments, and washes and rinses her luxuriant black hair, whose glossy lengths, frequently touching the ground, render this no light undertaking.
She is a faithful wife to an appreciative husband and a devoted mother to her numerous children, never grudging them time or attention. She is also an obedient and attentive daughter, observing with reverent regard the admonitions of her parents, holding it a sacred duty as their years increase to augment her respect for their advice.
With all these excellent qualities, however, the Malay woman has one dangerous element in her character. She is easily made jealous, and when once this passion is aroused her habitual amiability is suddenly supplanted by spasmodic fits of uncontrolled fury. Her desire for revenge then resolves itself into a calm and merciless cunning, which appeases its ferocity by practicing the artful methods of slow and secret poisoning, in which the skill of the Malay woman is unsurpassed and which she manages so adroitly that detection is almost impossible.
With smiling face and insinuating courtesy she proffers the deadly cup, or with inimitable patience, waits and watches for weeks to detect in her intended victim an opportune moment of lassitude or hunger in which to present the weakened body or famishing appetite with a palatable or strengthening dish. This accomplished, she notes day by day, with serene satisfaction, the subtle development of her plans, frequently allowing months to elapse before her work is completed, during which time she is ever on the alert to repeat a needed dose and to lavish special care and affection on her slowly dying rival, lover, or husband, never relaxing her tenderly anxious vigilance and weeping from time to time in apparent sorrow over the torturing exhibitions of pain, which prove the slow fulfillment of her implacable desires.
A MALAY SERVANT
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Family
Deception
Social Manners
What keywords are associated?
Malay Women
Cleanliness
Faithfulness
Jealousy
Poisoning
Cultural Traits
Where did it happen?
The Orient
Story Details
Location
The Orient
Story Details
The Malay woman is proverbially clean, bathing twice daily and maintaining her long hair. She is faithful to her husband, devoted to her children, and obedient to her parents. However, she is prone to jealousy, leading to cunning slow poisoning of rivals, lovers, or husbands with undetectable skill and feigned care.