The father of a young man must arrange the payment for the bride, and probably receives remuneration himself for the service rendered. The son-in-law remains in the house of his father-in-law a year or more and assists him. A raja was privileged to have five or six wives.
During the period of pregnancy both wife and husband are subject to the following restrictions:
1. They must not split firewood, otherwise harelip will result, or a child with double thumbs.
2. The arms or legs must not be cut off from any animal caught, else the child will have stumps of arms or legs.
3. When fish has been caught the couple must not open the head themselves; if they do the child will be born without ears.
4. The husband must not make fish hooks, or the child will be born doubled up in a wrong position, perhaps causing the mother's death.
5. Neither of them may stretch up either arm to take food from the hanging trays of bamboo, called toyang. Should they do so the child will come into the world arm first, or probably not be born.
6. They must not nail up boxes or anything else (nails were formerly of wood), nor tie up anything,—for instance, a rattan for drying clothes,—nor lock a trunk, else the child will not be born and the mother will die.
7. In case of feeling hot, if he or she should take off their upper garments they must not be tied round the neck, or the child will be born dead, with the navel cord around its neck.
8. The work of tying split bamboo sticks into loose mats, for instance such as are used in the bottom of the prahu, must not be done, or the child will be born with two and two or all four fingers grown together.