The Malay are
Malaysia's largest ethnic group, accounting for over half the
population and the
national language. With the oldest
indigenous peoples they form a group called bumiputera, which
translates as "sons" or "princes of the
soil." Almost all Malays are Muslims, though Islam here is
less extreme than in the Middle East. Traditional Malay culture
centers around the kampung, or village, though today one is just
as likely to find Malays in the cities.
The Chinese traded with Malaysia for centuries, then settled in number during the 19th century when word of riches in the Nanyang, or "South Seas," spread across China. Though perhaps a stereotype, the Chinese are regarded as Malaysia's businessmen, having succeeded in many industries. When they first arrived, however, Chinese often worked the most grueling jobs like tin mining and railway construction. Most Chinese are Tao Buddhist and retain strong ties to their ancestral homeland. They form about 35 percent of the population.
Indians had been visiting Malaysia for over 2,000 years, but did not settle en masse until the 19th century. Most came from South India, fleeing a poor economy. Arriving in Malaysia, many worked as rubber tappers, while others built the infrastructure or worked as administrators and small businessmen. Today ten percent of Malaysia is Indian. Their culture -- with it's exquisite Hindu temples, cuisine, and colorful garments -- is visible throughout the land.
The oldest inhabitants of Malaysia are its tribal peoples. They account for about 5 percent of the total population, and represent a majority in Sarawak and Sabah. Though Malaysia's tribal people prefer to be categorized by their individual tribes, peninsular Malaysia blankets them under the term Orang Asli, or "Original People." In Sarawak, the dominant tribal groups are the Dayak, who typically live in longhouses and are either Iban (Sea Dayak) or Bidayuh (land Dayak). In Sabah, most tribes fall under the term Kadazan. All of Malaysia's tribal people generally share a strong spiritual tie to the rain forest
Cultures have been meeting and mixing in Malaysia since the very beginning of its history.More thanfifteen hundred years ago a Malay kingdom in Bujang Valley welcomed traders from China and India. With the arrival of gold and silks, Buddhism and Hinduism also came to Malaysia. A thousand years later, Arab traders arrived in Malacca and brought with them the principles and practices of Islam. By the time the Portuguese arrived in Malaysia, the empire that they encountered was more cosmopolitan than their own.
Malaysia's cultural mosaic is marked by many different cultures, but several in particular have had especially lasting influence on the country. Chief among these is the ancient Malay culture, and the cultures of Malaysia's two most prominent trading partners throughout history--the Chinese, and the Indians. These three groups are joined by a dizzying array of indigenous tribes, many of which live in the forests and coastal areas of Borneo. Although each of these cultures has vigorously maintained its traditions and community structures, they have also blended together to create contemporary Malaysia's uniquely diverse heritage.
One example of the complexity with which Malaysia's immigrant populations have contributed to the nation's culture as a whole is the history of Chinese immigrants. The first Chinese to settle in the straits, primarily in and around Malacca, gradually adopted elements of Malaysian culture and intermarried with the Malaysian community. Known as babas and nonyas, they eventually produced a synthetic set of practices, beliefs, and arts, combining Malay and Chinese traditions in such a way as to create a new culture. Later Chinese, coming to exploit the tin and rubber booms, have preserved their culture much more meticulously. A city like Penang, for example, can often give one the impression of being in China rather than in Malaysia.
Another example of Malaysia's extraordinary cultural exchange the Malay wedding ceremony, which incorporates elements of the Hindu traditions of southern India; the bride and groom dress in gorgeous brocades, sit in state, and feed each other yellow rice with hands painted with henna. Muslims have adapted the Chinese custom of giving little red packets of money (ang pau) at festivals to their own needs; the packets given on Muslim holidays are green and have Arab writing on them.
You can go from a Malaysian kampung to a rubber plantation worked by Indians to Penang's Chinese kongsi and feel you've traveled through three nations. But in cities like Kuala Lumpur, you'll find everyone in a grand melange. In one house, a Chinese opera will be playing on the radio; in another they're preparing for Muslim prayers; in the next, the daughter of the household readies herself for classical Indian dance lessons.
Perhaps the easiest way to begin to understand the highly complex cultural interaction which is Malaysia is to look at the open door policy maintained during religious festivals. Although Malaysia's different cultural traditions are frequently maintained by seemingly self-contained ethnic communities, all of Malaysia's communities open their doors to members of other cultures during a religious festival--to tourists as well as neighbors. Such inclusiveness is more than just a way to break down cultural barriers and foster understanding. It is a positive celebration of a tradition of tolerance that has for millennia formed the basis of Malaysia's progress.
Music and dance are almost inseparable in the
Malaysian culture. Where there is one, the other is not far
behind. True to Malaysia's heritage, dances vary widely and are,
if not imports direct from the source nation, heavily influenced
by one or more of Malaysia's cultural components. Much of
Malaysian music and dance has evolved from more basic needs into
the mesmerizing, complex art forms they are today.
Traditional music is centered around the gamelan, a stringed instrument from Indonesia with an otherworldly, muffled sound. The lilting, hypnotic beats of Malaysian drums accompany the song of the gamelan; these are often the background for court dances. Malaysia's earliest rhythms were born of necessity. In an age before phone and fax, the rebana ubi, or giant drums, were used to communicate from hill to hill across vast distances. Wedding announcements, danger warnings, and other newsworthy items were drummed out using different beats. The rebana ubi are now used primarily as ceremonial instruments. The Giant Drum Festival is held in Kelantan either in May or June.
Dikir barat is a style of call and response singing originating in Kelantan (Malm 1974). It is well known throughout the Peninsular through local television and performing groups. A dikir barat group, which may be of any size, is led by a tukang karut who makes up poems and sings them as he goes along. The chorus echoes in response, verse by verse. Dikir barat groups usually perform during various festive occassions, and their poems are usually light entertainment and may be about any topic, but are not religious in nature. The chorus traditionally consists of all men, but modern groups, especially those performing on television, often include women. Traditionally, no musical instruments are used, the singing being accompanied instead by rhythmic clapping and energetic body movements. Some groups however do use a pair of frame drums or rebana, a shallow gong and a pair of maracas, for accompaniment. (Aziz & Wan Ramli 1994).
Mak Yong is an ancient dance-theatre form incorporating the elements of ritual, stylized dance and acting, vocal and instrumental music, story, song, formal as well as improvised spoken text.It is performed principally in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. Many theories have been advanced to explain the genre's origins. Its roots obviously sink deep into animism as well as shamanism.
Briefly early in the present century, an unsuccessful attempt was made in Kelantan to create a palace version of mak yong. The mak yong orchestra is made up of a three-stringed spiked fiddle (rebab), a pair of double-headed barrel drums(gendang) and a pair of hanging knobbed gongs(tetawak) while the genre's musical repertoire consists of approximately thirty pieces, most of them accompanied by singing and dancing. No stage-properties and few simple hand-properties are used.
In mak yong, the male lead role (pak yong) is conventionally played by female performers. In addition there are the following roles: the female lead (mak yong); a pair of clowns (peran), a pair of female attendants (inang) as well as a wide range of lesser roles including those of gods and spirits, orges or giants, palace functionaries and animals.
The mak yong repertoire consists of a dozen or so stories, still existing in the oral tradition, dealing with the adventures of gods or mythical kings. The principal, and earliest story in the mak yong repertoire, entitled Dewa Muda, has tremendous spiritual significance. Mak yong performances last between about 9.00 p.m and midnight, and a story is generally completed in several nights.
Similarly, silat, an elegant Malaysian dance form, originated as a deadly martial art. The weaponless form of self-defense stripped fighting to a bare minimum. Silat displays are common at weddings and other festivals; the dancer will perform sparring and beautiful routines to accompanying drums and other musical instruments.
The candle dance is one of Malaysia's most breathtakingly beautiful performance arts. Candles on small plates are held in each hand as the dancer performs. As the performer's body describes graceful curves and arcs, the delicate candle flames become hypnotic traces.
The Joget, Malaysia's most popular traditional dance, is a lively dance with an upbeat tempo. Performed by couples who combine fast, graceful movements with rollicking good humor, the Joget has its origins in the Portuguese folk dance, which was introduced to Malacca during the era of the spice trade.
Among the many different traditional theatres of the Malays, which combine dance, drama, and music, no other dance drama has a more captivating appeal than Mak Yong. This ancient classic court entertainment combines romantic stories, operatic singing and humor.
The Datun Julud is a popular dance of Sarawak, and illustrates the age-old tradition of storytelling in dance. The Datun Jalud tells of the happiness of a prince when blessed with a grandson. It was from this divine blessing that the dance became widespread among the Kenyah tribe of Sarawak. The Sape, a musical instrument, renders the dance beats, which are often helped along by singing and clapping of hands.
Although
Malaysia's cultural heritage is rich and varied almost beyond
belief, it would be a mistake to assume that heritage to be
wholly traditional. Malaysia has joined the recent world music
trend by updating many of its beautiful traditional sounds.
Modern synthesizers accompany the gamelan and the drums for a
danceable, hypnotic sound you won't soon forget.
Malaysian decorative art forms include colorful batik cloth, silverware, pewter items, and woodcarvings. Like other elements of Malaysian culture, its architecture reflects influences from India, China, and Islam. These influences are most pronounced in religious structures. The British introduced colonial architecture and, in buildings such as the old post office and railway station in Kuala Lumpur, the Moorish style. Music, Dance, and Drama.
Hindu, Islamic, and Indonesian forms influenced music in Malaysia. For example, wayang kulit (shadow-puppet theater), was introduced from Java in the 13th century, and today is most commonly found in the state of Kelantan. Malaysian musical instruments include distinctive drums (gendang), of which there are at least 14 types; gongs and other percussion instruments made from native materials such as bamboo (kertuk and pertuang) and coconut shells (raurau); and a variety of wind instruments, including flutes. Ensembles (nobat) and orchestras (gamelan) play these instruments at special occasions. Chinese musical forms, including Chinese opera, were more recently introduced into Malaysia; however, today's young Malaysians of Chinese descent have little interest in such forms of music.
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Perhaps the best known Malaysian theater event is the wayang kulit. Before the encroachment of television, the wayang kulit, or shadow puppet play, was the favorite after-dark entertainment. The enang, as the puppeteer was called, directed the puppets' intricate movements while singing dozens of parts in a performance which often lasted several hours. The wayang kulit draws its inspiration from the Ramayana, the Hindi epic comprised of a potpourri of immortal tales. The wayang kulit throws in a handful of Javanese and Malay characters for good measure and then pits good against evil in a classic plot. Warrior animals, giants, ghouls, princes, and priests battle it out to the finish in this rousing epic. |
In a world where nature provided for many of humankind's
needs, leisure was honed to an art form. Much of Malaysian
leisure time is occupied by elaborate competitions. Kite-flying
is a favorite among participants and spectators alike. 
Kites, called waus, are painstakingly
designed and crafted in vibrant colors and patterns. Intricate
floral cutouts are pasted on, building up the design until the
kite is ready for the bright paper tassels that complete its
decoration. Kite construction is an ancient art passed down from
the nobles of the Melakan court. Over the dried padi fields, a
wau bulan, or moon kite, catches an upcurrent of air. Its wing
span is larger than that of an albatross. What used to be a
post-harvest diversion among padi farmers has become an
international event. Wau festivals are organized each year and
draw participants from as far away as the Netherlands, Japan,
Germany, Belgium, and Singapore.
The pre-harvest counterpart to the post-harvest wau-flying is top-spinning, a game requiring great strength, excellent timing, and dexterity. These are not childrens' toys. A gasing, or spinning top, can weigh up to ten pounds and can sometimes be as large as a dinner plate. Gasing competitions are judged by the length of time each top spins. The tops are set spinning by unfurling a rope that has been wound about the top. A gasing expert can set one spinning for over an hour.
Silat is at once a fascinating, weaponless Malay art of self defense and also a dance form that has existed in the Malay Archipelago for hundreds of years. Like the best martial arts, silat is often more about the spirit than the body. The silat practitioner also develops spiritual strength, according to the tenets of Islam.
In an age when many of the martial arts are dying out, young people are especially drawn to this art--there are countless silat groups in Malaysia, each with their own style. Silat demonstrations are held during weddings, national celebrations, and of course during silat competitions.
Sepak Takraw is one of Malaysia's most popular sports. In a game reminiscent of hackey-sack (or perhaps the source for it), players use heels, soles, in-steps, thighs, shoulders and heads--everything but hands--to keep the small rattan ball aloft.
Hindu traders first brought batik to Malaysia eons ago, and the art of dying fabric has been an established tradition for centuries. Designs are first sketched out on cloth, then blocked off with wax outlines. They are then painted and later sealed with TK.
Kite MakingKites, called waus, are painstakingly designed and crafted in vibrant colors and patterns. Intricate floral cutouts are pasted on, building up the design until the kite is ready for the bright paper tassels that complete its decoration. Kite construction is an ancient art passed down from the nobles of the Melakan court
Having the world's largest reserves of tin, it
seems appropriate enough that Malaysia also produces what is
widely regarded as the world's finest pewter. Most of it is
produced at the Royal Selangor Pewter Factory, which lies
just outside of Kuala Lumpur. The factory was founded in 1885 by
Yoon Koon, a Chinese artisan who crafted objects only for the
aristocracy. Today Royal Selangor is the largest single
manufacturer of fine pewter in the world, and and it is still run
by Koon's third-generation descendants. The factory gives a full
tour of the production floor, and visitors to the gift shop have
the privilege of buying any of the items duty-free.
The jungle provides an abundance of ideal
materials for Malaysia's many types of weaving. The thorny vines
of the rattan tree, for example, are worked and woven into
comfortable chairs and tables -- unique furniture that was so
popular with the English that it could be seen in the parlors of
just about every British resident. The strong and versatile
fronds of the sago palm are also superbly suited for crafting. In
Borneo, the sago is dyed and woven into beautiful and distinctly
patterned jewelry, baskets, hats, floor mats, and more.
Iban Woman Weaver, Sarawak
A woman weaves using
traditional techniques at Kampong Budaya in Sarawak. The village
has been declared a Cultural Village since 1990 to protect the
skills and customs of the Iban population. Malaysia.
On both the
peninsula and in Borneo, wood carving reaches an astounding level
of intricacy. What is truly special about this art form in
Malaysia is that all of her cultures have perfected it. You see
it everywhere: in the delightful porticos of Malay houses, in the
roofs and altars Chinese and Hindu temples, on the prows of
colorful fishing boats, and in the burial poles and masks of
Sarawak.
A
kris is can only be made by an empu, a revered
artisan who is also endowed with magical powers.
Once an empu selects a day to begin the task, he fasts and prays,
warding off evil spirits and wining the favors of the demit,
or good genies.
To forge a kris blade, the empu alternates one layer of steel with two layers of special iron extracted from a meteorite. This is necessary for the pamor, or silvery marbling of the blade. The layers are forged together and flattened. To obtain a particular pamor, the empu twists the two halves of the steel bar separately. This is repeated as many times it takes to get the desired effect. The sequence of layering, bending, beating and forging forms a number of layers. Generally, a good kris has 64 layers of iron and pamor. It is said that some have thousands.
The blade is forged into its final shape, straight or curved, then given ribbing and tang. Using very fine files, grindstones, and chisels, the ribbing is heightened, relief created on the blade, and the ricikan (the characteristic teeth or projections on a kris) is chiseled. Finally, the emput makes the ganja, or base, and tempers the blade by bringing it to red hot and immersing it rapidly in coconut oil.
The entire process can take months, partly because the empu will only work on days that he considers favorable. The blade is considered incomplete until it is merged with the handle and the sheath, and the owner has made offerings and contacted the spirit of the kris by dream.
To the orang asli, the "original people" who have for millenia inhabited the forests of Malaysia, the earth was an abode for more than the diversity of plant and animal life. The world's oldest jungles, dense with mystery, were the playground of spirits, both benevolent and, well, less so.
Prominent natural features--and there are many in Malaysia--were wreathed in legend. Tioman Island is said to have been a dragon princess who decided to make her home where Tioman now rises out of the sea. Tranquil Lake Chini in the wilds of Pahang is thought to be the site of a magnificent Khmer city now sunk beneath the lotus blossoms. Mount Ophir, in Johor, is said to be the home of 'Puteri Gunung Ledang', a legendary princess once wooed by the Sultan of Malacca. The princess' beauty is still associated with the natural charms of the mountain itself. Langkawi Island has no such creation story, but the curse laid on the island by a princess falsely accused of adultery is one of the best-known of Malaysia's magical myths.
The supernatural imbues not only the land and water, but living things as well. The orang asli believe that one's semangat--soul or life force--traveled abroad during sleep; dreams were the record of the soul's adventures. In the city, it is a little harder to find someone who believes so wholeheartedly in what was once a compelling way of thought. But fragments of the old mythological system remain; the kris--the wavy-bladed Malay dagger--is a shining example. Many Malays have their own kris as well as their own kris tales. The kris is reputed to be able to fly by night and seek out victims (their owners' enemies, presumably) without a guiding hand. One who possessed a loyal kris was indeed powerful.
"The kris
is reputed to be able to fly by night and seek out victims (their
owners' enemies, presumably) without a guiding hand. One who
possessed a loyal kris was indeed powerful."
The manuscript above relates the story of Hang Tuah, the most revered warrior of the Malaccan Sultanate. The Sultan Tun Perak ordered Tuah to be executed after he offended the sultan, but a loyal bendahara (royal advisor) secretly imprisoned him instead. Courtiers later discovered Tuah's best friend, Hang Kasturi, romancing one of the sultan's concubines, and surrounded the palace - but no one dared go in to capture Kasturi. When the sultan was told that Tuah was still alive, he ordered Tuah to kill his best friend to prove his loyalty. During the fight, Tuah embedded his kris in the palace wall three times, but Kasturi allowed him to remove it. But when the same thing happened to Kasturi, Tuah stabbed him in the back."Does a man who is a man go back on his word like that," asked a dying Kasturi. "Who need play fair with you, you who have been guilty of treason," Tuah replied. The sultan rewarded him with the title laksamana, or admiral.
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