SEA-15-Book 1.indb

MALAYSIA

lonelyplanet.com MALAYSIA •• Religion

There are still small, scattered groups of
Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia. Although
most of these people have given up their no-
madic or shifting-agriculture techniques and
have been absorbed into modern Malay soci-
ety, a few such groups still live in the forests.
Dayak is the term used for the non-Muslim
people of Borneo. It is estimated there are
more than 200 Dayak tribes in Borneo, in-
cluding the Iban and Bidayuh in Sarawak
and the Kadazan in Sabah. Smaller groups
include the Kenyah, Kayan and Penan,
whose way of life and traditional lands are
rapidly disappearing.

RELIGION

The Malays are almost all Muslims. But
despite Islam being the state religion, free-
dom of religion is guaranteed. The Chinese
are predominantly followers of Taoism and
Buddhism, though some are Christians. The
majority of the region’s Indian population
comes from the south of India and are Hindu
and Christian, although a sizeable percentage
are Muslim.
While Christianity has made no great
inroads into Peninsular Malaysia, it has
had a much greater impact in Malaysian
Borneo, where many indigenous people
have been converted and carry Christian as
well as traditional names. Others still follow
animist traditions.

ARTS

It’s along the predominantly Malay east coast of

Peninsular Malaysia that you’ll find Malay arts

and crafts, culture and games at their liveliest.

Malaysian Borneo is replete with the arts and

crafts of the country’s indigenous peoples.

Arts & Crafts

A famous Malaysian Bornean art is pua kumbu,

a colourful weaving technique used to produce

both everyday and ceremonial items.

The most skilled woodcarvers are generally

held to be the Kenyah and Kayan peoples, who

used to carve enormous, finely detailed kelir-

ieng (burial columns) from tree trunks.

Originally an Indonesian craft, the pro-

duction of batik cloth is popular in Malaysia

and has its home in Kelantan. A speciality

of Kelantan and Terengganu, kain songket

is a handwoven fabric with gold and silver

threads through the material. Mengkuang is a

far more prosaic form of weaving using pan-

danus leaves and strips of bamboo to make

baskets, bags and mats.

Dance

Menora is a dance-drama of Thai origin

performed by an all-male cast dressed in

grotesque masks; mak yong is the female ver-

sion. The upbeat joget (better known around

Melaka as chakuncha) is Malaysia’s most

popular traditional dance, often performed

at Malay weddings by professional dancers.

Rebana kercing is a dance performed by

young men to the accompaniment of tambou-

rines. The rodat is a dance from Terengganu

and is accompanied by the tar drum.

Music

Traditional Malay music is based largely on

the gendang (drum), of which there are more

THE PERANAKANS

One of Peninsular Malaysia’s most celebrated cultures is that of the Peranakans, descendants

of Chinese immigrants who, from the 16th century onwards, settled in Singapore, Melaka and

Penang. While these arrivals often married Malay women others imported their wives from China;

all of them like to refer to themselves as Straits-born or Straits Chinese to distinguish themselves

from later arrivals from China. Another name you may hear for these people is Baba-Nonyas, after

the Peranakan words for males (baba) and females (nonya).

The Peranakans took the religion of the Chinese, but the customs, language and dress of the

Malays. The Peranakans were often wealthy traders who could afford to indulge their passion for

sumptuous furnishings, jewellery and brocades. Today they are most famous for their delicious

fusion cooking that’s best experienced in Melaka (see p453 ).

MUST READ

The Harmony Silk Factory, by Malaysian

author Tash Aw, is set deep in the heart

of Peninsular Malaysia partly during WWII

and won the 2005 Whitbread First Novel

award.

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