Malaysia's Folkart

Treasure Trove:

Most are already familiar with the slogan ‘Malaysia – Truly Asia’. Yet, how many have stopped to question just why this motto is so fitting for the country?

Influenced by the legacies of India, Indonesia, Thailand and other South-Eastern Asian nations, Malaysian culture is rich with the experiences of these different civilisations, all coming together to tell their story. Honed over time, Malaysia’s folk-art is painted in the shades of a forgotten time and place, immortalised in the practices that represent the coming together of many great cultures.

Some of Malaysia’s most notable forms of folk-art are:

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Malaysian traditional music is as diverse as the ethnicities populating the region. With different regions boasting different styles, influences and origins, music is the heartbeat of many of the traditional performing arts, including Mak yong, Dikir barat, and Wayang kulit, and is often used as a medium for storytelling, giving thanks for a good year’s yield, or celebrating life-cycle events.

Wayang Kulit

A form of shadow-puppetry originating in Indonesia, Wayang Kulit uses leather-made puppets and the shadows they cast across a cotton screen to re-enact tales from Hindu epics, such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. One of the main intentions of Wayang Kulit is to teach – strong moral messages are contained within each performance, with the idea that moral principles are better conveyed in the forms of story-telling.

Dikir Barat

A form of music, performed in groups of ten to fifteen people, though there are no constraints. The art-form involves singing in groups and clapping, with or without the use of musical instruments. The tukang karut or creative leader of a Dikir Barat group pens lyrics that reflect current social, political and other everyday issues that the audience can relate to, in a cynical, witty, humorous or clever manner. Dikir Barat can also take place in competitive settings.

Mak Yong

With its origins in northern Malaysia, particularly the cultural hot-pot of Kelantan, Mak Yong is a form of theatre originally born in Thailand. A cast consisting of the king, queen, palace girls and jesters perform to the accompaniment of a Mak Yong orchestra. Performances commence after paying respects to the spirits, and consist of three-hour stories in the form of dancing, acting and adlibbed dialogue over the course of several nights.

Batik

As the national dress of the Malaysian population, the batik found in Malaysia, predominantly around the country’s east coast, is set apart from the rest by its use of geometric shapes. Mostly depicting leaves and flowers, Malaysian batik focuses more on brush-painting than canting, with larger and simpler shapes in brighter splashes of colour than their Javanese counterparts.

Silat Melayu

A form of martial arts practised by Malays, but also found in some parts of Indonesia. Silat Melayu purportedly emulates the movements of animals, such as monkeys and tigers, incorporating the lithe movements of these creatures into martial arts. Silat Melayu is considered an art-form because it makes use of traditional music, and is performed during occasions such as weddings.