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Culture
of Malaysia
Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multilingual society. The
population as of February 2007 is 26.6 million consisting of 62% Malays,
24% Chinese, 8% Indians, with other minorities and indigenous peoples
(Dept of Stats. Malaysia). Ethnic tensions have been rising in recent
months.
The Malays, who form the largest community, are defined as Muslims in the
Constitution of Malaysia. The Malays play a dominant role politically and
are included in a grouping identified as bumiputra. Their native language
is Malay (Bahasa Melayu). Malay is the national language of the country.
In the past, Malays wrote in Sanskrit or using Sanskrit-based alphabets.
After the 15th century, Jawi (a script based on Arabic) became
popular[citation needed]. Over time, romanised script overtook Sanskrit
and Jawi as the dominant script. This was largely due to the influence of
the colonial education system, which taught children in romanised writing
rather than in Arabic script.
The largest non-Malay indigenous tribe is the Iban of Sarawak, who number
over 600,000. Some Iban still live in traditional jungle villages in long
houses along the Rajang and Lupar rivers and their tributaries, although
many have moved to the cities. The Bidayuhs, numbering around 170,000, are
concentrated in the southwestern part of Sarawak. The largest indigenous
tribe in Sabah is the Kadazan. They are largely Christian subsistence
farmers. The 140,000 Orang Asli, or aboriginal peoples, comprise a number
of different ethnic communities living in peninsular Malaysia.
Traditionally nomadic hunter/gatherers and agriculturalists, many have
been sedentarised and partially absorbed into modern Malaysia.
The Chinese population in Malaysia is mostly Buddhist (of Mahayana sect)
or Taoist. Chinese in Malaysia speak a variety of Chinese dialects
including Mandarin Chinese, Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka and Teochew. A large
majority of Chinese in Malaysia, especially those from larger cities such
as Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Penang speak English as well. There has
also been an increasing number of the present generation Chinese who
consider English as their first language. Chinese have historically been
dominant in the Malaysian business community.
The Indians in Malaysia are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India who
native language is Tamil, there are also other Indian communities which is
Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi-speaking, living mainly in the larger towns on
the west coast of the peninsula. Many middle to upper-middle class Indians
in Malaysia also speak English as a first language. A vigorous
200,000-strong Tamil Muslim community also thrives as an independent
subcultural group.there are also prevalent Tamil Christian communities in
major cities and towns. There is also a sizable Sikh community in Malaysia
of over 83,000. Most Indians originally migrated from India as traders,
teachers or other skilled workers. A larger number were also part of the
forced migrations from India by the British during colonial times to work
in the plantation industry.
Eurasians, Cambodians, Vietnamese, and indigenous tribes make up the
remaining population. A small number of Eurasians, of mixed Portuguese and
Malay descent, speak a Portuguese-based creole, called Papiá Kristang.
There are also Eurasians of mixed Filipino and Spanish descent, mostly in
Sabah. Descended from immigrants from the Philippines, some speak
Chavacano, the only Spanish-based creole language in Asia. Cambodians and
Vietnamese are mostly Buddhists (Cambodians of Theravada sect and
Vietnamese, Mahayana sect).
Malaysian traditional music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic
forms. The music is based largely around the gendang (drum), but includes
other percussion instruments (some made of shells); the rebab, a bowed
string instrument; the serunai, a double-reed oboe-like instrument;
flutes, and trumpets. The country has a strong tradition of dance and
dance dramas, some of Thai, Indian and Portuguese origin. Other artistic
forms include wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre), silat (a stylised
martial art) and crafts such as batik, weaving, including the ceremonial
cloth pua kumbu, and silver and brasswork.
resource : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia |