ORANG ASLI ART and FORM

ORANG ASLI : ART and FORM

MAH MERI AT CAREY ISLAND

Moyang Lanjut

The moyang lanjut legend tells the story of a happy couple catching crabs in the swamps of Carey Island . Unfortunely  , the husband drowned and his wife pined for him ,crying day and night at the site . Eventually  , she too died and became the spirit of Moyang Lanjut . Her hair grew and became rope that soaked and transported milk from the dry areas to feed her dead husband ‘s spirit in the swamps. The loving couple lived thus, going through the necessary stages of existence before they reached nirvana.

Moyang Belalang

The grasshopper is a good joker spirit that appears when a child is born . It make makes funny faced , sings and dance before the infant. It amuses and protect the child from harm and evil spirits . The grasshopper is well- loved ,and families pray for it presence in the home of newborn babies.

Tiger Spirit in Chains

The Mah Meri believe the sculpture of the Tiger Spirit in Chains represent the reincarnated spirit of the tiger. In the tales of the Mah Meri community , the tiger was captured in a steel – wire trap and killed . The spirit now returns to kill people who snare tigers with similar traps. Therefore Mah Meri villagers seek permission from this spirit before they set steel – wire traps in the forest.

Reference : ORANG ASLI AND THEIR WOOD ART BOOK by Datuk Antony Ratos

JAH HUT RELIGION

Shared Myths

Some of the spirit in the Jah Hut religion , such as the Hantu Mawas ( monkey spirit ) . Hantu Kubor ( spirit of the dead ) and Hujan Panas ( hot rain spirit ) are popularly believed to be evil among the rural population of the Southeast Asian region. This shared perspective reflects similarities between the Orang Asli religion and the Buddhist and Hindi faith of the neighbouring regions. For example , both the Orang Asli and the Southeast Asian Buddhist subscribe to the theory of the transmigration of the soul. However , unlike many Southeast Asian devotees , the Jah Hut and Mah Meri do not treat their creations religious idols. The Orang Asli celebrate their communion with nature and their animistic gods and demons in their everyday lives and in their mythical world.

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