(22 Sept. 98) A Malaysian Journal: Jackie / vol. 04 Silat and Coconut Husk Drums Merlihat Malaysia (Observing Malaysia) [ (C) Copyright 1998, J. Snell, San Jose State University & Universiti ] [ Putra Malaysia ] [ This is a continuing series of notes about our experiences living and ] [ working in Malaysia, during Jackie's 10-month Fulbright Fellowship to ] [ the Universiti Putra Malaysia, just outside Kuala Lumpur. ] [ Copies may be freely distributed, but must retain this preamble. ] [ Anyone wishing to be added to the distribution list, or removed from ] [ it, should send me a note. /Jackie ] Dear Friends, I have just returned from a visit to the East Coast of mainland Malaysia (not to be confused the Eastern Malaysia which is part of Borneo.) The East Coast has been largely left out of the industrialization that the KL and the west have enjoyed over the last couple of decades. Kalantan, the northern-most state on the east coast, on the border of Thailand, is the poorest state, the most Thai, the most traditional, the most devoutly Muslim (they have recently instituted separate lines in department stores for men and women, which, I was delighted to see, no one paid any attention to). They also have the most pre-Islamic (Hindu) influence, I'm told, which I suppose is why they are working the hardest to squash them. I was in the biggest town in Kalantan for 2 ½ days. This is the main area that has maintained, or in some cases, re-invigorated, various craft industries. Craft businesses in the area include batik painting, songket weaving (more on these later), silver work (both jewelry & hollowware), kites (a man's, not just boy's sport in Kalantan), tops (ditto), wood carving, The tourist industry is important on the east coast, but I think mainly because they spend a lot at expensive tourist resorts, Malaysians as well as ferenghi. You may think a Ferenghi is a bad guy on Star Trek, but it is also an Arabization of "French" which has come to mean any foreigner in Muslim countries. It actually isn't used much in MY, they prefer other names for us, but enough that I have learned it. The beaches and water along most of the East Coast are gorgeous, there are many islands with not only gorgeous beaches but also good snorkeling and skin diving. There is a major national park with one of the oldest rain forests anywhere. Eco-tourism is a favorite word in MY. Tourists also collect the various crafts, and the factories always invite you in to watch them work, but I don't think they could survive on tourists alone. They produce goods for the locals as well. There is no OSHA in MY. I was walking around workers and boiling vats of wax, and little kids were usually hanging around, except in the batik factories, and sometimes working, but not very hard. I got to visit a woodcarving workshop that was working on windows and other woodwork for a mosque, designed by an acquaintance in KL. There were several kids who came to hang out while I was there, hanging on the work or snuggling up under some uncle's arm while he was carving with a chisel. Of course, they were all walking barefoot. There was also a show put on for tourists that demonstrated silat (the local martial art), and what was described as coconut drum competition. Silat is similar to tai chi. Some of the positions even look similar, but mainly it is similar in that whoever makes the first aggressive move is at a disadvantage. So generally not much happens, though it doesn't happen gracefully. We saw two matches, the first was between 2 not-terribly-young men. One of them was willing to make something happen, luckily for the audience, and he always ended up being over-come, though originally I thought he looked like the more balanced of the two. Then we watched 2 old guys. They were much more skilled, it was a very different style. They did the same warm up exercises, and then kept dancing around each other until they were actually touching, and then they would break up. I never could tell if one of them had the advantage, though it was clear there was a test going on. For example, at one point one of them had 2 fingers around the arm, just below the elbow, of the otherguy, whose arm was partly extended upwards, and then he slowly slid his 2 fingers along the arm to the wrist. They were both clearly very focused on the other guy, but if one of them won I couldn't tell who. Then they both broke concentration and walked away. My guess is that they were each waiting for a weakness to exploit in the other, and it is even possible that one was found, but if so it was subtle. It was very interesting. While this was going on a small band was playing, several drums (not coconut drums) and a horn that I'll describe as a snake charmer, but no snakes. The horn player worked his mouth and neck like bagpipes, he played for 15 or 20 minutes w/no break in the music! The coconut husk drums were somewhere between a drum and a gong. The emptied coconut was the resonator, with a bar of wood over it that is struck by two men. There were several other parts to each instrument including large gaudy decorations on each end, and the bottom-most support was an old rubber tire that the whole thing bounced on, so each guy used the non-stick-wielding hand to hold the instrument in place. Each instrument had two players, but only one note. Each player had a drumstick with a large round cloth covering over one end and nothing on the other end. When hit with the covered end, the instrument had the sound of one bar on a marimba, when hit with the plain end it sounded like a drum. There were 8 instruments in our band. They played somewhat complicated rhythms, or at least, combined they were complicated, but what each player played was simple enough that they had tourists from the audience playing credibly (mostly) opposite a real band member. The rhythms didn't change over the course of a song, but speeded up. After each tune they would play a "competition", or at least I can see why they would call it that, though there was a leader and no score keeping. The competition had a rhythm, too, but they used only the covered end of their sticks and each man hit the instrument as hard as he could. The music went faster and faster, until there was a steady ring in the air that was louder than the rhythm itself, all the instruments resonating together, and probably the corrugated tin roof over our heads as well. The closest western thing that could describe it would be like sitting in a room with several large cathedral organs, each organ having only one, low, note, so the variation comes from the rhythm rather than the tune. There was supposed to be a wayang kulit, shadow puppet play, that evening. When I arrived the gamelan, another kind of band I'll describe another time, was playing, and the dulang (puppet master) had all his puppets out, but wasn't performing yet. I have heard Mahathir called a dulang, but that is another topic (we did not get the issue of Newsweek that had Anwar - sacked deputy PM - on the cover, nor the issue of Far East Economic Review that had Anwar & Mahathir on the cover in this country). About 5 minutes after I arrived the show was cancelled. I'm not sure why. The earlier show had an MC that spoke at least 7 languages, but no one at this show, that I could find, spoke both Malay & English. It may have been cancelled because it was lightly sprinkling, though I find that an unlikely explanation for many reasons. It had been raining since late afternoon, it was now after 9 p.m., so it seems they would have cancelled before setting up rather than after. Since it rains almost every day, even when not the rainy season, it is hard to believe they couldn't have moved us into the empty, large, auditorium next door. On second thought it isn't so hard to believe. I always think that a country that gets this much rain would be prepared for it, but their main plan seems to be wait it out. If it is raining very hard only one or two students (counting me) will show up for Bahasa class. Then the teacher won't show up and next time say there were no students, so he didn't hold class. We don't have a regular classroom, so we have to find each other and then find a room, each class period. So it is easy for us not to find each other. Motorcycles collect under the overpasses when it rains, sometimes so many of them it blocks traffic. Anyway the dulang, puppets, gamelan, and most of the audience were out of the rain. Only the audience that was watching from the shadow side was in the rain. It is usual for whoever wants to go behind the screen to watch the dulang and musicians. Usually that is as many people as can get a good view, and the audience was small this night, so it was most of the audience. So, it might have been because of the rain, it might have been something else. I have found that it isn't unusual for me to have to schedule a meeting 5 times before it actually happens. Mainly with the Malays, though, the Chinese are more schedule oriented. I have gone on so long that I guess it would be wise to make my long, tedious, monologue on textiles the next edition. 'til next time, Jackie -------------------- Jackie Snell June 1998 - March 1999: jaq@admin.upm.edu.my University Business Centre O: +60(3)948-5649 4th Floor Admin. Bldg. F: +60(3)943-2513 Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 Serdang, Selangor H: +60(3)945-7239 Malaysia Dave's hand-phone: +60(19)329-9445 after April 1, 1999: snell_j@cob.sjsu.edu Marketing Dept., San Jose State University +1 408 924 3484 One Washington Square fax: +1 408 924 3445 San Jose, CA 95192-0069 USA www.cob.sjsu.edu/facstaff/snell_j =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Dave Crocker Tel: +1(408)246 8253 675 Spruce Drive Sunnyvale, CA 94086 USA Brandenburg Consulting Tel: +60(19)3299 445 Post Office Box 296, U.P.M. Fax: +1(408)246 8253 Serdang, Selangor 43400 MALAYSIA