Book

Life and customs: the incidents of Malay life

Kelly and Walsh (1)Published In 1920 • Pages: 71

By: Wilkinson, R. J. (Richard James).

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is one of a series of pamphlets on various subjects connected with Malaya of which the present author is the general editor. The contents consist in a sketch of the outstanding practices, taboos, rituals and beliefs attendant upon the main life crises in Malay life. The chapters are arranged in the chronological order of these life crises, from infancy and childhood, through betrothal and marriage, to adult life, sickness and death, together with an appendix on birth customs and rites attendant upon pregnancy in Perak. The latter appendix is by the authority on matters Malay, R. O. Winstedt. There is a final appendix also, consisting of Romanized Malay texts of lullabies, betrothal verses and the text of a circumcision rite. The outstanding features of this paper, including the first appendix, are: first, that care is taken to distinguish between folk practices and court paractices and the functional and historical relationships between these two levels are made clear; second, that both the functional and historical analyses are interpretations of the aspects of culture here treated are carefully and critically done. The functional interpretation of the so-called conservatism of Malay ceremonial culture is interesting. A useful picture is presented throughout of the true relationships between the various levels of Malay religion, particularly between the Muslim and pre-Muslim aspects thereof.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Childbirth
Preventive medicine
Magical and mental therapy
General character of religion
Spirits and gods
Ceremonial during infancy and childhood
Postnatal care
Naming
Verbal arts
Sorcery
Weaning and food training
Occupational specialization
Elementary education
Personal grooming
Ornament
Special garments
Community heads
Arranging a marriage
Mode of marriage
Nuptials
Purification and atonement
Asceticism
Poverty
Homosexuality
Chief executive
Burial practices and funerals
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Malays
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2010
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Asia
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southeast Asia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Government Official
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
F. K. Lehman ; 1955
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
No date
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1900-1920
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Malaysia
NotesAdditional notes
[by] R. J. Wilkinson
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Malays (Asian people)