Melayu's Animism

Talang Mamak comes from the word talang, which means field & also mamak which means mother. In addition to Talang Mamak, this tribe has other names, such as the Anak Dalam & Langkah Lama tribes. Like the Sakai tribe, Talang Mamak is said to come from Pagaruyung who moved & lived in Indragiri.

This is written in Old Malay, possibly the ancestor of the current Malay language & its variants. Animism believes every object has a soul that must be respected to not disturb humans. Animism is 1 belief that exists among people who still practice a simple life.

According to EB Taylor, animism comes from Latin, namely, anima which means belief in spirits that first grew in the minds of primitive humans. Animism believes that every object on this earth has a soul that must be respected so that the spirit does not disturb humans, but instead helps them from evil spirits & spirits and also in their daily lives. There is nothing special in this era except their primitive beliefs about animism & dynamism.

Sigmund Freud, a secular psychologist, said that animism explains the concept of psychic theory about spiritual existence in general. Animism actually comes from the extraordinary insight of primitive people about the universe & the world. According to other philosophers such as Tylor & Comte, they say that animism is the first stage of the formation of religion.

In their terms, civilization began with the existence of animist thinking, then developed into religion. The existence of this animist understanding/school of thought cannot be separated from the history of the Indonesian nation. In this archipelago, there are still several types of art that clearly come from animist & dynamic cultures.

This article discusses the influence of animist beliefs on Malay culture in East Sumatra. The original belief of the Talang Mamak tribe is animism. Historically, before the arrival & spread of Islam in the 15th century and the spread of Christianity in the 19th century, the population in this country may have been Hindu / animist.

There are various types of animism practiced throughout Malaysia. Most indigenous people are animists & believe in spirits that reside in certain objects. Likewise in East Malaysia, animism was widespread before the arrival of Christian missionaries from Europe.

In East Malaysia, animism is also practiced by a decreasing number of various ethnic groups in Kalimantan. For example, gawai / wedding party, tambat kubur which is a 100-day death ceremony / kemantan which is a ritual for treating illness. Chinese - Malaysians generally practice traditional Chinese beliefs which are also animistic in nature.

The influence of animism can be seen in various Malay arts such as songs worshiping wood, fishermen's humming & rice threshing songs. One of the ancient Malay cultural beliefs, which was influenced by the understanding of animism, they considered wood as their God & until now such understanding still exists but has begun to die out since the arrival of Islamism. On the peninsula, Islamization is widely said to have begun in 1409 after Parameswara became Sultan of Malacca & converted to Islam after marrying a princess from Pasai.

It's just that they sometimes still perform rituals, which may have elements of animism. Animism practices in Malaysia are still active & practiced openly / secretly depending on the type of animist ritual performed. Some forms of animist beliefs are not recognized by the government as a religion for statistical purposes although the practice is not prohibited.

Mak Yong, Main Teri & Tari Menora still have many elements of ancient religions and Malay animism, especially Main Teri.