Malaysian Culture Essay

Malaysia has a multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multilingual society. The original culture of the area stemmed from indigenous tribes that inhabited it, along with the Malays who later moved there. Substantial influence exists from Chinese and Indian culture, go out back to when foreign trade began. Other cultural influences include the Persian, Arabic, and British cultures. Due to the structure of the government, coupled with the social contract theory, there has been token(prenominal) cultural assimilation of ethnic minorities. Traditional Malaysian wile was in the main centred around the areas of carving, weaving, and silversmithing.181 Traditional art ranges from hand-woven baskets from rural areas to the silverwork of the Malay courts.Common artworks include ornamental kris, beetle nut sets, and woven batik and songket fabrics. Indigenous eastern hemisphere Malaysians are known for their wooden masks.94 Each ethnic group make distinct performing arts, with little overlap b etween them. However, Malay art does show some North Indian influence due to the historical influence of India. Traditional Malay music and performing arts front to put one across originated in the Kelantan-Pattani region with influences from India, China, Thailand and Indonesia. The music is based around rhythm section instruments, the most important of which is the gendang (drum).There are at least 14 types of traditional drums. Drums and other traditional percussion instruments and are often make from natural materials. Music is traditionally used for storytelling, celebrating life-cycle events, and occasions such as a harvest. It was once used as a form of long-distance communication.183 In East Malaysia, gong-based musical ensembles such as agung and kulintang are usually used in ceremonies such as funerals and weddings. These ensembles are also ballpark in neighbouring regions such as in the southern Philippines, Kalimantan in Indonesia, and Brunei.Malaysias cuisine ref lects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population.186 Many cultures from within the country and from surround regions have greatly influenced the cuisine. Much of the influence comes from the Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Javanese, and Sumatran cultures,94 largely due to the country being part of the ancient spice route.187 The cuisine is genuinely similar to that of Singapore and Brunei,107 and also bears resemblance to Filipino cuisine.94 The different states have varied dishes,107 and often the food in Malaysia is different from the original dishes.142