Malaysian folk religion refers to theanimistic andpolytheistic beliefs and practices that are still held by many in theIslamic-majority country ofMalaysia.Folk religion in Malaysia is practised either openly or covertly depending on the type of rituals performed.
Some forms of belief are not recognised by the government as a religion for statistical purposes although such practices are not outlawed. There is a deep interaction between theChinese folk religion of the largeMalaysian Chinese population, and the indigenous Malaysian folk religion.
There are different types of Malaysian folk religions practised throughout the country.Shamanic performances are held by people known asbomohs, also known aspawang ordukun. MostOrang Asli (indigenous people) areanimists and believe in spirits residing in certain objects. However, some have recently converted to mainstream religions due to state-sponsored Muslimdawah orevangelism by Christian missionaries.
InEast Malaysia, animism is also practised by an ever decreasing number of various Borneo tribal groups. TheChinese generally practise their folk religion which is also partially animistic in nature. The word "bomoh" has been used throughout the country to describe any person with knowledge or power to perform certain spiritual rituals including traditional healing—and as a substitute for the word "shaman". Generally speaking, Malaysians have deepsuperstitious beliefs, especially in rural areas.
Historically, before the arrival and spread ofIslam in the 15th century, and the spread ofChristianity in the 19th century, the inhabitants of the land were eitherHindu-Buddhists or practised indigenous faiths. In the peninsula,the rise of islam is said to have begun in 1409 afterParameswara becameSultan of Malacca and converted toIslam after marrying a princess from theSamudera Pasai Sultanate. Since then, other Sultanates in the Malay peninsula have adopted Islam. Also since then, and continuing after the independence of Malaysia, Islam played a central role in Malaysian society.
Similarly in East Malaysia, folk religion was widespread prior to the arrival of Christian missionaries from Europe. The practice ofheadhunting was quite common in these societies.[2]
InSabah there are still followers of theindigenous religionMomolianism: theKadazan-Dusuns worshipped Kinoingan, a rice deity, and celebrateKaamatan, the harvest festival, every year. During Kaamatan, there are certain rituals which have to be carried out by the high priestesses known asbobohizans (orbobolian in the Bundu-Liwan dialect ofDusun). Today, most Kadazan-Dusuns have adopted Christianity, but some still celebrate Kaamatan. However, the number of bobohizans has tremendously dropped and this role is on the brink of extinction.[3]
InSarawak, it has been said that the animism practised by theIbans and other related groups is the most developed, elaborated, and intellectualised in the world.[4] Folk religious practice in East Malaysia is related to the religion ofKaharingan inKalimantan,Indonesia, which has been recognised as an official religion by the Indonesian government. However, the rituals involved are not entirely similar with variations depending on the ethnic subgroups which practise them.
The shamansbomohs orwitch doctors still practise their craft in Malaysia. The bomoh practice by Malays has beenintegrated into Islam and is not forbidden.[5] They are also known astraditional healers and sometimes serve as an alternative to conventional modern medicine. However, the practice has sometimes been viewed negatively by Malaysian society as in some instances bomohs have the power to cast spells (jampi) and have used them on other people with ill effects. The number practitioners of bomohs has also dropped.[5]
The bobohizans of Sabah are also shamans and are traditional healers. They also act as amedium to communicate with spirits and play an important role in the rituals involved during Kaamatan, a harvest festival celebration of theKadazan-Dusun.
Recently there has been suggestions for the need and importance to preserve the practice of bomohs and other shamans as traditional healers and to complement or substitute conventional modern medicine.[3][6]
Tua Pek Kong (Chinese:大伯公;pinyin:Dàbó Gōng,Hakka: Thai phak koong,Hokkien: Tuā-peh-kong,Malay:Topekong. lit. "grand uncle") is one of the pantheon ofMalaysian Chinese deities. He is believed to have arrived inPenang 40 years beforeFrancis Light in 1746.
Tua Pek Kong is claimed to have been aHakka named Zhang Li (Chinese:張理). HisSumatra-bound boat was struck by wind and accidentally landed onPenang off Malaysia, which at that time had only 50 inhabitants. After his death, the local people began worshipping him and built the Tua Pek Kong temple there. Today, Tua Pek Kong is worshipped by Malaysian Chinese throughout the country. However, Pek Kong is also a honorific title forTu Di Gong or the Earth Deity within Chinese community.
Na Tuk Kong are local guardian spirits worshipped in Malaysia, Singapore and parts of Indonesia, especially Sumatra. Na Tuk Kong (earth spirits) in Chinese religionist's perspective, is considered a localised form in the worship of the spirit of the land, along withTu Di Gong. It is also important to note thatDatuk Keramat, Datuk Gong and Na Tuk Kong all refer to the same deity. For the sake of clarity, the term Datuk, which is universally used to describe the spirit in Malaysia, will be used.
Today most of the Chinese population in Malaysia adhere toMahayana Buddhism, while the rest areTheravada Buddhists,Confucians,Taoists and a small number of Christians, Muslims and Hindus. Most Chinese Malaysians still adhere toChinese folk religion (which includeancestral worship) in tandem with mainstream religious practices.
Small minority of them may have stopped practising the folk traditions after converting to certain monotheistic religions which aggressively prohibits any form ofreligious syncretism orfolk religion. As is the case inChina, the practice of Chinese folk religion is not documented by the government for statistics purpose. Thus the number of followers in Malaysia can only be estimated.
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