CTH 408-CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

ART AND SOCIETY

SAKINAH SAHWATI TIAN

(2010711211)(AD227)

AISYAH BINTI MOHD YASIM (2010958495)

(AD226)

LECTURER: DR.ARBAIYAH BT.AB.AZIZ

(CTH 408-CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY)

LIST OF CONTENT S

Definition art and society

Functions of art and society

Art in culture: MALAY SOCIETY

1. Makyung :music and instrument

2. Traditional Malaysian music: kuda kepang

3. Headgear:penutup kepala

4. Headcloths:Tengkolok

5. Neckklases

6. Belt buckles: pending

7. Accessories for clothing:keronsang

8. Batik painting in malay society

9. Pictures

10.References

DEFINITION OF ART AND SOCIETY

A dictionary defines “art” as the quality , production ,expression , or realm of what is

beautiful or of more than ordinary . Meanwhile, the term society relate to the totality of

social relationships among humans. It also means a group of humans broadly distinguished

from other groups by mutual interests, participation in characteristic relationships, shared

institutions, and a common culture. Therefore, art in a society is defined as art is one social

product established means of social control. Great art expresses the universal social symbols

and archetypes that have been connected with the summits of intellectual various peoples in

the history of civilization.

THE FUNCTION IN ART AND SOCIETY.

Art is the great binder, the ubiquitous seal of community life and action. Art easily and

effectively adapts the human mind to its social milieu, and is therefore one of the conditions

of social progress.(radhakmal 1954).

The function of art and society is all about what is going on the world, discussion about the

function of the art cultural practice could be seen as indulgent.(rudder kamal) rahha kamal

writing not long after ww2,suggest that during times of great change it becomes more

evident than ever that art through its role in cultural practice, not only nourishes but also

heals and that it has the potential to be a significant stabilizing force for a society under

duress. Art and cultural practice is also a way in which society can prepare and adapt to

change.

“The art can articulate and transmit new information and new values ; they can provide

alternative ways of being human and so provide us with choice and sense of potential”

(Horne 1988).

.

ART IN CUTURE: MALAY SOCIETY

MAKYUNG :MUSIC   AND INSTRUMENT

Makyung dance theater is the most unique Malay traditional and

authentic. During development, many scholars give a different definition of the types of

offerings makyung that combines traditional Malay music, singing and acting as an

inseparable element in a container. Dance makyung also more popular as a Malay performing

arts, makyung very rich in elements of theater. In the presentation there are various elements,

such as play, dance, ritual, humor, and music. Viewed in terms of musical performances from

beginning to end, it can be regarded as a musical drama. But if the views of the elements of

dance is so much in it, it can be regarded as a traditional Malay dance theatre.

Show up in a musical instrument consisting of makyung 3 stringed fiddle, a drum

mothers, children drums, and a pair of tetawak or better known as the gong. 

  Mystical fiddle  

The most important musical instrument in the show is makyung fiddle, fiddle who

came from Persia as ‘ rabab '. The melodious sound of stringed fiddle to help smooth the

musicians who accompany the music of drums and for example tetawak. 

Malay language, also known as' umbang’. Other than the mystical fiddle makyung also

accompany the Menorah Kelantan, main teri and pull the braid. 

Denotes the fiddle in the Malay people as a woman in the symbolic form of fiddle with the

head, ears, neck, shoulders, chest, breasts, hair, hair, buttocks and legs. 

Sized fiddle head to toe between 100-120 cm, shoulder width of 20cm and the shell he 4cm-

5cm thick. 

Fiddle stem diameter at the bottom is 40cm and the top is piston, measuring

25cm. a fiddle made from a perfect combination of wood parts are connected by each

function head, trunk Suna / irah, spreader, piston rods, fiddle, and legs. 

Tools to make the mystical fiddle: 

• Nest kelulut 

• Wood 

• elephant ivory 

• buffalo horn 

In the process of fiddle, bamboo shoots carved motifs, leaves, or interest group is the

motive of the Malay race as a symbol of the Malays. 

Drum  

  Mother and child is a big drum used in the performing arts makyung. Drums made of

jackfruit wood and wood sena nyang the punch until the Tembalang. 54cm in size, while

drums mother son drum and measuring 49cm shorter. 

The front portion of goat skin covered by a special process and trough using a cane on the

sides become . goat on a stick in the body with the rod bracket and a front-page saga of

ponget Tembalang. 

TETAWAK  

Tetawak or gong of a pair of copper or iron, and suspended by a rope on the gallows. 

Tetawak a round shapel, on the hand with a thick wall. gong framed the mother and child

in the hanging gong gong dealing with children. 

The gong show or tetawak Makyung have enough beasar role as a guardian of the gong. 

           

  Gong strokes will determine the beginning and end of the song or songs. Other than as

a guardian of time, the gong also work for ritual purposes in the water when it is placed

opening ceremony of the stage. The water serves as a mediator who determines the sound of

the gong once used as an antidote to all the players. For example singer get throat rubbed

then gift the water to back o f his software sound.. 

TRADITIONAL MALAYSIAN MUSIC:

The art of kuda kepang

Jawa kuda kepang .is a hobby horse trance deance found in Johore, the southermmost

state of peninsular Malaysia ,was imported from Indonesia and performed by Malaysian of

Javanese orgin .

The orgin of kuda kepang is steeped in myth and legend .one story goes that it was created

by wali songo, a group of nine muslim priests in the 15th.century ,as a means of propagating

islam. Another attributes its orgin to the frenzied behaviour of sayidina ali’s horse during

battle. But most probably kuda kepang originated in java as a from animistic ritual worship.

Kudang kepang has a wholly percussion ensemble consisting of instruments. The elements

of instrument far kuda kepang is membronophone(percussion) gendang , jidur,idiophone

(brass) gong ,kenung tubular chime .

GENDANG

Gedang is the important instrument in kuda kepang,measuring 36 inches length, the

barrel shaped Javanese gendang has varying circumference measurements along the length

of its tapering body , from 49 inches near the small face .the big face has a circumference of

29 inches and a diameter of 10 inches.

JIDUR

Jidur is the one of kuda kepang instrument. Jidur shaped like a cylinder .the jidur is about 16

inches long ,with a diameter of 12 inches and a circumference of 38 1/2 inches for both of

its faces . it is made from the trunk of coconut tree ,and like the gendang ,its two faces are

covered with either cowhide or goatskin . one type of jidur has only one of its faces

covered .while the gendang is played by hand drumstick are used to strike the jidur which

sometimes functions as a gong .

GONG

This is a bronze gong of 22 inches in diameter and with a71 inches circumferrenca.sometimes

a gong kumbang which is similar to the one used in wayang jawa is use ,but it has only a

single broze key suspended over a tall wooden resonator.

KENUNG

A kenung ,which is made up of apair of knobbed gongs placed on a rectangular wooden

frame,resembles the canang of the wayang kulit elantan .some groups replace it with a saron

demung while others use a single iron slab with a knobbed centre placed over a wooden

trough.

TUBULAR CHIME

There are five angklung which are grouped under the category of frame rattle one C minor

chord angklung and two pairs of single pitch angklung which are a fifth apart , usually a C

and a G.

Each one is made up of three sliced graduated bamboo frame.

The angklung sounds a C minor chord throughout the piece,while the gong comes in

twice ,once in the middle and once at the end of every bar.

HEADGEAR: PENUTUP KEPALA

The old Malay chronicles make clear that from the days of the Melaka Sultanate, Malays

have considered their customary formal attire incomplete without some head covering,

especially when attending official functions or meeting important people. The style of head

dress was not fixed but depended very much on Pemelah, Gandek and Petam.

Pemeleh are decorations for the head, resembling small crowns or tiaras , and worn around

the forehead and temples. The pemeleh worn especially by court dancers in Kelantan and

Terengganu are elaborately decorated and stylized like royal tiaras with the ends curling

upwards. Sometimes small garlands of flowers or balls of coloured thread are sewn and hung

on each side. The pemeleh is fastened to the coiffure with a piece of black cord hidden

underneath the hair at the back of the head.

Another type of pemeleh consists of a black band of velvet or other cloth sewn with a row of

silver gilt teardrops. The band is across the forehead and tied to the hair band with a black

cord which is almost invisible against the hair. This type was popular among Malay brides

from 1920s to the last decade.

In Pahang, a pemeleh was worn by the bride during the family blessing or henna straining

ceremonies. The pemeleh was specially dressed with five or seven finger rings sewn to the

band and hanging from it.

Today, pemeleh are only worn by dancers who perform such traditional dancers who perform

such traditional dancers such as Ashek, Gamelan, Ma’yong and Menora. Sequins of various

sizes are sewn on to the velvet to form decorative patterns.

HEADCLOTHS: TENGKOLOK

A brief survey confirms the importance of head coverings. Oral historical accounts and

reliable records tell that people of all races and religions have been required to wear complete

formal dress when meeting sultan since the period of the Melaka Sultanate at least. Thus, a

person meeting a sultan was not considered properly dressed unless he covered his head or

tied his long hair back with a strip of bark or goatskin leather.

Before the period of the Melaka Sultanate, the tengkolok or formal headcloth, as we know it

now had not been created. In fact, men covered their hair with simple square of cloth or tied it

neatly. Between that time and the present, headcloth become more and more elegant and were

modified to indicate a man’s rank.

The Malays of Melaka used their talents to design head covering from one metre square piece

of cloth, and so invented the tengkolok ,which is often worn today by bridegrooms when

visiting the bride’s family or during bersanding ceremony. The bridegroom’s tengkolok is

nowdays embellished with jewellery for added brilliance and to make him appear more

attractive.

NECKLASES

Since ancient times, people especially women have worn various types of neck adornments.

The designs produced and the variety precious metals and gems which have dangled from the

necks of men and women are difficult to describe in all their brilliance and diversity.

Malay neck adornments can be divided into three types: rantai, dokoh and kalung , all which

can be worn by both men and women. These three types of adornments were traditionally

worn by those of noble birth, but nowdays , even ordinary people do so. It is no longer

important wheter it is made from pure solid gold or simply gold-plated silver. More important

is a beautiful design to captivate the beholder.

PENDANTS: DOKOH , AGOK.

Another type of jewellery worn around the neck which has been popular for two hundred

years is the dokoh, a type of pendant. It is especially popular on the east coast.

A dokoh is a breast decoration consisting of one large and several smaller pendants joined by

a chain .A dokoh is normally decorated with a breadfruit leaf pattern or other motifs inspired

by nature. Various techniques are used in making dokoh, including granulation and straining.

A variant of dokoh, termed agok, often has two, three or more large pendants suspended one

above the other, and connected by gold or silver chains on the right and left. Each pendant is

commonly three –sided and has an attractive crescent moon or leaf pattern.It has become a

common practice for the jewellery makers to decorate their pendants not only with patterns

but also to add colourfull gems. Three- tiered pendants decorating the neck and bosom are

seen as really special, where they may be worn by both the bride and the groom.

The dokoh and its variants, found troughout the Malay Archipelago, are said to have been

introduced by Indians who used them in place of their traditional malar flowers. Where an

agok has two or three pendants, they are made with thin pieces of gold or silver and are not as

heavy as single pendants, which are normally shaped in three dimensions to allow resin to be

poured into the centre to make them stronger and heavier.

BELT BUCKLES: PENDING

Pending are belt buckles or fasteners, elegantly decorated with various motifs worn for

ceremonial occasions by Malay men and women. Mens usually wear pending to secure their

sarongs , whereas women, especially in Kelantan , wear pending as a part of the popular

costume styled after that worn by Cik Siti Wan Kembang, a wll known Malay princess who

ruled in the fifteenth centuary. Most of the pending found nowdays are oval in shape like the

human eye, although round , square and other shapes are also seen. Those worn by the Malay

elite and royalty are usually made of gold or gold alloy, but silver and bronze niello are also

used.

It is believed that pending originated among Siamese women and that they were introduced

into Malaysia by Pattani Malays of the border area in the north- east. Now they have become

widespread in this country and universally popular. The craftsmanship in pending shows a

society which is individual, mature and skilled in handicrafts.

The royal pending worn by di-Pertuan Agong, Malaysia’s king, is studded with eleven red

gemstones. In the centre carved the federal emblem symbol of the Malaysian Federation. His

majesty’s waistband is made of silk embroidered with gold thread in a floral motif.

The diamond Encrusted Gold Waist Buckle is an integral requirement for any official attire.

The pending popular among the Straits Chinese and Indians of Melaka are similar in design

except that some patterns have been changed through the centuries with the use of certain

religious elements and symbols. These decorative elements serve to distinguish the Malay

pending from other groups. Pending are also used by the women of Sarawak as a part of their

traditional ceremonial attire. Modern pending are still created for use by local traditional

dancers to adorn their customers, thus providing us with further examples through we can

appreciate the heritage of the past.

ACCESSORIES FOR CLOTHING:

KERONGSANG

A type of brooch, use as a clasp and known as keronsang, has been worn by both the long and

short baju kebaya by the Malay. Kerongsang are usually worn in sets of three to closen a

blouse or tunic in front. Sometimes all three kerongsang brooches are the same.Occasionally

two of the three are round while the larger main brooch pinned at the top, is heart shaped.

The various kerongsang which exist are of so many different designs that it is difficult to

describe them all one by one. Some kerongsang are strung together with fine chains to ensure

that none of the brooches in the set will be separated or dropped, and some are set with

colourful gems.

Kerongsang are especially significant in showing the beautiful designs and fine craftsmanship

of the goldsmith of the past , and they add greatly to the elegance of traditional dresses such

as the kebaya.

Malay craftsman have created quite different designs because Islam forbits its followers to

draw or carve animals in any pattern or decoration. Most of the existing examples of Malay

kerongsang are decorated with motifs of vegetation, flowers, or a crescent moon and star.

These have become identifying traits of the Malay goldsmith in the east coast and indeed the

whole of peninsula.

Nowdays , women of all races have modified the old kerongsang for use as decorative

accessories pinned on to modern blouses or lapels of coats. Kerongsang are also used by

bridegrooms to decorate their songkok.

BATIK PAINTING IN MALAY SOCIETY

Generally, batik is considered one of the most important forms of traditional art in Southeast

Asian region.It is a ultilitarian art form that is mainly used for clothing, in the form of

sarongs, shirts, trousers or headscarves, as well as for the decoration of houses and furniture.

The use of batik is closely link to the lifestyle of people in the region.

Besides the distinct features pertaining to its production, the role of batik and its closeness to

society also explain its presence in modern artwork. Artists with such a rich cultural

background refer to the traditional arts in their search for an identity. Apart from this innate

cultural factor, exterior factor such as the art council have encouraged artists to look at batik.

The council, prioritizes art with a Malaysian identity as the core of national art.

Batik possesses interesting and beautiful formal characteristics. Its wealth of formal elements

allows its translation into modern art , thus separating it from its function as surface

decoration and ultilitarian object. The beauty of batik arises from the processes of applying

the wax by hand or with wooden blocks, and dyeing the fabric. Siti Zainon explains that the

term batik comes from the process of using liquid wax that is transferred to the white faric

with a canting. Each small drop of wax that remains white when dipped in the dye bath is

called cecek or tritik in Javanese.

The dramatic process of batik creation has given inspiration to modern Malaysia artists to

adapt batik to easel paintings or scrolls and display in the context of art galleries. This step

has widened the visual treatment of modern Malaysia art, while raising local artists awareness

of the wealth of traditional art.

Malay Tengkolok

Kerongsang :Usually Worn With Kebaya

Technique of ‘mencanting batik’.

Malay traditional headcloth

Picture of music instrument makyung.(rebab and gong)

Art of kuda kepang.

Traditional Malaysian art:kuda kepang

Malaysian art:makyung.

REFERENCES

1. Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin.2007,Traditional Malaysian Music,new

edition.Dewan bahasa dan Pustaka Kuala lumpur.

2. Rahimidin Zahar & sutung umar rs,2005,new edition,General of unesco.

3. Jamal Syed Ahmad, 1992, Rupa Dan Jiwa, Kuala Lumpur.

4. Mohamed Ali A. Rahman, 2000, Malaysian Art: Manifestation Of Malay Form And

Content, Shah Alam.