The Annual Rituals Of The Mah Meri Tribe : Carey Island, Malaysia

A Tribal Ritual Lives On.

This wonderful video takes you to the Carey Island tribal settlement of the indigenous group called Mah Meri, one of the 18 indigenous tribes of Peninsular Malaysia. This annual ritual commenced the evening before at their home altars where the tribe seek an audience with their loved ones who have passed on. The next morning is when the tribe appease the spirits of the sea in the Puja Pantai or Puja Moyang festival. Puja means to praise, Patai means the beach, while Moyang means ancestors. Legend has it that the spirit of the sea saved their ancestors during a storm near Tanjung Rhu. The ritual to appease the spirit of the sea and their ancestors is guided by trance-fixed shamans and the villagers await a complete low tide to be able to reach the age-old grand altar left standing in the sea. Here, they do their offerings and prayers accompanied by music, dancing and songs and later the food is shared amongst the villagers. This annual festival attracts locals and foreigners for its tribal cultural heritage. The villagers’ costumes and the trance-led performance seems out of this modern world that even many Malaysians have not witnessed first-hand before.
Watch out for an extended episode of this ritual on this channel!
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