Temuan people

Temuan people
Uwang / Eang Temuan / Orang Temuan

Temuan people in traditional clothes.
Total population
(29,000)
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia (Pahang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan,Malacca, Johor)
Languages
Temuan, Malay, English
Religion
Ancestral worship or Islam (predominantly) and a significant population practice Christianity.
Related ethnic groups
Proto Malays, Orang Asli, Malays

The Temuans are one of the indigenous peoples or Orang Asli of Malaysia.

They speak Temuan, an Austronesian language closely related to Malay. Like other indigenous tribes in Malaysia, most Temuans live in poverty.

Flood Legend

Many thousand years ago, a lot of Temuan people died because they had committed "Celau" (the sins that angered god and their ancestors). Their god has sent a "Celau" punishment in a form of a great flood which had drowned all the Temuan sinners that day. Only two of the Temuans, named Mamak and Inak Bungsuk survived that day by climbing at Eagwood tree at Gunung Raja (Royal Mountain) located at the border of Selangor and Pahang state. There was a Temuan village over there named Kampung Orang Asli Pertak. Mamak and Inak Bungsuk survived because they had an enchanting mantra or spell to ease down the "Celau" storm. Gunung Raja (Royal Mountain) became the birth places and ancestral home of the Temuan tribe.

Mamak Bungsuk (Adam) and Inak Bungsuk (Eve) are the Temuan analogues of Adam and Eve in the myth of the birth of humanity.

Dialect

The Temuan languages has two dialect which is Belandas and Mantra.

Sample of Temuan Belandas dialect - diak ( he/she ), hajak (only), kitak ( we ), tai ( the end of sentence particle ).

Sample of Temuan Mantra dialect - dien ( he/she), hajen (only), kiten ( we ), tea ( the end of sentence particle )

Religion

A basic traditional Temuan belief is that their God and ancestors are always present with them, guarding their safety.

At the end of every year, the Temuans celebrate Aik Gayak Muyang (Ancestor Day in English). This celebration is to thank their God and ancestors for the crops they grow and for the peaceful life they have had.

The Temuans believe they were placed on the earth (Tanah Tujuh) by Muyang (God) to be guardians of the rain forest and that if they fail in their sacred duty, the whole world will turn upside down and humanity will perish. Each river, hill, stream, rock, tree and shrub is animated by a guardian spirit. Rivers are guarded by dragons (naga) and snakes (ular) which often cause mayhem if their homes are desecrated.

The Temuan’s culture reflects their belief in these nature spirits. Their animism takes the form of taboos, herbal remedies, ritual ceremonies and magic. They have dukun (healers) and a village bomoh (shaman) who, when in a trance state, communicates with the nature spirits. It is the shaman who leads the tribe in the annual sawai - an ancient earth healing ritual to honour their ancestors and appease the guardian spirits.

Celebrations

1.The Temuan celebrate Aik Muyang (Ancestor Day ) at the end of the year and the beginning of new year ).The celebration take place in different day between 15 December to January 15.

2.Gogo is village festival dancing. When the Temuan get married their will organised "Gogo" at between 8 p.m until 7 a.m the next day. The live band will played the music and every people from other village join to dance.

Customs

Some traditional superstitions still held by Temuans:

1. Respect for their elders ; bad luck is said to strike those who fail in this.

2. They do not praise a baby, in the belief that it would make the child sick and die.

3. If a Temuan is travelling and a little rain falls, he must slip a leaf into his ear to protect himself on his journey.

4. If a Temuan desires something he cannot get, he must say pinah hunan and put their saliva on his neck, in the belief that failure to do so would result in an accident.

5. A Temuan who must leave a meal in a hurry without eating food must tempot (touch the food to his skin) before leaving, in the belief that failure to do so would result in an accident or death.

6. A Temuan must stay quiet during thunderstorm. If he makes noise, the Thunder god will mistake him for a devil and strike him. Temuans believe that a thunder strike occurs when the Thunder god is hunting devils. That is why they must stay quiet ; to prevent the Thunder god from striking at them.

7. A murderer will be haunted by his victim's ghost.

8. Stay away from a place that was haunted, to avoid being disturbed by an evil spirit.

Organisational structure

1. Batin = Temuan leader

2. Mangku = Batin Assistant ( temporary replacing Batin when the Batin away from the village )

3. Jenang = Customary Leader

4. Menteyik = Batin advisor ( Menteyik judgement is not influence by the Batin )

5. Jekerah = Jekerah duty to take care of enekbuah / Mon

6. Panglimak = Panglimak is Jekerah vassal

7. Bidan / Bomoh / Dukun = Temuan shaman

8. Enekbuah / Mon = is Temuan ordinary people

See also

• Sagong Tasi

External links

• Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC)
• Orang Asli Temuan Web Site