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Colours of rang was a cultural event. It was in conjunction with the new years of the indian countries surrounding it. This event showcased the different cultures of the people from these countries. Students performed traditional dances and sang various folk songs to make thus event more joyful. We students accepted the diversity and began to respect and embrace different cultures via this event.
HISTORY OF INSTITUITION AND TRADE IN MALAYSIA
(by Farhat Haniff)
Instituition
Malaysia has been involved in the foreign upbringing centuries ago by the Portugese and the Dutch, but less than ten decades ago, the country was ruled by the British who settled down and finalised the country's rule of right, foreign policies and introducing a new culture to Malaysia (which was called Malaya pre-independent)
The occupation of the British brought in families from overseas thus creating a foreign atmosphere in the country. The British also wanted the English language to be largely spoken by the public apart from Malay, Chinese and Tamil for easy sense of communication between the dominant groups of the country and the occupants. Thus they have built up schools and institutions to cater their children and achieve the same sense of English education for the locals.
Kuala Terengganu Grammar School, Alice Smith School, to name a few, are one of the oldest english speaking school with an english cirriculum dated pre-independent. These were set up either privately or by government to freely educate expats and locals with, what I think, a much better approach to learning than what has been established.
Malaysia is widely known in Britain as it is one of their Commenwealth countries. This means that education and institutions in Malaysia can be recognised at the homeland and abroad. This also means that Malaysians (either Malay, Chinese and Indian) will be able to travel overseas and exchange cultures with the rest of the world. This will recognise Malaysia on the map and allow the local Malaysian tradition to be shared. Because of this, Local Malaysian institutions, such as Limkokwing, can be established in other countries apart from the home country to exchange information between them, and this allows other international institutions to be built up in Malaysia creating a sense of unity due to Institutions and education.
Trade
During colonialisation of Malaysia (called Malaya pre-independant), the peninsular became a pitstop for traders because of its geographical location, the end peak of mainland Asia, with the straits surrounding the peninsular. This broght traders from India, the Arab countries and China.
As the traders exchange goods in Malaya, an exchage of culture is signified, thus Malaysian culture becomes widely known to many nations. Malaysia is a source of timber, rubber and tin, creating a wealth in natural resources. These were exported to Mainland China, UK, and India to name a few.
In Germany, their main source of timber is from Malaysia, having a relationship with the country to establish deals of trade. Rubber plantation helps car industries in Europe, such as Continental Tires UK, to import raw rubber materials to make wheels in order to drive their nation easily.
As for Malaysia, we exchange for goods such as Machineries from Germany (Siemens) to improve quality of craftsmanship domesticly and internationally thus improve to make better products at lower costs for international traders.
RESOURCE:
Theory Of Knowlege (TOK) International Baccalaureatte Text Book of World Colonialisation, Nelson Thorne IB Geography.
Instituition
Malaysia has been involved in the foreign upbringing centuries ago by the Portugese and the Dutch, but less than ten decades ago, the country was ruled by the British who settled down and finalised the country's rule of right, foreign policies and introducing a new culture to Malaysia (which was called Malaya pre-independent)
The occupation of the British brought in families from overseas thus creating a foreign atmosphere in the country. The British also wanted the English language to be largely spoken by the public apart from Malay, Chinese and Tamil for easy sense of communication between the dominant groups of the country and the occupants. Thus they have built up schools and institutions to cater their children and achieve the same sense of English education for the locals.
Kuala Terengganu Grammar School, Alice Smith School, to name a few, are one of the oldest english speaking school with an english cirriculum dated pre-independent. These were set up either privately or by government to freely educate expats and locals with, what I think, a much better approach to learning than what has been established.
Malaysia is widely known in Britain as it is one of their Commenwealth countries. This means that education and institutions in Malaysia can be recognised at the homeland and abroad. This also means that Malaysians (either Malay, Chinese and Indian) will be able to travel overseas and exchange cultures with the rest of the world. This will recognise Malaysia on the map and allow the local Malaysian tradition to be shared. Because of this, Local Malaysian institutions, such as Limkokwing, can be established in other countries apart from the home country to exchange information between them, and this allows other international institutions to be built up in Malaysia creating a sense of unity due to Institutions and education.
Trade
During colonialisation of Malaysia (called Malaya pre-independant), the peninsular became a pitstop for traders because of its geographical location, the end peak of mainland Asia, with the straits surrounding the peninsular. This broght traders from India, the Arab countries and China.
As the traders exchange goods in Malaya, an exchage of culture is signified, thus Malaysian culture becomes widely known to many nations. Malaysia is a source of timber, rubber and tin, creating a wealth in natural resources. These were exported to Mainland China, UK, and India to name a few.
In Germany, their main source of timber is from Malaysia, having a relationship with the country to establish deals of trade. Rubber plantation helps car industries in Europe, such as Continental Tires UK, to import raw rubber materials to make wheels in order to drive their nation easily.
As for Malaysia, we exchange for goods such as Machineries from Germany (Siemens) to improve quality of craftsmanship domesticly and internationally thus improve to make better products at lower costs for international traders.
RESOURCE:
Theory Of Knowlege (TOK) International Baccalaureatte Text Book of World Colonialisation, Nelson Thorne IB Geography.
THE BACKGROUND OF VERNACULAR AND EDUCATION OF MALAYSIA
(by Muhammad Shukry)
Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese and Indians living side by side. The Malays are the largest community. They are Muslims and speak Bahasa. Malays mainly control the political power in Malaysia. The Chinese comprise about a third of the population. They are Buddhists and Taoists, speak Hokkein, Hakka and Cantonese, and are dominant in the business community. The Indians account for about 10% of the population. They are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India. They speak Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi, and live mainly in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula. Eurasians and indigenous tribes make up the remaining population.
Iban of Sarawak is the main indigenous tribe of Malaysia. They number around 3, 95,000. They are largely longhouse dwellers and live along the Rejang and Baram rivers. The Bidayuh (107,000) are concentrated on Sarawak's Skrang River. The Orang Asli (80,000) live in small scattered groups in Peninsular Malaysia. The tribals were mainly nomadic agriculturists but gradually they are being absorbed in the modern Malaysian society.
The traditional architectural style of Malaysia is the long-house, found particularly along the rivers of Sarawak. Families live together (though they have their own private space) in one long building, raised on stilts, sharing the open verandah which runs the whole length of the building.
Also raised on stilts are the wooden houses in other parts of rural Malaysia. These stilt-houses are around two meters above the ground to protect against floods and wild animals, while providing extra ventilation and also shelter for the family's domestic animals. The style of the houses varies from region to region, the most famous being the saddle-shaped roofs, which rise up into what are known as "buffalo horns".
A third style of home common in Malaysia is the Chinese "shop-house" where the ground floor is a shop, with the family living above.
Malaysian music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic forms. The music is based largely around the gendang (drum), but includes percussion instruments (some made of shells), flutes, trumpets and gongs. The country has a strong tradition of dance and dance dramas. Some of them are of Thai, Indian and Portuguese origin. Other artistic forms include wayang kulit (shadow-puppets), silat (a stylised martial art) and crafts such as batik, weaving and silver and brasswork.
RELIGION :
More than half of the population follows Islam. Other religions followed in Malaysia are Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Sikhism. In addition Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia.
Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%, other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8% (2000 census)
Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan
Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.)
Early Malay houses can be described as raised on timber stilts and made of materials which were easily available from the tropical forests such as timber, bamboo, rattan, tree roots and leaves. Usually the houses have pitched roofs, verandahs or porches in front, high ceilings and lots of big openings for ventilation purposes. Although these characteristics are particularly common in all Malay houses throughout the Peninsular Malaysia, their shapes and sizes differ from state to state.
Through many decades, the Malay architecture has been influenced by Indonesian Bugis, riau and Java from the south; Siamese, British, Arab and Indian from the north; Portuguese, Dutch, Acheh, Minangkabau from the west; and Southern Chinese from the east. Due to this fact, the Malay vernacular architecture have modified their styles in order to adapt to these influences. For example, some houses in Kelantan state have a kind of roof which is similar to that of Southern Thailand. This kind of roof style is totally different from the ones in the Negeri Sembilan state which have been greatly influenced by the Minangkabau of Indonesia.
Factors that govern the styles of the Malay vernacular architecture:
CLIMATE
Malaysia is situated in the central part of the Southeast Asia, it is bordered by longitudes 100 degrees and 120 degrees east; and by Latitudes of the Equator and 7 degrees North. The country is sunny, hot anf humid all year round with temperatures range from 25 C to 34 C. It has an annual rainfall from 80" to 100". Due to heavy monsoon rains, the roofs of the Malay vernacular houses are very steep. In some places, flooding occurs after heavy rainfalls. To solve this problem, some houses have used timber stilts to elevate the building above the ground level. The warm climate also effects the style of the Malay vernacular architecture. For ventilation purposes, many buildings have large openings on the sides and grilles are provided at high level in gable ends. Houses raised on stilts are provided with better natural ventilation.
MATERIAL RESOURCES
Since Malaysia has a tropical climate, building materials such as timber, rattan, tree roots, bamboo and leaves are easily available from the tropical forests. In a traditional Malay house, timber is used for the building structures, rattan and tree roots are used for tieing up joints whereas bamboo and leaves are used for floors and walls.
MALAY WAY OF LIFE (CULTURE & RELIGION)
In the Malay culture, buildings such as houses and palaces that are highly hand-crafted and beautifully patterned and decorated reflect the building owners high status. For instance, the old Kenangan Palace in Kuala Kangsar, Perak which was built by a Malay sultan, has mignificiently crafted walls. As Muslims, the Malays have adopted the Islamic principles of orientation of mosques, particularly the prayer halls which have to be designed and faced towards Mecca. In other cases, some of the traditional Malay houses have floors at different levels, indicating the room functions. For instance, the verandah floor is raised lower than the living room floor. This is not only indicating the room functions but also giving a sense of spatial transition in the building.
FOREIGN INFLUENCE
During the colonisation periods of the Portuguese, Dutch and British, Malay architecture was exposed to many new building technologies. For example, zinc and clay tiles as substitutes for roofs made of leaves; brick and cement columns as replacements for timber stilts and ladder; glass for windows which were formerly open; and nails as alternatives for rattan and tree roots that tie joints together. These features can be seen at the Alor Setar's Balai Besar or Audience Hall in Kedah state. Built in 1898, the building has clay tile roofs, brick and cement stairs, glass windows with brick and timber walls. Each of these had a profound impact on the Malay vernacular architecture. It can also, then, be observed that the process of adopting new technologies to ancient architecture is not entirely a new idea. Malay architecture has been modified by technological and cultural changes for centuries.
Today, the styles of the Malay vernacular achitecture have inspired many young architects and engineers in designing Malaysia's contemporary architecture. In the past years, many modern buildings have focused their design concepts on the Malay vernacular architecture, particularly the Malay houses and palaces. Various roof shapes have derived from the Malay houses such as from the states of Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu.
The best known traditional architectural style of Malaysia is the long-house, found particularly along the rivers of Sarawak. Families live together (though they have their own private space) in one long building, raised on stilts, sharing the open verandah which runs the whole length of the building.
Also raised on stilts are the wooden houses of the other parts of rural Malaysia. These stilt-houses are around two metres off the ground to protect against floods and wild animals, while providing extra ventilation and also shelter for the family's domestic animals. The style of the houses varies from region to region, the most famous being the saddle-shaped roofs which rise up into what are known as "buffalo horns".
A third style of home common in Malaysia is the Chinese "shop-house" where the ground floor is a shop, with the family living above.
European colonial style buildings can be found in every major town, especially on the west coast. Most are British in origin but some Dutch and Portuguese architecture remains. Malaysia's religious diversity shows in its architecture. Mosques and minarets show the Islamic heritage in one particularly famous mosque, now more than two hundred years old and built in hardwood, without the use of nails, by craftsmen from Java. There are also many Buddhist and Hindu temples, some of them built in Malaysia's limestone caves.
The increasing wealth of the country is seen in the many modern buildings, in dramatic styles, going up in the major cities. Perhaps the most outstanding are the twin Petronas towers, among the tallest buildings in the world.
RESOURCES
Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese and Indians living side by side. The Malays are the largest community. They are Muslims and speak Bahasa. Malays mainly control the political power in Malaysia. The Chinese comprise about a third of the population. They are Buddhists and Taoists, speak Hokkein, Hakka and Cantonese, and are dominant in the business community. The Indians account for about 10% of the population. They are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India. They speak Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi, and live mainly in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula. Eurasians and indigenous tribes make up the remaining population.
Iban of Sarawak is the main indigenous tribe of Malaysia. They number around 3, 95,000. They are largely longhouse dwellers and live along the Rejang and Baram rivers. The Bidayuh (107,000) are concentrated on Sarawak's Skrang River. The Orang Asli (80,000) live in small scattered groups in Peninsular Malaysia. The tribals were mainly nomadic agriculturists but gradually they are being absorbed in the modern Malaysian society.
The traditional architectural style of Malaysia is the long-house, found particularly along the rivers of Sarawak. Families live together (though they have their own private space) in one long building, raised on stilts, sharing the open verandah which runs the whole length of the building.
Also raised on stilts are the wooden houses in other parts of rural Malaysia. These stilt-houses are around two meters above the ground to protect against floods and wild animals, while providing extra ventilation and also shelter for the family's domestic animals. The style of the houses varies from region to region, the most famous being the saddle-shaped roofs, which rise up into what are known as "buffalo horns".
A third style of home common in Malaysia is the Chinese "shop-house" where the ground floor is a shop, with the family living above.
Malaysian music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic forms. The music is based largely around the gendang (drum), but includes percussion instruments (some made of shells), flutes, trumpets and gongs. The country has a strong tradition of dance and dance dramas. Some of them are of Thai, Indian and Portuguese origin. Other artistic forms include wayang kulit (shadow-puppets), silat (a stylised martial art) and crafts such as batik, weaving and silver and brasswork.
RELIGION :
More than half of the population follows Islam. Other religions followed in Malaysia are Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Sikhism. In addition Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia.
Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%, other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8% (2000 census)
Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan
Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.)
Early Malay houses can be described as raised on timber stilts and made of materials which were easily available from the tropical forests such as timber, bamboo, rattan, tree roots and leaves. Usually the houses have pitched roofs, verandahs or porches in front, high ceilings and lots of big openings for ventilation purposes. Although these characteristics are particularly common in all Malay houses throughout the Peninsular Malaysia, their shapes and sizes differ from state to state.
Through many decades, the Malay architecture has been influenced by Indonesian Bugis, riau and Java from the south; Siamese, British, Arab and Indian from the north; Portuguese, Dutch, Acheh, Minangkabau from the west; and Southern Chinese from the east. Due to this fact, the Malay vernacular architecture have modified their styles in order to adapt to these influences. For example, some houses in Kelantan state have a kind of roof which is similar to that of Southern Thailand. This kind of roof style is totally different from the ones in the Negeri Sembilan state which have been greatly influenced by the Minangkabau of Indonesia.
Factors that govern the styles of the Malay vernacular architecture:
CLIMATE
Malaysia is situated in the central part of the Southeast Asia, it is bordered by longitudes 100 degrees and 120 degrees east; and by Latitudes of the Equator and 7 degrees North. The country is sunny, hot anf humid all year round with temperatures range from 25 C to 34 C. It has an annual rainfall from 80" to 100". Due to heavy monsoon rains, the roofs of the Malay vernacular houses are very steep. In some places, flooding occurs after heavy rainfalls. To solve this problem, some houses have used timber stilts to elevate the building above the ground level. The warm climate also effects the style of the Malay vernacular architecture. For ventilation purposes, many buildings have large openings on the sides and grilles are provided at high level in gable ends. Houses raised on stilts are provided with better natural ventilation.
MATERIAL RESOURCES
Since Malaysia has a tropical climate, building materials such as timber, rattan, tree roots, bamboo and leaves are easily available from the tropical forests. In a traditional Malay house, timber is used for the building structures, rattan and tree roots are used for tieing up joints whereas bamboo and leaves are used for floors and walls.
MALAY WAY OF LIFE (CULTURE & RELIGION)
In the Malay culture, buildings such as houses and palaces that are highly hand-crafted and beautifully patterned and decorated reflect the building owners high status. For instance, the old Kenangan Palace in Kuala Kangsar, Perak which was built by a Malay sultan, has mignificiently crafted walls. As Muslims, the Malays have adopted the Islamic principles of orientation of mosques, particularly the prayer halls which have to be designed and faced towards Mecca. In other cases, some of the traditional Malay houses have floors at different levels, indicating the room functions. For instance, the verandah floor is raised lower than the living room floor. This is not only indicating the room functions but also giving a sense of spatial transition in the building.
FOREIGN INFLUENCE
During the colonisation periods of the Portuguese, Dutch and British, Malay architecture was exposed to many new building technologies. For example, zinc and clay tiles as substitutes for roofs made of leaves; brick and cement columns as replacements for timber stilts and ladder; glass for windows which were formerly open; and nails as alternatives for rattan and tree roots that tie joints together. These features can be seen at the Alor Setar's Balai Besar or Audience Hall in Kedah state. Built in 1898, the building has clay tile roofs, brick and cement stairs, glass windows with brick and timber walls. Each of these had a profound impact on the Malay vernacular architecture. It can also, then, be observed that the process of adopting new technologies to ancient architecture is not entirely a new idea. Malay architecture has been modified by technological and cultural changes for centuries.
Today, the styles of the Malay vernacular achitecture have inspired many young architects and engineers in designing Malaysia's contemporary architecture. In the past years, many modern buildings have focused their design concepts on the Malay vernacular architecture, particularly the Malay houses and palaces. Various roof shapes have derived from the Malay houses such as from the states of Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu.
The best known traditional architectural style of Malaysia is the long-house, found particularly along the rivers of Sarawak. Families live together (though they have their own private space) in one long building, raised on stilts, sharing the open verandah which runs the whole length of the building.
Also raised on stilts are the wooden houses of the other parts of rural Malaysia. These stilt-houses are around two metres off the ground to protect against floods and wild animals, while providing extra ventilation and also shelter for the family's domestic animals. The style of the houses varies from region to region, the most famous being the saddle-shaped roofs which rise up into what are known as "buffalo horns".
A third style of home common in Malaysia is the Chinese "shop-house" where the ground floor is a shop, with the family living above.
European colonial style buildings can be found in every major town, especially on the west coast. Most are British in origin but some Dutch and Portuguese architecture remains. Malaysia's religious diversity shows in its architecture. Mosques and minarets show the Islamic heritage in one particularly famous mosque, now more than two hundred years old and built in hardwood, without the use of nails, by craftsmen from Java. There are also many Buddhist and Hindu temples, some of them built in Malaysia's limestone caves.
The increasing wealth of the country is seen in the many modern buildings, in dramatic styles, going up in the major cities. Perhaps the most outstanding are the twin Petronas towers, among the tallest buildings in the world.
RESOURCES
- (http://www.malaysiatravel.org.uk/culture-and-religion.html)
- (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/my.html#People)
- (http://www.hbp.usm.my/conservation/malayvernacular.htm )
- ( http://worldinfozone.com/country.php?country=Malaysia )
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