The Legend of Ulik Mayang Essay Example

state of unconsciousness. He remained motionless, as if dead. The other fishermen were saddened by this, as he was a great friend of theirs. They suspected that while physically he was on the beach, his soul might have been enticed to wander into the another world.

And so they summoned a bomoh (shaman) to bring their friend back. The bomoh prepared several items for the summoning ritual. Among them were kemayan (incense), coloured rice and mayang pinang (strings of areca nut flowers). Night fell, and the ceremony to revive the lost fisherman began. Shaking the mayang pinang (palm frond) and chanting over the body of the fisherman, the bomoh falls into a state of trance, and discovers that the fisherman has been put under a spell by playful Spirits of the Sea. A Spirit Princess had tried to charm all the fishermen, but only one surrendered to her seductive beauty.

He now wanders in a state of daze in her world. The Spirit Princess is garbed in an exquisite traditional dress with a beautiful yellow sash shawl. Her hair is held in an elaborate French pleat and she wears earrings of fine ivory. The bomoh attempts to bring the soul of the fisherman back to earth. Sensing that her grip over him is slipping, the princess summons her sister, and the two of them put charms on the fisherman. In a fierce battle between the medium and the spirits, two more sisters are summoned to charm the fisherman, and then two more.

A fearsome battle between the bomoh and six Spirit Princesses erupts and shakes the world. The earth quakes but the

steadfast bomoh battles on. As the clash built up towards a devastating climax, a seventh – the eldest – Spirit Princess enters the showground. Far more beautiful, more powerful and the wisest of her sisters, the bomoh takes this opportunity to plea to her for the return of the fisherman’s soul. Learning of the mischievous behaviour of her sisters, the eldest Spirit Princess puts a stop to the battle.

“I know all your origins,” she tells and commands everyone, “Let those from the sea return to the sea, and those from the land return to the land. ” Grateful for the release of the fisherman’s soul, the bomoh presents the Spirit Princess with coloured rice. The fisherman awakens. From then on (and until the introduction of Islam in Malaya), offerings were ritually presented to the Spirits of the Sea, whom the fishermen once worshipped. Over the years, this story has evolved into a number of versions. Nevertheless, they all tell of both the treacherous and caring relationship between the fishermen and the Spirits of the Sea.

The legend of the Ulik Mayang is unravelled in an amazingly choreographed folk dance, which was once a form of spiritual worship, but now performed purely for cultural appreciation and entertainment purposes. Most popular in the state of Terengganu, the dance is accompanied by its song which is both haunting and vigorous. While the music of the song has several contemporary interpretations to it, as seen in the 2000 Malaysian movie Spinning Gasing directed by Teck Tan, many dance troupes prefer a composition of traditional instruments. These include traditional drums, gongs, seruling (a flute) and rebab (a

bowed lute).