An Analysis of Malay Magic

Traditional Malay beliefs and practices - the folk-religion of the Malays divorced from its Islamic overlay - has held a fascination for Europeans and generated a body of literature to which Annandale, Skeat and Winstedt number amongst the distinguished contributors. In this study the author attempts to identify some order and coherence out of the vast labyrinth of concepts, superstitions and observances which form the skein of Malay magic, and takes an analytical approach to establish some of the leading characteristics of the Malay world-view. In doing so, he reveals a coherent order encompassing the visible and invisible worlds and the men, plants, animals, souls and spirits that inhabit them, which sheds light not only on the beliefs themselves but also on a type of cultural pattern especially suited to situations in which cultural traditions are mixed.