Thambiah, Shanthi and Chopil, Tijah Yok and Leong Yoke Lian, Rosalind (2018) Reclaiming the Eclipsed Female in the Sacred. Bijdragen tot de taal-, land- en volkenkunde / Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia, 174 (2-3). pp. 264-290. ISSN 0006-2294, DOI https://doi.org/10.1163/22134379-17402002.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
This article examines an indigenous religion in Malaysia - that of the Semai of Kampung Chang, Sungai Gepai in Bidor, Perak - and expounds the changes in women's position in Semai cosmology, rituals, and roles. We show that the Bidor Semai religion is neither hierarchical nor egalitarian in terms of the position of women and men; rather, a much more complex situation exists. However, while male authority is becoming more prevalent, the existence of transmutable spirits and an ungendered creator allows men to actively participate, but does not give them religious power. However, due to outside pressure we are beginning to see a breakdown in these social features. The broader implication of reclaiming the female in the sacred is that it makes a strong social-justice argument for Semai women's rights and, by so doing, gives us a richer understanding of Semai connections to their land and their rights to that land.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Funders: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | cosmology; myths; religious roles; rights to land; rituals; Semai; women |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Ms. Juhaida Abd Rahim |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Feb 2019 07:42 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Feb 2019 07:42 |
| URI: | http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/20484 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
