Malay Traditional Society Essay

The second half of nineteenth century marks a significant transition for the historical documentation of the traditional Malay economy. The earlier period before this time were majorly administered by the then colonial rule that virtually encapsulated all the culture and values that might be significant to the Malay society. During this period, majority of the Malays were still living in the rural areas where they engage majorly in peasant farming and Fishing activities.

Those that engage in peasant farming were active in padi cultivation alongside animal rearing, fruit and vegetable cultivation especially around Kedah, Perlis, North Perak and Kelantan (Drabble, 2004). They also practice other supplementary activities such as mining, hunting and collection of jungle products such as dammar, rattan and bamboo. Those activities signify an obvious proximities reliance on land for daily survival.

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This is significant in the inland areas such as Raub in Pahang. This added to the value of land aside from agriculture, otherwise, without agricultural activities, the concept of economy development in the then Malay traditional society might be a very shallow history as most of the usefulness of land contribute to the societal growth and regions of land with little or no economic values (tan ah mati) are mostly left as jungles. This concept was also significant during the British administration in Malacca in the 1860s. (Verma, 2002).

Specifically, the importance of land in the traditional Malay society lied in the values it harbors. Even large areas of land without being occupied as settlement are not valued politically and economically. The implication of this could be seen in the formation of Johor. The region of Johor was not significantly recognized until 1840s due to its sparse