Health and Illness in Malay Culture

Health and Illness in Malay Culture
Basic concepts of health and illness in Malay culture have many origins. Some are clearly aboriginal and ancient. The concept of ‘semangat’ (soul substance), for example, is clearly related to other Malayo-Polynesia languages of South East Asia and the islands of the Pacific Ocean. In these cultures, absences or loss of soul substance and intrusion of soul substance of another being are believed to be major causes of illness, especially mental illness.

Humor and sensual concepts relevant to health have native Malay terms (‘angin’, air or wind; ‘panas’, heat; ‘sejuk’ cool; ‘kotor’, dirty; ‘bersih’, clean). These conceptual foci have been reinforced through early and continuous contact with other societies participating in the ancient long distance sea trade involving China, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West.

Major themes in Malay culture are reflected in traditional medicine. These themes include profound enjoyment of details of
1. Food and drink
2. Register (vocabulary and grammatical levels) and dialects of Malay and related languages
3. Systems and levels of courtesy in their own and other social systems
4. One’s own social rank compared to others

Health and Illness in Malay Culture