MALAY MAGIC BY WALTER WILLIAM SKEAT (1866-1953)

MALAY MAGIC: Being an Introduction to the Folklore and Popular Religion of the Malay Peninsula.

The book is one of the most important—and most controversial—books ever written about Malay culture.

Published in London in 1900 by Macmillan & Co., with a preface by Charles Otto Blagden, "Malay Magic" by Walter William Skeat (1866-1953) was the first systematic attempt by a Westerner to document the world of Malay spells, spirits, taboos, and rituals before it disappeared.

When it was first published, it was considered a pioneering work on Malay beliefs and practices relating to age-old superstition and magic.

Who was Walter William Skeat?

Skeat was not a casual traveler. He was the son of the famous Cambridge philologist Walter William Skeat the elder, attended Highgate School and Christ's College, Cambridge, and joined the Civil Service of the Federated Malay States.

Stationed in Malaya in the 1890s, he began to study both the urbanized Malay people living near the coast and the aboriginal tribes dwelling inland. He was an English anthropologist who made his name writing on the ethnography of the Malay Peninsula.

His Malay was excellent for a colonial officer, and he collected manuscripts, charms, and oral testimony directly from pawang, bomoh, and village elders at a time when British influence was still limited inland. His second major work, "Pagan Races of the Malay Peninsula" (1906), was co-written with Blagden.

What is actually in the book?

The original edition is 686 pages with 7 figures and 28 plates. It is dense, but its organization is systematic.

1. Cosmology and Creation: It begins with an account of Malay beliefs about the creation of the world and natural phenomena—how the earth was made, the nature of the seven heavens, and the myths of the sun, moon, eclipses, and earthquakes.

2. The Pawang: From the third chapter onwards, Skeat devotes most of his attention to the Malay magician or shaman (pawang) and his relationship with the supernatural world. He describes the initiation, paraphernalia, and language of the pawang—including the special tabu vocabularies employed in all departments of Malay magic.

3. The Spirit World: Skeat catalogues the Malay pantheon before Islam and alongside it:

• Semangat—the soul or life force in humans, animals, rice, and even minerals
• Hantu, Jembalang, Pontianak, Penanggal, Toyol, Polong—the ghosts and familiars
• Keramat—saint shrines and sacred places

4. Rites and Rituals: The book moves on to the rites and rituals of Malay life in relation to the natural world and magic rites affecting the life of Man. This includes:

• Birth, circumcision, marriage, and death ceremonies
• Paddy spirits (semangat padi), rice planting and harvesting magic
• Fishing, hunting, mining, and forest taboos
• House-building ceremonies, with ceremonial rice paste
• Charms, love philtres, divination, and protective amulets
• Incantations—Skeat records over 100 pages of Malay oral texts and mantras verbatim, in both Malay and English translation

Nature noted at the time that "Skeat has done well in collecting such information in the Malay Peninsula, whilst it is still to be obtained."

Why it still matters—and why we read it carefully today

For Malaysians, "Malay Magic" is a double-edged knife.

As a historical archive: Many of the chants, pantangs, and rituals Skeat recorded in Selangor, Perak, Pahang, and Kelantan in the 1890s are no longer practiced. The book preserves a pre-modern Malay worldview where Islam, Hindu-Buddhist heritage (he notes Batara Guru as a supreme God accepted by Malay magicians), and older animism co-existed.

As anthropology: It is an introductory work on folklore and popular religion written in the late 19th century that explores the rich tapestry of beliefs, customs, and magical practices. Modern scholars of anthropology, religion, and Southeast Asian studies still cite it.

As a colonial lens: Skeat was writing as a colonial officer. He called what he saw "magic" and "superstition"—terms Malays themselves would not have used. He was fascinated by what he saw as exotic and sometimes misinterpreted Islamic practices through an animist lens. Reading it today requires understanding that bias.

The book is now in the public domain and available on Project Gutenberg and Wikisource. A modern reprint with an introduction by Hood Salleh was also published.

"If you grew up hearing about semangat, badi, saka, or why you cannot cut your nails at night," Skeat tried to write down why your grandparents believed it. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, Malay Magic is where that conversation in English started."

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

5/9/2026: 11.53 p.m.

C.W. HARRISON : THE MAGIC OF MALAYA (1916)

"The Magic of Malaya" by Cuthbert Woodville Harrison is a 1916 collection of short stories / sketches of colonial Malaya.

Published London: John Lane, The Bodley Head and New York: John Lane Company, MCMXVI. Dedicated "To My Wife".

Author

C.W. Harrison (1874–1946) was a British officer in the Malayan Civil Service. He retired before publishing his later administrative memoir "Some Notes on the Government Services in British Malaya" (1929), but had already written "The Magic of Malaya" (1916) and "An Illustrated Guide to the Federated Malay States" (1920).

Some of the stories first appeared in the Straits Times and the Malay Mail.

The book is listed in HathiTrust / Internet Archive as public domain and is readable as page images - full text is on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/magicofmalaya00harr

What it is about

It's not a history textbook. It's 17 semi-fictional vignettes of life on the rivers, plantations, tin mines and small towns of the Federated Malay States, told from the point of view of a District Officer. The tone is colonial but unusually sympathetic to Malay, Chinese and Orang Asli (Sakai) characters, with a lot of attention to pawang, superstition, jungle spirits, and the "magic" that gives the book its title.[shaman]

The title story Pawang Helai opens with Li Wang, a Chinese river pedlar on the Sungei Suang:

"THOSE who are familiar with the bland pervasiveness of the Chinese in the Malay Peninsula will find nothing strange in the existence of Li Wang."

Li Wang trades "jungle produce" - gutta, rattan, damar, honey, deer horns - for shoddy mirrors, biscuits, salted chillies, tobacco, parangs and enamelled iron pots to the aboriginal tribes.

Contents - 1916 first edition

From the Contents page:

Later reprints were issued in the Primary Sources, Historical Collections series as "The Magic Of Malaya, With A Foreword" By T. S. Wentworth.

I. Pawang Helai - The one the book opens with.

Chinese river pedlar Li Wang on the Sungei Suang trades mirrors, bad biscuits, salt, cloth for jungle produce from the Sakai. He never banks his money, keeps it hidden in his boat, and likes to count it on a bank near a salt-lick. Young Sakai Aremon sees it and brings Pawang Helai, the magician, to rob him. His two miscalculations - showing his accounts, and counting money in the open - lead to his death. It's Harrison's thesis: magic = knowledge of the jungle.

II. The Place of Death

A Malay village that is abandoned because a death has made it sial - unlucky. How Malay ideas of semangat and taboo work.

III. Romance is Dead

A cynical District Officer story - a white man comes East expecting Joseph Conrad romance and finds ledgers, fever, and a Malay marriage.

IV. The Hallucinations of Mat Palembang

A Malay policeman gets malaria and sees hantu.

V. Without Benefit

A rubber estate coolie line and the colonial court.

VI. The Room of the Captain

A haunted rest-house on the coast - about sailor superstitions meeting Malay ones.

VII. Ah Heng

Second Chinese trader portrait - the shopkeeper creditor in Kuala Suang who keeps Li Wang's debt alive in his books.

VIII. The Sinking of the Schooner

River and sea transport, a practical story about a badly loaded schooner of tin.

IX. Exceedingly Venomous

About snakes, scorpions and the Malay knowledge of them.

X. The Malay Servant

Harrison's affectionate, very colonial, essay on his boy - loyal, lazy, dignified, incomprehensible to newcomers.

XI. The Bullock-Cart Driver

The Tamil / Malay bullock cart as the backbone of the interior before the railway.

XII. The Shoal of the Skull

A river horror story - a sandbank where skulls collect after a tribal fight.

XIII. Malacca

Travel sketch of old Malacca - Portuguese ruins, Dutch Stadthuys, Malay fishermen.

XIV. A Beri-Beri Hospital

Life in a colonial hospital, with dysentery and beri-beri among Tamil labourers.

XV. On the Path

Jungle trekking, how Sakai read a trail that a white man cannot see.

XVI. The Accident

A mining / railway accident and how the colonial administration handles compensation and bomohs.

XVII. The Tin-Stealers

Dulang washers stealing tin ore - Harrison was a mining warden - and their tricks.

Glossary at the end of Malay terms: pawang, hantu, saka, tuba, damar, rattan, parang etc.

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

5/9/2026: 8.02 p.m

KISAH UMMU SIBYAN, adakah ia kisah shahih?

Ini kisah yang telah tersebar......

Bukan Tamu, Inilah Wanita yang Suka Datang ke Rumahmu Pada Waktu Maghrib

Memang siapa yang hendak bertamu ke rumah orang pada waktu maghrib? Maghrib adalah saat dimana matahari sudah tenggelam namun masih muncul dengan sinar yang terkadang berwarna jingga atau merah menyala. Pada waktu itulah, seluruh umat Islam diperingatkan untuk segera menutup pintu dan jendela sambil mengucapkan bismillah agar wanita ini tidak datang ke rumah.

Siapakah wanita itu? 

Apa yang dia lakukan di dalam rumah kita? 

Ketahui bahwa dia bukanlah wanita baik, namun mampu membahayakan anak dan wanita yang sedang hamil.

Mungkin ada yang pernah dengar nama *Ummu Sibyan* atau pun tidak sebelum ini, *Ummu Sibyan* ini adalah kaum jin dari kaum perempuan yang suka mengganggu bayi dan anak yang berusia kurang dari 2 tahun serta wanita hamil. Sebab itulah anak-anak yang baru lahir harus diazankan terlebih dahulu agar bayi itu tidak di ikuti oleh jin ini.

Apa Kerja Jin *Ummu Sibyan?*

Kerja dia tak lain tak bukan adalah Mengganggu bayi yang baru lahir dan anak-anak (biasanya kurang dari 2 tahun) serta wanita yang hamil.

Jin *Ummu Sibyan* memiliki wajah yang mengerikan dengan mata 1 yang besar dan berjalan di dinding seperti cicak , *Ummu Sibyan* juga dapat mengikat rahim wanita serta membunuh bayi yang masih dalam kandungan.

Seperti yang di ceritakan dalam kisah “jin *Ummu Shibyan* Dengan *Nabi Sulaiman*”, jin ini mampu masuk ke dalam rahim orang perempuan dan mengikat rahimnya serta menyumbat dengan tujuan agar kaum itu tidak mengandung.

Diceritakan juga jin ini masuk ke dalam perut orang perempuan yang hamil, di waktu janin di dalam kandungannya sedang tumbuh jin ini akan menendangnya, maka berlakulah keguguran dan jadilah rahimnya kosong semua.

Sungguh mengerikan bukan? 

Bagaimana tandanya jika seorang bayi terkena gangguan jin *Ummu Sibyan*, diantaranya adalah.

1. Bayi menangis melalak (matanya terbeliak memandang keatas/sudut tertentu)

2. Anak-anak jatuh seakan-akan didorong

3. Mengigau sambil menggemerutukkan gigi berulang kali

4. Demam panas hanya setelah Asar sampai sebelum Subuh

Akibat gangguan di atas akan mengakibatkan hal seperti ini.

1. Sawan tangis

2. Autisme (over hiperaktif)

3. Nakal dan keras kepala

4. Malas

Tanda-tanda Wanita Hamil Terkena Gangguan Jin Ummu Sibyan

1) Rasa sesak dada terutama setelah waktu asar, yang mungkin berlangsung sampai tengah malam

2) Kusut fikiran

3) Sakit di bahagian tulang-tulang belakang

4) Mengigau ketika tidur

5) Bermimpi dengan mimpi yang menakutkan

Cara Mengelak dari Gangguan Ummu Sibyan

1) Tutup pintu dan jendela rumah waktu Maghrib

2) Jangan angkat atau masukkan baju yang sudah dijemur diluar rumah pada waktu Maghrib (jemuran tak kering)

Cara mengatasi gangguan pada bayi/anak

1) Meniarapkan bayi/anak jangan matanya melihat ke arah itu, baca ayat Qursi dan Surah 3 Qul kemudian tiup ke ubun-ubunnya sampai berhenti menangis. 

2) Halau dengan bahasa sendiri seperti "wahai Ummu Sibyan pergilah kau keluar dari rumahku dan jangan ganggu anak anakku"

InsyaAllah....Ummu Sibyan akan pergi......

SOALAN :

Assalamualaikum Dr Rozaimi, adakah kisah berkenaan UMMU SIBYAN ini shahih? Sudah ramai yang sebar.

DR ROZAIMI RAMLE MENJAWAB:

Waalaikumussalam

HADITH tentang UMMU SIBYAN ini DAIF namun hadis larangan kanak-kanak berkeliaran pada waktu senja sahih kerana waktu syaitan berkeliaran.

Dari sahabat Jabir radhiallahu’anhu, bahwa Nabi Shallallahu’alaihi Wasallam bersabda:

( إِذَا كَانَ جُنْحُ اللَّيْلِ أَوْ أَمْسَيْتُمْ فَكُفُّوا صِبْيَانَكُمْ ، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنْتَشِرُ حِينَئِذٍ ، فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ سَاعَةٌ مِنْ اللَّيْلِ فَخَلُّوهُمْ ، وَأَغْلِقُوا الْأَبْوَابَ ، وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ ، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَا يَفْتَحُ بَابًا مُغْلَقًا ، وَأَوْكُوا قِرَبَكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ ، وَخَمِّرُوا آنِيَتَكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ وَلَوْ أَنْ تَعْرُضُوا عَلَيْهَا شَيْئًا، وَأَطْفِئُوا مَصَابِيحَكُمْ ) رواه البخاري (3280)

“Jika malam datang menjelang, atau kalian berada menjelang maghrib maka tahanlah anak-anak kalian (di rumah), kerana ketika itu syaitan sedang bertebaran. Jika telah berlalu sesaat dari waktu malam, maka biarkan mereka (jika ingin keluar). Tutuplah pintu dan berzikirlah kepada Allah, kerana sesungguhnya syaitan tidak dapat membuka pintu yang tertutup. Tutup pula bekas minuman dan makanan kalian walau sekadar dengan meletakkan sesuatu di atasnya dan matikanlah lampu-lampu kalian” 

(HR. Bukhari 3280, Muslim 2012).

Tingkap dan pintu rumah perlu ditutup dan menyebut nama Allah dimalam hari dan tidak digalakkan dibuka jika tidak ada keperluan sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga dari kejadian yang tidak baik berlaku.

Dan jangan biarkan bekas-bekas makanan dan minuman tidak ditutup dan dianjurkan menyebut nama Allah ketika menutup bekas-bekas tersebut.

Ini semua dilakukan untuk mengelakkan gangguan syaitan. Wallahua'lam.

Page Dr Ustaz Rozaimi Ramle - Hadith

C&P

5 Julai 2026: 1.53 a.m

MALAY POISONS AND CHARM CURES - JOHN D. GIMLETTE

John D. Gimlette’s work is a cornerstone of colonial-era ethnography, though it's most famously known by the title Malay Poisons and Charm Cures (first published in 1915). Gimlette was a British residency surgeon in Kelantan for nearly 20 years, and his writing reflects a unique, albeit colonial, intersection of Western medicine and Malay traditional belief systems.

The Core of the Work

Gimlette’s primary objective was to document the "pharmacopoeia" of the Malay Peninsula. He approached the subject with the clinical curiosity of a doctor but ended up recording a vast amount of folklore that might have otherwise been lost to time.

• The Bomoh and Pawang: The book details the roles of traditional healers and shamans. Gimlette categorizes their work into two streams: the empirical (using herbs, roots, and animal products) and the magical (using incantations, spirits, and charms).
• Toxicology: A significant portion of his research focuses on local poisons—derived from plants like Ipoh (Antiaris toxicaria), various fish, and even insects—and the "charm cures" used to counteract them.
• The Supernatural Landscape: He provides vivid accounts of spirits like the Penanggalan (a disembodied head with trailing entrails) and the Mati-anak, framing them as "disease-inducing spirits" that locals believed were the root cause of physical ailments.

Historical Significance

While Gimlette was a man of his time—often viewing these practices through a lens of "superstition" vs. "science"—his work is valued today for several reasons:

1. Botanical Record: He meticulously cataloged hundreds of indigenous plants and their traditional uses, which remains a resource for ethnobotanists.
2. Syncretism: His observations highlight how 19th-century Malay magic was a complex blend of animism, Hindu-Buddhist remnants, and Islamic mysticism.
3. Medical History: It serves as a record of how colonial authorities interacted with (and often misunderstood) local medical knowledge.

A Note on Modern Reading

If you are diving into this today, it's worth noting that some modern readers find his descriptions a bit "monochrome" or clinical. However, for anyone interested in the darker, more obscure corners of Southeast Asian folklore—or the history of toxicology—it remains a definitive, if eerie, reference.

Fun Fact: Gimlette’s work was so well-regarded in its niche that it has been reprinted multiple times over the last century, often as part of the Oxford in Asia historical reprints series.

C&P

2/4/2026: 12.35 p.m

THE DAVY JONE'S LOCKER

Ah, the ultimate underwater "lost and found." In maritime lore, Davy Jones's Locker is the final resting place for drowned sailors and sunken ships at the bottom of the ocean.

While the phrase is now a staple of pop culture—thanks in no small part to a certain tentacle-faced captain in Pirates of the Caribbean—its origins are actually quite murky and fascinating.

The Origin Stories

There isn't one definitive source for the name, but historians have a few favorite theories:

• The Pub Owner: One legend suggests Davy Jones was a 16th-century London pub owner who used to drug his patrons and lock them in his ale locker before "selling" them to ship captains in need of a crew (a practice known as shanghaiing).
• The Biblical Connection: Some believe "Davy" comes from Saint David, the patron saint of Wales (who protected Welsh sailors), while "Jones" comes from Jonah, the biblical figure swallowed by a whale.
• A Real Pirate: Some theories suggest a real, though not very well-known, pirate named David Jones who was active in the Indian Ocean in the 1630's. 
• The Devil Theory: West Indian lore mentions a "Duppy" (a malevolent spirit), which might have been anglicized to "Davy."
• Malevolent Spirit: in early literary references, such as Tobias Smollett's 1751 novel "The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle"., Davy Jones is described as the "friend that presides over all the evil spirits of the deep", appearing before the hurricanes and shipwrecks. 

In Popular Culture

The "Locker" has evolved from a genuine sailor's superstition into a massive media trope:

• Literature: It was first mentioned in writing in the 1726 novel The Four Years Voyages of Capt. George Roberts. Even Herman Melville gave it a nod in Moby-Dick.
• Film: Bill Nighy’s portrayal in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise turned Davy Jones into a tragic antagonist who ferries souls to the afterlife—or keeps them in a purgatory of white sand and crabs.
• SpongeBob SquarePants: The phrase is often referenced for comedic effect, sometimes as a literal gym locker where the Flying Dutchman keeps souls and socks. 

The Reality of the Deep

In oceanography, there is no "locker," but there are places that feel just as mysterious:

• The Abyssal Zone: Most of the ocean floor sits between 3,000 and 6,000 meters deep.
• The Hadal Zone: The deepest trenches (like the Mariana Trench) where the pressure is immense and the environment is truly "alien."

Fun Fact: If you're "sent to Davy Jones's Locker," it's usually a one-way trip. Unless, of course, you're a protagonist with a very good scriptwriter.

Google Gemini AI

26 January 2026: 1.08 p.m

2018: MASS HYSTERIA AT SMK KETEREH, KELANTAN

The incident at SMK Ketereh in Kelantan on July 18, 2018, remains one of the most documented cases of "mass hysteria" (or Mass Psychogenic Illness) in Malaysian school history. It was a chaotic day that captured national attention and reignited debates between psychological and supernatural explanations.

What Happened?

The outbreak reportedly began in the morning and escalated rapidly, affecting a significant number of students and staff.

• The Scale: Approximately 39 students and 2 teachers were reported to have been affected by the "fits" or bouts of screaming.
• The Symptoms: Students described feeling "possessed," reporting sightings of "dark figures" or "shadows," followed by uncontrollable screaming, crying, and physical thrashing.
• The Reaction: The school was forced to allow students to go home early. Traditional healers (ustaz/bomoh) were called in to perform prayers and "cleansing" rituals alongside medical responses.

Psychological vs. Supernatural Perspectives

Malaysia has a unique cultural intersection where these events are common. Here is how the event was viewed through two different lenses:

1. The Clinical View (Mass Psychogenic Illness)

Psychologists often categorize these events as Mass Psychogenic Illness (MPI). It isn't "fake," but rather a real physical reaction to psychological stress.

• Stressors: High-pressure academic environments, strict discipline, or local anxieties can trigger a "conversion disorder" in one person, which then spreads through social contagion.
• The Mechanism: When one student screams, the high-stress environment causes others to subconsciously mimic the behavior as a release valve for their own pent-up anxiety.

2. The Cultural View (Hysteria/Possession)

In the local context, many attributed the event to gangguan (supernatural interference).

• Beliefs: It was suggested that construction on school grounds or the cutting down of old trees might have "disturbed" spirits.
• Resolution: This is why schools often opt for a combination of medical rest and spiritual rituals to calm the student body, as addressing the belief is often the fastest way to stop the spread.

Why 2018 was a "Peak" Year

The SMK Ketereh incident wasn't isolated; 2018 saw several schools in Kelantan and Perak reporting similar outbreaks. Experts suggested that social media played a role, as students seeing videos of other schools "succumbing" to hysteria increased the likelihood of it happening at their own.

Note: While these events are terrifying for those involved, they rarely result in long-term physical harm. The standard "cure" is usually school closure for a few days to break the cycle of anxiety.

PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Psychological research into the SMK Ketereh (2018) incident and the massive SMK Pengkalan Chepa (2016) outbreak provides a fascinating look at how cultural beliefs and mental health intersect in Malaysia. Researchers often describe Malaysia as the "Mass Hysteria Capital of the World" because of the frequency and scale of these events.

Here is a breakdown of the psychological findings and a comparison of these two landmark cases.

Comparison of Key Cases

Feature	SMK Pengkalan Chepa (2016)	SMK Ketereh (2018)
Duration	Lasted over a week; school closed for 3 days.	Happened in waves; recurring three times in one month.
Scale	Over 100 students and teachers affected.	Approx. 39 students and 2 teachers.
Visuals	Students reported seeing a Pontianak (female ghost).	Students reported "dark figures" and "shadows."
Response	Extensive media coverage; massive prayer sessions.	Rapid isolation of students; spiritual "cleansing."

Psychological Triggers: The "Why"

Researchers like Robert Bartholomew, a medical sociologist who has studied Malaysian hysteria for over 25 years, and local psychologists suggest several specific triggers:

• Social Contagion (The Nocebo Effect): In tight-knit groups, seeing a peer scream or faint triggers a "fight-or-flight" response in others. Because the cultural script for "possession" is so well-known in Kelantan, the brain interprets high stress as a supernatural event, causing the body to mimic the symptoms.
• Pent-up Stress (Conversion Disorder): Studies using the DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale) on affected students found that many suffered from "extremely severe" levels of anxiety and depression prior to the event. In conservative environments where students feel they cannot openly express emotional distress, the body "converts" that mental pain into physical symptoms like fits or screaming.
• Cultural Stereotyping: Research indicates that the Malay community often views hysteria as a disturbance by jinn or spirits. Because this belief is shared, it acts as a "catalyst." When a student feels a somatic symptom (like a racing heart or numbness), they don't think "panic attack"—they think "possession," which escalates the fear.

The Role of Gender and Age

Studies consistently show that teenage girls are the primary demographic affected. Psychologists suggest two reasons:

• Biology: Puberty-related hormonal changes can heighten emotional sensitivity.
• Sociology: In traditional settings, girls may face more social restrictions or pressure to be "submissive," leading to a greater accumulation of "unexpressed emotions." Hysteria becomes an unconscious "release valve" for this pressure.

Innovative Responses

The frequency of these events in Malaysia led Universiti Malaysia Pahang to develop an "Anti-Hysteria Kit" (priced at approximately RM8,750). While controversial among medical professionals, it contains items like vinegar, lime, and pepper spray—essentially combining "sensory shock" (to snap a student out of a trance) with spiritual symbolism.

Key Takeaway: Most modern researchers argue that the best treatment is a dual approach: Traditional healers to calm the community's "spiritual fear," followed by professional counseling to address the underlying academic or personal stress.

Google Gemini AI

26 January 2026: 12.18 p.m

Malaysian scientist unleashes the mystical force of traditional music to save nature!

Dr. Jillian Ooi performing 'Mantera Nelayan' with the Rhytm in Bronze troupe. 

By Elena Koshy

New Straits Time: 26 February 2023

"THERE'S something about the ocean," she murmurs, eyes faraway.

I can almost hear the waves crashing to the shore. It's mid-afternoon and we're seated in a cosy little music club tucked away on the first floor along a small stretch of restaurants in Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar. It's nowhere near the ocean, of course.

But Dr Jillian Ooi Lean Sim's quiet voice brings me to a different place; a place where the smell of seawater is strong and the endless view of the ocean — cobalt blue in patches, sea foam green in others — meets the eye.

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"I can't help but feel a sense of calm whenever I'm there," she continues, smiling. "I can't really explain it. I feel like I can do anything… solve problems… the possibilities are endless when I'm near the ocean."

But it's what's beneath the ocean that's given Ooi her life's mission — drawing attention to the plight of seagrass.

Every continent, save Antarctica, is ringed by stretches of seagrass. But these underwater "gardens" are fast becoming one of the most endangered ecosystems on earth.

Seagrass, less commonly known than its aquatic cousin seaweed, is often overlooked in providing a sustainable natural sanctuary for marine ecosystems. Like many other ecosystems, seagrass meadows are at risk of disappearing from the oceans because of climate change and land reclamation.

"We call seagrass the ugly stepchild of marine organisms," admits Ooi wryly, adding: "They don't get a lot of respect compared with corals and mangroves."

"Why not?" I ask, curious.

She shrugs her shoulders and smiles. "They're not as pretty," she finally replies. Looking at me, eyes shining, she blurts out: "But I find seagrass beautiful!"

Her passion is palpable.

It's unsurprising, considering that Ooi is one of the few seagrass experts in the country. Her life's work encompasses researching, mapping and raising awareness on this little-known and underappreciated marine life.

The genial ecologist from Universiti Malaya (UM) had also been selected as a 2022 recipient of the Pew fellowship in marine conservation, where she'd been granted a US$150,000 grant to study the growth and best methods to restore seagrass meadows, and raise awareness of its importance.

PLIGHT OF SEAGRASS

It seems inconceivable to think that the stretch of plain-looking "grass" beneath the turquoise waters play an outsize role in the health of the oceans. They shelter important fish species, sequester greenhouse gases, and filter harmful pollution and bacteria from the water.

With 16 recorded species of seagrass out of the 72 species globally, Malaysia ranks third in the world for seagrass diversity. The most diverse and highly developed seagrass communities are found in Sabah, Sarawak, and the southern and eastern portions of Peninsular Malaysia.

The chug… chug... chug… of the motorboat leads Ooi and her team of students to places where seagrass thrive. Under the blazing heat of the sun, they begin the painstaking activity of mapping the entire region of seagrass by dragging the underwater camera (attached to a GPS) beneath churning waters.

The work can be backbreaking, she admits dryly. "From spending up to nine hours a day out in the ocean, pulling the cameras and collecting data. If the cameras aren't clear, we dive in to check and take samples," explains Ooi. But mapping seagrass is vital. "If we don't know where it is, we can't protect it."

Seagrass occupy less than 0.2 per cent of the world's oceans and account for more than 10 per cent of all the carbon trapped in the sea. "Seagrass ecosystems are just as critical to coastal fisheries as coral reefs, if not more," reminds Ooi, adding that seagrass ecosystems also provide vital ecosystem services, such as maintaining water quality, stabilising the seabed and as natural coastal protection. Seagrass meadows serve as a nursery for juvenile fish and are feeding grounds for marine animals, including dugong, turtles and seahorses.

But across the globe, these meadows are vanishing at a rate of a football field every 30 minutes, according to a United Nations' report that states that up to seven per cent of seagrass habitats are being wiped out every year.

This emergency has compelled the UN to declare a formal World Seagrass Day on March 1 to raise awareness on preserving and conserving seagrass around the world.

There's also another compelling reason why Ooi is determined to ensure that the seagrass ecosystem is protected. "Losing our seagrass ecosystem will also affect the lives of a small group of people whom I feel a lot of affection for," she confides, voice heavy with emotion.

Her face clouds momentarily.

When the tide's low and the water recedes, the hardcore poor will be out there sifting through the seagrass bed to pick out crabs and sea snails that would be their only meal for the day.

"They exist!" she asserts, her eyes glistening. "They're not out there to make a living out of selling crabs and other marine creatures. They're out there to find food so their families can have that one good meal that they'd otherwise not be able to afford."

Ooi has been working with this community for the past one year. She'd been observing the community walking out on the exposed seabed with their children, carefully cradling their pick of crabs and snails in their tattered t-shirts.

She approached a man who showed her his pick — a single crab. "Is this all you're going to eat today?" she asked. The father of three replied: "This is for my children. My wife and I usually don't eat in front of them. We'll eat our rice and kicap (soy sauce) in our room after our children have eaten."

Ooi had interviewed many within the community and their stories are similar. "They're really the poorest of poor. They don't have a voice. I can't imagine how they'll cope if the seagrass completely disappears. They'll have nothing left to eat," she says, voice quivering.

A tear spills out and she dabs her eyes with a tissue. Everybody loses when our seagrass goes, insists Ooi quietly. "The repercussions of losing this vital ecosystem are inconceivable."

AMBITIONS THWARTED

If the lithe, ethereal-looking woman had her way, she'd be cloistered in a convent as a Catholic nun. "I always admired them when I was in school," she admits smiling, adding: "But when I was later sent for piano lessons, I did harbour dreams of being a musician!"

The eldest of three siblings confesses to disliking studying. "I didn't quite take to the maths and sciences. I got into trouble regularly with teachers. In fact, I remember being chased by the discipline master around the school!" she blithely shares, adding: "My mother was desperate. She'd go to church, invoking the help of all the patron saints!"

Things changed when Ooi entered university. "University life suited me. Compared to the rigid education system in school, this felt like a breath of fresh air. I found my footing and began to take an active interest in studying."

She also discovered another interesting pursuit in her third year at university. One day, she followed a friend to the Gamelan Club run by ethnomusicologist Sunetra Fernando. "I was there to watch a friend play. But Sunethra handed me the mallet instead. She didn't believe in bystanders!" recalls Ooi, laughing.

The young woman had no idea what the gamelan was all about. The groups of metal slabs and gong-shaped instruments that collectively form a basic gamelan ("orchestra" is a fair translation) make a sonorous world of beauty that reaches from the bottom to the top of the audible range.

Ooi was intrigued and the first strike of the gong resonated deeply in her heart. "I was instantly captivated," she recalls. Her piano training made it easy for her to pick up the instrument.

"The gamelan has only five notes. It was easy to learn it. I found that playing the gamelan gave me a sense of freedom I didn't experience otherwise. My work grounded me but music gave me wings. It was as simple as that!" she declares.

She soon began juggling studies along with playing the gamelan. "I played the gamelan when I wasn't studying or working. My work and my music were two separate worlds, but I was able to venture into both quite successfully."

After obtaining her first degree in social science, Ooi decided to delve into science for her Masters. "The thinking back then was that only science can solve problems. Social science, not so much."

Adding, she says: "I wanted to be able to learn all the scientific terminologies and hold a conversation with researchers. I later realised that it takes both the sciences to come up with solutions to environmental issues."

Ooi ventured into marine science and found the call of the ocean too strong to ignore. "It's so cliché, I know…" she says, with a sigh.

Sitting on the boat being surrounded by the ocean, she felt both weightless and happy. "I knew I was on the right path," she adds simply.

CHAMPIONING THE UNDERDOG

While working under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to track dugong in Johor, Ooi spent a lot of time in seagrass meadows mapping the dugong's feeding trails. She found herself fascinated with the plain-looking seagrass, which was often overlooked by other scientists.

"I've always been inclined to champion the underdog," she admits ruefully. "The seagrass isn't as sexy as marine animals or even coral reefs. Why would anyone be interested in this? But being an introvert, I often veered towards the overlooked and the unpopular."

From starting out as an environmental social scientist, Ooi shifted to studying marine plants, and eventually completed her PhD in seagrass biogeography at the University of Western Australia. She'd finally settled into her calling.

Deep underwater, Ooi hovers over the undulating meadows that stretches as far as the eye can see. Adjusting her eyes in the dim light, she quietly observes. Nothing happens at first.

Then a brightly coloured crab peeks out between the grass. Somewhere nearby, a dugong swims. As she watches, the underwater garden comes to life.

"It's peaceful," she says breathlessly. "It's not colourful like coral reefs. You might think nothing happens at first. But if you're patient enough, the magic happens. The seagrass holds so much of life within it. It's unbelievable."

Now, the scientist intends to replicate that magic into music. As the artistic and music director of Rhythm In Bronze (RIB), a gamelan group founded by Fernando, Ooi's in the midst of translating the beauty and secrets of the seagrass meadows into a multi-disciplinary gamelan piece to raise public awareness.

"For the longest time, I kept my work life and my music separate. They never overlapped. I now feel that was a silly thing to do. I believe that the performing arts can feed into my science and vice-versa." she says firmly.

Adding, Ooi muses: "If we bring them together and hold a conversation, we'll see more crossovers. Science will inspire performing arts and performing arts inspiring science. That's the whole point of doing this gamelan performance under the Pew project."

The language of nature has been steadily draining from the vocabulary of our culture. With the upcoming performances by RIB showcasing the seagrass, Ooi intends to buck that trend.

While music isn't going to reverse climate change or the decline of seagrass meadows, it's a step toward reversing the decline of nature in culture, and that matters. "If we want to change the world to safeguard nature and ourselves, we first have to see it. Art can do that," she insists.

In the meantime, her work continues. From extensive field and lab work to understanding the roots of seagrass and how they can grow well without being swept away by the ocean's currents; to working with local villagers, including fisherfolk and boat operators, the marine scientist is set on finding solutions to restore and rejuvenate seagrass meadows.

As she steps once again into the waters, her music will reverberate through the open seas like a siren song. Yet, instead of being a harbinger of death, Ooi's music will do quite the opposite — bringing life and hope to the secret gardens of the ocean. Seagrass undulates to a hidden rhythm, breathing life in its watery depths. And just like that, music is everywhere.

elena@nst.com.my

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14 October 2025: 4.07 p.m

MISTIK PULAU JEREJAK

Kredit: Jejak Alam Mistik

Lokasi Penjara atau Tempat Gangguan Mistik?

Pulau Jerejak, terletak di pesisir Pulau Pinang, sering dikaitkan dengan sejarah gelap dan aura mistik yang membuatkan bulu roma meremang. Walaupun terkenal sebagai destinasi percutian, pulau ini memiliki sisi seram yang jarang diperkatakan. Sejak ia dijadikan pusat kuarantin pesakit kusta dan penjara bagi penjenayah berbahaya serta tahanan politik, kisah-kisah misteri terus mengekori namanya. Benarkah Pulau Jerejak dihuni oleh entiti ghaib, atau adakah ia hanya mitos yang dibesarkan oleh masyarakat? Mari kita terokai sisi seram pulau yang digelar “Alcatraz Malaysia” ini.

Sejarah Gelap Pulau Jerejak

Pulau Jerejak mula menjadi perhatian apabila ia digunakan sebagai pusat kuarantin bagi pesakit kusta pada tahun 1868. Dengan kedudukan yang terasing, ia juga dijadikan lokasi penjara pada tahun 1930-an bagi banduan kelas berat dan tahanan politik semasa zaman penjajahan British. Bagi mereka yang pernah menghuni pulau ini, ia bukan sahaja penuh dengan penderitaan fizikal, tetapi juga gangguan spiritual.

Fakta Menarik:

• Pulau ini pernah menempatkan lebih daripada 1,000 banduan.
• Sebuah kawasan berhutan tebal melingkari pulau, menjadikannya semakin menyeramkan terutama pada waktu malam.

Cerita-cerita Seram di Pulau Jerejak

Pulau Jerejak sarat dengan kisah seram daripada pengalaman pelawat, bekas banduan, dan juga pekerja yang pernah bertugas di sana.

1. Penjaga Penjara dan Bayangan Tanpa Kepala

Seorang bekas penjaga penjara, Encik Ramli (bukan nama sebenar), pernah menceritakan pengalaman yang mengerikan. Katanya, pada suatu malam, dia terdengar bunyi tapak kaki yang berat menghampiri pos kawalannya. Namun, apabila dia menoleh, yang kelihatan hanyalah bayangan gelap tanpa kepala. Sejak kejadian itu, beliau menghidap mimpi buruk dan mengambil keputusan berhenti bekerja.

Pandangan Pakar: Menurut Ustaz Abdul Karim, seorang perawat Islam terkenal, gangguan seperti ini boleh terjadi di tempat yang pernah berlaku kezaliman atau penderitaan ekstrem. Hal ini selari dengan firman Allah dalam Surah Al-Jin (72:6): “Dan bahawa sesungguhnya ada beberapa orang lelaki daripada kalangan manusia meminta perlindungan kepada beberapa lelaki daripada kalangan jin, tetapi mereka menjadikan jin-jin itu bertambah sombong dan jahat.”

2. Pelawat yang Tersesat di Hutan

Puan Aisyah, seorang pelancong yang pernah bermalam di Pulau Jerejak, berkongsi pengalaman seramnya. Ketika berjalan-jalan di kawasan hutan, dia terdengar bisikan halus memanggil namanya. Meskipun takut, dia berusaha bertenang sehingga menemui jalan keluar. Namun, selepas pulang ke hotel, dia mendapati terdapat calar-calar halus di lengannya yang tidak diketahui asal-usulnya.

Komen Perawat Islam: Menurut Tuan Hamid, seorang pakar rawatan alternatif, tempat terpencil seperti hutan mudah menjadi lokasi “kediaman” jin kerana ia sunyi dan jauh dari manusia. Terdapat hadis yang menyatakan bahawa Rasulullah SAW mengajar kita membaca doa sebelum memasuki tempat asing: “A’udzu bikalimaatillaahit-taammaati min sharri maa khalaq” (Aku berlindung kepada Allah dengan kalimat-Nya yang sempurna daripada kejahatan makhluk-Nya).

3. Entiti Wanita Berbaju Putih

Salah satu kisah popular ialah kemunculan wanita berbaju putih yang dipercayai roh seorang bekas pesakit kusta yang tidak pernah keluar dari pulau itu. Menurut seorang saksi, kelibat wanita itu dilihat berdiri di tepi jeti pada waktu malam dan menghilang dalam sekelip mata, meninggalkan bau wangi yang aneh.

Mengapa Pulau Jerejak Dikatakan Berhantu?

Pulau Jerejak menyimpan banyak cerita tragis dan penderitaan manusia. Tempat yang menyaksikan penderitaan yang ekstrem sering dianggap sebagai “pusat energi negatif”. Terdapat teori bahawa emosi manusia yang kuat seperti kesakitan, ketakutan, dan kemarahan boleh kekal dan mencipta fenomena paranormal.

Pandangan Paranormal dan Pakar Sejarah

Menurut Profesor Dr. Hanafiah, seorang ahli sejarah tempatan, Pulau Jerejak bukan sahaja mencerminkan keganasan penjajah, tetapi juga menjadi simbol kekuatan roh yang tidak tenang. Walaupun begitu, beliau mengingatkan agar masyarakat tidak terlalu obses sehingga mengabaikan fakta sejarah sebenar.

Sebaliknya, menurut pendakwah bebas Ustaz Fauzi, terlalu mempercayai kewujudan makhluk ghaib tanpa memahami konteks agama boleh menjurus kepada syirik. Katanya, “Jangan jadikan cerita mistik sebagai ketakutan yang menguasai akal. Sebaliknya, jadikan ia pengajaran tentang keinsafan dan keimanan kepada Allah SWT.”

Adakah Anda Berani Mengunjungi Pulau Jerejak?

Bagi mereka yang gemarkan kisah-kisah seram dan pengalaman penuh cabaran, Pulau Jerejak mungkin menjadi destinasi pilihan. Namun, adakah anda bersedia menghadapi pengalaman yang tidak dapat dijelaskan dengan logik?

Cadangan Aktiviti:

• Lawatan berpandu ke tempat bersejarah di Pulau Jerejak.
• Perkhemahan malam bagi mereka yang berani.
• Rakaman video paranormal bagi mereka yang ingin menguji ketahanan diri.

Pandangan anda: Kami ingin mendengar pandangan anda! Pernahkah anda mengunjungi Pulau Jerejak? Adakah anda mempunyai pengalaman mistik yang ingin dikongsikan? Kongsikan cerita anda di ruangan komen dan jangan lupa untuk berkongsi artikel ini kepada rakan-rakan anda!

Kesimpulan

Pulau Jerejak bukan sekadar destinasi pelancongan biasa. Sejarahnya yang penuh tragedi dan kisah-kisah mistik menjadikannya satu lokasi yang penuh misteri. Walau bagaimanapun, kita perlu sentiasa berwaspada dan mengutamakan keimanan dalam menghadapi perkara ghaib. Seperti kata pepatah Melayu, “Takut tapi mahu.”

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Sumber Rujukan:

1. Al-Quran dan Hadis Shahih
2. Ustaz Abdul Karim dan Tuan Hamid
3. Penulisan Profesor Dr. Hanafiah dalam jurnal sejarah tempatan
4. JejakAlamMistik.com – Portal rasmi kisah seram dan mistik
5. Wikipedia Pulau Jerejak

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14 Oktober 2025: 1.46 p.m