Mah Meri – Hari Moyang Ritual (‘Ancestor Day’) at Carey Island
19 & 20 March 2015

Members of the Mah Meri tribe of Malaysia have just completed their annual ancestor-worship ceremony, an elaborate ritual involving dancers with intricately-carved masks who perform the historic Main Jo-oh dance for the annual Hari Moyang festival in Pulau Carey.From a tourism point of view the island’s main attraction is the Mah Meri community whose craftsmen are famous for their highly prized wooden carvings.The exact date is chosen by a council of elders, who are said to be given the appointed day when visited in dreams by the spirits of their ancestors.

This tribe is concentrated around Kampung Sungei Bumbun on Carey Island. Speaking a language with Mon-Khmer roots, the Mah Meri (meaning forest people) live in modest wooden houses and try to hang on to their traditional culture through practices like carving wooden spirits, traditional dances and music.

On the day of Hari Moyang (‘Ancestor Day’), each village gathers around a Spirit House, which is filled with flowers, incenses and food, to pay homage to their forefathers. The mixture is burned, the smell of which is believed to alert the ancestral spirits to the gift. The men don expressive masks carved from wood, which are similar to those made by Polynesian tribes, and wear a costume made of woven pandan leaves. The women dress in skirts, sashes and origami-like tiaras also made of pandan leaves and they make their traditional dress themselves. The dancers honour the spirits of their forefathers before going before the village shaman to receive their blessing.

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