Tujuh Keturunan: A Transition of myth society to 'modernized' community

Last Saturday, I invited to talk about Tujuh Keturunan, a novel by Abd Razak Adam which its title literally translated as Seven Generations. The talk held at Kolej Universiti Islam Melaka (KUIM), Kuala Sungai Baru, Melaka and organized by Ikatan Persuratan Melaka (IPM) or Malacca Literary Association. Among the speakers are a prolific writer who won SEA Write Award in 2011, Syed Mohd Zakir Syed Othman and a poet who also an academic at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Dr Shamsudin Othman.

I discussed Tujuh Keturunan from the aspect of transition of Malay rural traditional at pre-independent period to modernized Malay community at FELDA which happen after Merdeka (Independence). FELDA or Federal Land Development Authority is founded by the Malaysia government to constructed resettlement of rural community into agricultural structured settlement.

Interestingly, Tujuh Keturunan separated into two section; firstly, a traditional Malay which held a world-view compressed by a mixture of myth and religion elements and secondly, a more modernized mind of Malay but not exclude the Islamic aspect. It happen when Rahmat, the main character in this novel voluntarily participated with FELDA settlement that relocated him with other to a new land that still a forest.

When in his village, the myths still played a bigger role in term of giving the explanation about phenomenon happen in daily life. There was mysteriously midwife that had foster 'harimau jadian' (something like phantom cum tiger) or a man who had ability turning to a tiger (like werewolf in Western folklore) or a magical health treatment including licking by tiger. Also there was a kuntilanak (woman vampire) who reside at tall and shady tree; puaka (gnome maybe) who dangle at a tree or magical stick (certainly more bigger than Harry Potter and the others wizard's magical wand) which gave invulnerable strength to the owner.

But it not just about myth that occupied Malay rural life. It was also a religious aspect that gave a meaning to Malay world-view even if it not got a bigger explanation from the author. There was a aqiqah scene that blended with Malay syair berendoi among others. Berendoi is a ceremony that hold in conjunction of bercukur or hair cutting and shaving of a newborn's ceremony usually at the 7th day after his/her birth. After the cutting or shaving, the baby placed in endoi or swing with the performing of berendoi chatting.

The second phase in Rahmat life changed to more challenging because he and other settlers must cleared the jungle to pave the way for rubber cultivation. Because the vigorously struggle including under threat of wild elephants and food shortage, the myths that dominated in their former life had been disappeared. Now, it all about giving all the effort to make a life in a new land. The demand of modernization made them to ceased a part of their life but still maintain their religious aspect.

For me, Tujuh Keturunan is a good reading except it still can go further and deeper because there is so many thing the author could elaborate either in Malay rural traditional life or an early struggle of FELDA settlement.