GUA MUSANG, Aug 3 (Bernama) -- Eighty per cent of the Orang Asli community in Kelantan continue to hold firmly to their traditional customs and beliefs, despite rapid modernisation and technological advancement, said Kelantan National Department of Culture and Arts (JKKN) director Rohaniza Abdullah.
She said a study conducted by the department found that the community was proud of its cultural identity and had begun leveraging social media platforms to showcase its uniqueness to the outside world.
Rohaniza said the community had continued to preserve their customs across generations up to the present day.
“The strength of the community lies in its ability to preserve its culture and identity in today’s modern world. Interestingly, young Orang Asli have used social media as a platform to introduce their heritage.
“The research conducted by JKKN has opened the eyes of many to the strong social and cultural values still upheld by the Orang Asli community,” she told reporters after the Penyemarakan Komuniti Budaya @ Komuniti Orang Asli programme at Pos Brooke, Lojing, here today.
According to Rohaniza, there were still many unique aspects of the Orang Asli community that had yet to be explored or were not widely known, which JKKN aimed to share with the public.
As such, she said the two-day programme focused on showcasing the uniqueness of Orang Asli culture through artistic performances, traditional games, and heritage food.
Rohaniza said one of the programme’s highlights was a cassava grating competition using rattan roots, a traditional technique passed down through generations.
“This is their traditional method of grating cassava, and by turning it into a competition, we are indirectly introducing the younger generation to their own culture,” she said.
She added that such programmes were among the key initiatives undertaken by the department to preserve the cultural heritage of the Orang Asli community for future generations to appreciate.
--BERNAMA
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