Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese and Indians living side by side. The Malays are the largest
community. They are Muslims,
speak Bahasa and are
largely responsible for the political fortunes of the country. The Chinese comprise about a third of the
population. They are Buddhists and Taoists, speak Hokkein, Hakka and Cantonese, and are dominant in the business community. The Indians account for about 10% of the population. They are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India, they speak Tamil, Malayalam, and some Hindi, and
live mainly in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula. There is also a sizeable Sikh community. Eurasians and indigenous tribes make up the remaining population. Despite Bahasa Malaysia being the official
language, when members of these different communities talk to each other, they generally speak English, which was recently reinstated as the language of instruction in tertiary education.
The main indigenous tribe is the Iban of Sarawak, who number 395,000. They are largely longhouse dwellers and live along the Rejang and Baram rivers. The Bidayuh (107,000) are concentrated on Sarawak''s Skrang River. The Orang Ale (80,000) live in small scattered groups in Peninsular Malaysia. Traditionally nomadic agriculturalists, many have been absorbed into modern Malaysia.
Malaysian music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic
forms. The music is based largely around the
gendang (drum), but includes percussion instruments (some made of shells), flutes, trumpets and gongs. The country has a strong tradition of dance and dance dramas, some of Thai, Indian and Portuguese origin. Other artistic forms include
wayang kulit (shadow-puppets),
silat (a stylised martial art) and crafts such as batik, weaving and silver and brasswork.
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