SEAMEOSPAFA's video: Monkey and Chicken: Motif in Brunei Folklore

Brunei Darussalam is part of the Malay world. Before it became an Islamic state, Brunei experienced cultural periods of animism and Hinduism-Buddhism. Islamic thought in Brunei tampered the belief of animism as well as Hinduism-Buddhism. However, through Brunei folklore and its traditional literature we can find the remains of elements of animism. Therefore, this paper will discuss and examine elements of animism embodied in Brunei folklore. The material of Brunei folklore in reference will focus on folk tales and proverbs in relating to the taboo of two animals namely ‘ambok’ (monkeys) and ‘ayam’ (chickens). By looking at the structural elements of the folklore it will assist our understanding of why the people of Brunei consider these two types of animals as a taboo that brings bad fortune to them. However, due to the teachings of Islam, beliefs about the two animals, monkeys and chickens, are no longer maintained. In fact, they have been incorporated as a part of the Brunei cultural heritage. Keywords: Brunei folklore, Monkey and Chicken, Taboo, Islam, cultural heritage *This presentation was delivered by Dr Maslin Haji Jukim of Universiti Brunei Darussalam at SEAMEO SPAFA's programme activity, "Animism in the Arts of Southeast Asia", which took place at Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand from 8-9 August 2019. For more details on this event, visit the SEAMEO SPAFA website at: http://www.seameo-spafa.org/animism-in-the-arts-of-southeast-asia/