INTRODUCTION

Humans are born with natural beauty. Yet it is in their innate nature to enhance

their looks and to accentuate nature’s gift with assorted accessories. Personal

adornments have been worn by humankind right from a young age and

especially by female children.

History records that personal accessories have been worn by people since the

early civilisations. The Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia have made dramatic

changes to their appearance from primitive clothing which cover just their private

parts to the more modern apparel of today.

Primitive communities have applied their artistic skills to engrave and paint their

bodies in a bid to beautify themselves. Designs usually take on the flora and

fauna motifs and these were imprinted on their bodies as tatoos. The body art of

today can be traced to the beliefs and cultural traits of a particular race. With the

passing of time, exquisite costume jewellery and personal accessories have

replaced the old arts in accentuating personal beauty .

CAPING

The heart-shaped ‘modesty piece’, known in the Malay language as caping or

cawat, measures about 6 cm x 7cm and is made to cover the modesty of both

male and female infants aged about 9 months. In the previous century, it was

worn as part of children’s attire, especially by young girls in the northern and east

coast states of Peninsular Malaysia, and in Sabah and Sarawak. The caping is

not so widely used in the other states of Malaysia.

The cawat is custom-made using various materials depending on the status of

the wearer. For the royalty and aristocrats, selected silversmiths would be

assigned to craft fine cawat intricately carved in gold.

The manner of wearing the cawat differs according to the family’s status in

society. A different protocol is applied for the royalty, especially in choosing the

strings with which to tie the caping at the waist. These strings would be of one or

two colours from a range of white, yellow, red, green and purple. Yellow and

purple were reserved for the royalty while the rest of the people could choose

white, red or green though yellow was forbidden. The non-Malays often preferred

the strings in black, a practice influenced by the Indians who believed that the

colour would protect the wearer from any ill luck or misfortune.

HEADGEAR

According to Malay annals, the headgear has been worn since the beginning of

the Melaka Sultanate. Wearing the Malay attire without the headgear at official

functions in the presence of heads of districts/states is considered improper.

However, the type of headgear to be worn is not specified.

Folklore and reliable old records note that, supposedly, even in the days of glory

of the Melaka Sultanate, the common people, irrespective of race or religion,

were required to wear full traditional attire to be in the presence of the sultan. An

individual was, therefore, considered improperly dressed if he/she did not have

headgear or did not tie up his/her long hair with a piece of cloth, a string made

from the bark of a tree or a one-inch wide goat skin before presenting

himself/herself to the sultan.

TYPES OF HEADGEAR

DESTAR

The destar is a type of headgear, also known as the bulang hulu, tengkolok,

setangna kepala or tanjak. The different names are derived from the respective

localities. In Perak, the destar is better known as the tengkolok, in Selangor it is

the setanjak while the bulang hulu is the exclusive headgear of the royalty; the

puntal bersering, ikat kepala or semutar is common among the fishermen in

Kelantan and Terengganu.

The Minangkabau community call it the destar while the descendents of the

Bugis know this headgear as the tengkolok or setanjak.

TENGKOLOK

The tengkolok was first made during the Melaka Sultanate, as recorded in the

Malay annals.

Its design depended on the creativity of the old Malay society. A square-shaped

piece of cloth is required to craft a tengkolok. Today, the tengkolok is often used

by the groom at his wedding. On the wedding dais, the bridal couple, considered

as royalty for the day, is dressed in full attire just like the king and queen on the

throne. The tengkolok worn by the grooms of today is usually enhanced with

jewellery.

The tengkolok worn by His Majesty the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 31 August

1957 was dubbed as “DENDAM TAK SUDAH” (UNRESOLVED VENGEANCE).

This tengkolok is decorated with a crescent and an 11-pointed star studded with

66 diamonds and decorated with the colourful crest of the Malaysian

government.

SETANJAK BALUNG RAJA

This headgear made of yellow songket is part of the official attire of His Highness

the Sultan of Selangor and is worn at the Selangor state royal functions such as

the coronation ceremony and the sultan’s birthday. The design of this headgear

was inspired by the Tengkolok Balung Ayam of Perak, following the marriage

between the Selangor and Perak royal households.

SETANJAK LANG PATAH SAYAP

This headgear is part of the official attire of the Panglima Diraja Selangor. The

pucuk sirih is placed on the right while the daun tajuk is on the left.

TENGKOLOK ALANG

This creation was once worn by the late Sultan Abdul Samad. According to

records, the sultan was very adept at tying the tengkolok himself.

JUSTAR DIRAJA

This headgear, made of gold, was worn by a Regent of Johor, the late Sultan

Ismail, at his wedding to Ungku Tun Aminah in 1920. The original shape of the

justar was adapted from Riau. This creation was named ‘Singa Menoleh’. The

justar was later made from cloth. This decorative headgear was worn in Johor

more than a century ago.

THE CROWN (MAHKOTA)

The crown is worn at the coronation of sultans only from the states of Johor,

Selangor and Kelantan.

KOPIAH

Keeping the head covered by the Muslim males is encouraged except when they

are performing the haj in Mecca. A manner of covering the head for the males is

by putting on the kopiah (skull cap). It is mentioned in the traditions of Prophet

Muhammad, which is, therefore, to be emulated by all Muslim males. It is also

the common practise to tie a scarf around the kopiah. As this was practised by

the Prophet, the manner of wearing the kopiah is widely worn in all Muslim

countries.

The wearing of the kopiah differs from that of other headgear such as the

songkok, bandanna and hat, in that they are encouraged but not the practice of

the Prophet.

SELENDANG

The selendang is usually narrower and lighter than the shawl (selendang

panjang). However, it is preferred for it is easy to wear. It is usually draped on

one shoulder or on both shoulders; sometimes covering the head and shoulders;

wound around the body or tied at the waist; or draped round the shoulders with

the ends hanging at the back, with one end tied to the hand and the other falling

free before the wearer, or in various other styles.

The selendang is usually made of tie-dyed silk and is also known as the kain

limar. It is sometimes edged with gold thread, made of songket or embroidered

with golden floral designs.

In Kelantan, the selendang is worn by womenfolk as the kain kemban (cloth

covering the upper body) which is part of the Cik Siti Wan Kembang costume.

It is also used during the lenggang perut ceremony when the woman is seven

months pregnant. The ceremony is held to wish for a safe delivery of the baby.

CUCUK SANGGUL

The cucuk sanggul (hairpin) is a personal decorative item among the Malays,

Indians and Straits Chinese as well as the Portuguese. It is an essential item in

hair fashion.

This traditional hairpin is used to keep in place the buns of Malay women. It is

usually made of gold or silver and worn in odd numbers of threes, fives or sevens

by brides and traditional dancers.

HAIR COMBS

This item is used for hair-grooming. In early times, the Orang Asli made combs

from tree branches to groom hair. Combs were also made from bamboo, bone,

ivory, horn and tortoiseshell.

With time, the hair comb has been used as a hair decorative item, fixed on the

bun to enhance its attractiveness. In the 18th century, shells and leather were

used in the making of the comb. To add to its beauty, gold or silver pieces have

been added to its motifs.

Among the Malay and Straits Chinese societies, hair combs would be fixed to the

buns diagonally.

TOOTH ACCESSORIES

Tooth accessories were very popular among the Malay, Indian and other

communities. This was done purely for aesthetic purposes. Gold, silver or brass

were the elements commonly used. Crowning could also be considered as tooth

art.

TOOTH CROWNING

Tooth crowning is administered after the tooth has been whetted with a fine

whetstone or a metal file. Crowning is usually done for the more prominent tooth

to give the individual a winning smile.

While some crown a tooth to hide a bad tooth, others do it to enhance its looks.

NECK ACCESSORIES

Since ancient times, mankind, especially women, have worn all kinds of neck

accessories. These can be categorised into three types: neck chain, the dokoh

and the kalung.

CHAIN

The neck chain can be divided into various types, single or multi strand in

different designs: of clouds or geometric patterns. The organic motifs are

currently the most popular for they represent elements of nature. The neck chain

which has an attractive design and is strung with diamonds would be among the

more expensive range.

DOKOH

The long chain or dokoh is the preferred choice of women of the east coast. It

has been popular among them for the past 200 years.

The dokoh falls as a single strand accentuated by designed pieces on the left

and right sides of the chain. At times, a talisman is also attached to the dokoh.

The sukun leaf motif is usually engraved onto the dokoh pieces through various

techniques. The popular technique is through the means of the pahat silat which

imprints nature motifs.

Some believe that the dokoh was introduced by the Indians to replace the bunga

malai (floral garland).

AGOK

The agok belongs to the dokoh family, the only difference being its shape. The

agok is made of a single big piece attached to a chain. Resin is poured into its

three-dimensional shape so that its fall is secure and stable.

KALUNG

The kalung is an elaborate chain that hangs down from the neck covering the

chest. It is also known as the kalung pengantin (bridal chain) or the kalung

pelerang depending on the dialects of the respective districts.

The cut-diamond pattern, known as the kida-kida, was once popular among the

people of Johor. This kalung is usually made in silver dipped in or dusted with

gold. However, the kalung worn by the royal couple are usually made of real

gold.

In modern times, kalung of various types and designs have been fashioned into

awards of merit representing each state in Malaysia. Today it has become

fashionable for award recipients to wear the kalung at official functions and

investiture ceremonies. In this way, we can be assured that the tradition of

wearing kalung will continue to be upheld.

EAR ACCESSORIES

Ear accessories are common among all races in Malaysia. In the Malay

language, it is known by various names such as sunting malar, anting-anting,

subang, gelinya and kerabu, each different from the other. To wear the dangling

earrings and the ear studs, one would have to first pierce the ear. In traditional

societies, an ear-piercing ceremony would be held when a female child is about

six years old.

SUNTING MALAR

The sunting malar is the long earrings that dangle from the ear lobes. It is made

from silver or gold pieces; and is curve-shaped with decorative petals at both

ends.

The sunting malar is usually worn by palace dancers from Thailand, who were

brought into the country by Pattani Malays, as well as Indian women. This ear

accessory is still popular today in Kelantan.

SUBANG

These ear studs are worn on pierced earlobes. Malay goldsmiths often craft the

flower motif for the ear studs which are either round or square. When worn, the

studs stay fixed to the earlobes.

ANTING-ANTING

The anting-anting (dangling ear-rings) is also known as gelinya depending on the

dialects of the respective districts or states. The anting-anting or gelinya droops

down while the ear studs stick to the earlobe.

BELT ACCESSORIES

In the olden days, man would use plant/tree roots, rattan and straw to fasten

loincloths, trousers and wraparounds. With civilisation, these have been

transformed into a variety of belts complete with buckles and hooks made of

gold, silver, gold alloy, leather and plastic.

BUCKLE

The decorative buckle (pending) is a Malay traditional item that is less popular

today. At one time, it was considered as an accessory and was made of metal,

steel, brass, silver or gold.

Records show that the decorative buckle was commonly used by aristocrats in

the 15th century. Cik Siti Wan Kembang, a lady of distinction from Kelantan, was

said to have worn a sash and the buckle (pending) to fasten her sarong. In those

days, the pending could be shaped like the human eye, round or square. Buckles

worn by the Malay rulers or higher officials were usually made from gold or gold

alloy though some others wore them in silver or black brass.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries the silver coin belt became fashionable. The

history of the buckle and its usage can be traced to the olden days when

plant/tree roots, rattan or straw was used to fasten the trousers or the sarong.

During the Melaka Sultanate, the bark of big trees was used.

The buckle, worn, at first, by Thai women, is believed to have been introduced to

the Malay peninsula by the Pattani Malays who had settled in the northern region

of the country. Besides the Malays, the Indian and the Straits Chinese

communities in Melaka had also popularised the item at one time. However, the

buckles belonging to these communities incorporated into their designs elements

of their belief systems.

The buckles made popular by the Indians and Chinese of Melaka display almost

similar designs except that each community modified the motifs to reflect its

religious beliefs and past symbols. The motifs differentiate between the Malays’

and non-Malays’ buckles. Buckles are also used by the Iban women of Sarawak

as part of their traditional formal attire. The design of these buckles and belts,

which are made of silver, is similar to those of the Chinese.

The royal buckle worn by His Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah is made of

gold inlaid with diamonds. It is a significant complement of the royal ceremonial

attire and bears the finely engraved royal insignia of His Highness.

To date, gold buckles have not been found in Sarawak or Sabah. However,

modern buckles have been designed and worn by local traditional dancers to

enhance their costumes. In this way, the present generation can also be familiar

with the buckles which could also have been prized gift items of traditional

society.

HAND AND FEET ACCESSORIES

Decorative hand jewellery that graces the wrist includes the bracelet and bangle while that which circles the arms is known as the pontoh or arm band/armlet. For the attire to be complete, feet accessories in the form of anklets (gelang kaki) or ankle bells (keroncong) are worn.

BANGLES

In the beginning, bangles were made of thick woven wires dipped or plated in gold. Bangles made of plastic, no less pretty, were also found. Young people, at whatever age and of whatever lineage, love wearing bangles and bracelets, without which they may feel incomplete. Bangles of gold or silver are custom-made for the rich, or at times gold coins may be strung to snugly fit individual wrists.

In the Malay language, bangles are known by various names such as the gelang belah rotan, gelang ular, gelang pintal (tali), rantai tangan (bracelet) and the cekak tangan (wrist band). It is usually the Chinese or Indian jewellers who craft the jewellery, applying their creativity to match it to the hands of their respective clients.

Just like bangles, anklets are usually designed in pairs. Anklets are commonly worn by Malay, Indian and Straits Chinese women. In Melaka, the bride in her traditional costume on the dais would be considered incomplete without anklets.

RINGS

The ring is widely featured in the old annals which describe the Malays, both males and females, as being decked with rings on their fingers.

Records document that the ring may have originated from the west or possibly from India which could have introduced it to Melaka. Indian influence is dominant in Melaka. Today, the fashion of wearing rings has spread, unnoticed, across the country swiftly like rice husks on fire.

The ring has so inspired the Malays and the Chinese that they have introduced local motifs while, at the same time, retaining the original designs. The more common style is a gemstone mounted on a collet with a finely crafted shank that complements the shape and colour of the gemstone. A ring reflects the level of craftsmanship and culture within a society.

The collet is usually finely whetted to hold the gemstone securely in place. It appears elegant, attractive and lustrous when set on the shank.

Some rings hold the gemstones in a cluster, decorated with a leaf motif forming the claws.

BODY ACCESSORIES

TALISMAN

The talisman is often associated with a society’s animistic beliefs, be it among

the Malays, Chinese, Indians or the other ethnic groups. The talisman serves as

a protection against threats and man-made catastrophes.

Among the Malays, the talisman is of two types: with Quranic inscriptions or in

the form of objects such as bone, skin, wood, iron chip, solids and others. These

objects or Quranic inscriptions are put into a container or a case and tied at the

hips or round the arms. Some wear the talisman around the neck as a locket. A

well-designed talisman serves as a personal accessory besides being a shield

against evil intentions.

The talisman is put in a case that comes in various shapes depending on the

craftsman or the wearer. It is usually oval-shaped with two loops for the string or

multi-coloured threads picked by the village medicine man (bomoh) or medical

practitioner.

Initially, the case for the talisman was made of brass or silver but later, talismans

which were meant for aristocrats were put into gold cases.

SUSUK

The susuk is used to enhance one’s beauty, be it for men or women. At one time,

it was very popular among the Malay community. Then, only the rich could afford

it for it was very expensive.

There are two ways of using the susuk: in ancient times the susuk made of gold

dust was applied to the face; the susuk could also be two gold particles or needle

implanted into the cheeks, one on each side. The bomoh recites incantations as

he undertakes this process. At first, the bomoh fills up a glass container with

water and mixes it with ingredients such as kayu kelemboh, kasturi and bunga

melor. These are left to soak in the water for ten days. This practice is quite

common in Kelantan and Pattani. The prepared formula is known as “air bijan-

bijano” or “air sulung barat”. It can also be used to treat one who has been

inflicted by trauma (related to death).

The formula is then poured onto a ceramic plate and mixed with gold paste

(whetted gold) for 15 minutes until it dilutes. The paste is then applied to the

cheeks and the whole face and then left to dry. The individual then wears this

mask for a whole night. Those interested must not wash their face a day prior to

this process.

The susuk practitioner recites incantations before others are able to see the

individual’s face to ensure that the susuk works.

Another approach is by implanting two gold particles, the size of a fish roe, into

both cheeks. This has to be done on a night of the full moon. During the process,

the individual is not allowed to see himself/herself in the mirror.

This practice, however, is against the religious teachings of Islam. Proof has it

that when the susuk is taken out, the face of the wearer will turn ugly within six

months. The process of removing the susuk can only be undertaken by a medical

practitioner or a bomoh.