Semai - Indigenous Tribe in Malaysia - Essay Example

The peaceful nature of the Semai is based on the social organization from which the tribe is composed, the lack of gender restrictions and social norms, and the beliefs and practices that guide their pacifistic attitude.

The lack of technology and advanced industrial techniques have left the Semai living a life, which would be considered primitive among many of the cultures currently existing in the world today. It is due to this lack of technology that they were driven to live in the northern parts and mountains of Malaysia. In addition, this has substantially had an effect on them not only culturally, but also economically and in their lifestyle. Since they are not very technologically advanced and they live in the more remote regions of Malaysia, sustainment is a key issue (F & D Nagh, 1998).

The Semai have practiced horticulturists and have learned how to adapt and grow plants in extreme environments. This comes as a result of many years of practice and tradition to get to the point where they can sustain their entire society comfortably. It can be inferred that the lack of technology and the isolation of the culture is what lead the Semai to be so peaceful. Many psychologists believe that anger and violence are learned traits in that modern children are sometimes exposed to violence at a young age. Since the Semai is well isolated and practices a policy of nonviolence, there is not an easy way for violence to pervade into their culture.

The social organization also plays an important role in the group dynamics of a tribe. Each tribe or collective culture in the world operates on a set of definitions such as their value and beliefs system, which dictates how the society acts and what each individual’s role in society is. In the Semai society, democracy and equality are promoted. Since there is no aggression and competition, this limits the chaos that appears in a normal society such as that in a city or a town of an industrialized and technologically enhanced society. By keeping to the rule of peace and no aggression, the democratic system of operating is able to function and everyone is able to coexist with one another (Moss, 1997).

As stated previously, the social organization of the Semai is based on the fact that they are a peaceful society. They work on a policy that everyone within a tribe is entitled to a say, hence the highly democratic nature. When it comes time to make decisions involving the community, they do meet at a central location and hold a town hall meeting. There is usually one person who presides over it; they do not control it. They just make sure that there is an organization to the whole meeting and that what is needed to be covered is addressed. Once again, the peaceful and equal nature of the Semai is what allows them to operate in this manner in comparison to other cultures in the world.

In many cultures, even the ones that are industrialized, there are gender differences and these often create problems in society. For example, in the competitive nature associated with the business in America, many females often refer to a “glass ceiling” in that there is gender discrimination as far as promotion within an organization goes. In gender structuring, there are also often roles, which are considered to be gender-dominated. In the case of the Semai, there is no determined gender structure, much like in their social organization. In addition, there is no real distinct courting measure that occurs between men and women. When a man and a woman live together in Semai culture, they are considered married without any type of ceremonial formality. Also, unlike in many cultures, the family line and in the organization of living, the male moves in with the female, not vice versa. This indicates that even though there are no assigned gender roles formally, the tribe still follows a matriarch in relation to the society of gender.

Lastly, the belief system and how it operates are unique to the Semai. They are a rather stagnant culture in that they believe in the suppression of emotion. This is practiced due to the fact that in order to suppress negative emotions, it is best to suppress all emotions so that anger and violence do not find their way out. They avoid situations at all costs which could possibly result in anger. There is also an emphasis on discipline and control of emotions. There is also the belief that the community functions as a whole and that sharing of resources is vital. There is no sort of exchange type system of barter for goods in Semai culture; instead, everything is shared collectively (Hay, 2003).

Conflict is a natural part of evolution and communication. Peaceful cultures such as the Semai seem to defy this natural capacity. It is due to a high belief system that nothing good results from the conflict that this society has maintained itself. As a result, this culture is able to function in a specific unique way that is not possible in most parts of the world. Read More