About Us

 Mah Meri Cultural Village is headed by Rashid Esa as Director, a long time activist and advocate of the orang asli cause. Since 1989 he has been organizing tour packages and marketing of crafts on behalf of the orang asli and have written books, produce documentaries and his work have been accredited by UNESCO, ASEAN  and the Malaysian Book of Records. He is the awarded the Craftsmen Award of Malaysia by the Ministry of Culture and Woodcraft Warrior of Malaysia by DiGi a telecommunication company in Malaysia.  The cultural village serve as a model of a partnership between the government, orang asli and the private sector. 

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear friends, 

It has been more than 10 years since we started and we are extremely fortunate to be able to survive this long, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic. No other challenge is greater than the pandemic, yet we struggle through with more de-termination and sense of purpose. With friends and partners a total of RM 288,000 of food and other necessities were distributed to our participating orang asli communities during the pandemic. Since then we have recorded about 5,000 visitors to Mah Meri Cultural Village, outlets and exhibitions. We are proud to announce the publication of our second book titled Moyang after the first book titled Bunga Moyang which is now available in Malay, English and Japanese. Bridging the link between cultures has become an institution for Carey Island with the Mah Meri Community. Their art in sculpturing spirit sculptures, weaving pandan and rituals have played a vital role in sparking considerable interest in the indigenous communities in Malaysia. From the time of William Walter Skeat (1899), who was the assistant District Officer of Kuala Langat, Shahrum Yub (1966), Prof. Roland Werner (1975) , and Anthony Ratos ( 1980), the Mah Meri unique culture had spread far and wide and we at the cultural village will con-tinue to pursue this legacy. When most if not all orang asli related ventures have failed and some faces extinction like the Jah Hut tribe of Pahang, painstaking efforts by Prof. Roland Werner and others prove futile. With all your support we are sure this legacy of Carey Island will carry on. I am pleased to announce more packages relating to the orang asli community & culture and reaffirm Carey Island as Pulau Seni Orang Asli. Rashid Esa 

Director

BACKGROUND

The story of how the Cultural Learning Center at MMCV came to serve the community of Carey Island in the district of Kuala Langat, Selangor is a story of many people whose collective vision made it what it is today.  It’s the story of young men and women who wanted to bring their Mah Meri cultural heritage back to life. It’s the story of community elders, community partners, who wanted to pass along their knowledge to the young, especially those in need of guidance. And it’s the story of all the educational partners, from archaeologists to community service organizations, government official, corporations, individuals and ministers who through sweat and determination helped make this vision a reality.

 According to tradition the villages were founded due to consistent attacks by pirates. They moved inland onto the island seeking shelter. The moyangs protected them by covering their trails with spider webs and showed them location of the moyangs abode. So they build them rumah moyang or house of the moyang and latter build their dwelling homes near the site, If you visit Carey Island today, you will see Sok Gre’ the sacred mountain towering above the island reach sharply to the clouds, catching the rain. 

It use to be the rice bowl of the island providing for raw materials for cultural and rituals events, herbs for healing and food. Once a watch tower for incoming enemies and housing their ancestral spirits, it is now out of bounds to the islanders due to the activities not conducive to local traditions. Water flows down the hill from the sea in turn rises as tides filling the streams that feeds the inter tidal muddy areas with vital nutrients and, so that nature take nothing from the land without giving something back. And in the coastal swampland , up to their knees in mud, are the villagers and their children, collecting shellfish for the much needed supplement for their diet.