THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN - Malaysia Today

Matang Malays Steeped in Tradition 39
Makyong female dancers wore long curved gold-plated nail ornaments
– like Thai dancers. Sometimes, a female performer was seen running
after a male, hitting him repeatedly with a split cane, that made loud
noises, but hardly inflicting any pain. The male pakyong performer I
remember was a servant who, together with the clowns, trailed the
entourage of the wealthy prince and princesses. They moved in circles
in the small arena in the makeshift hut, joking and singing in merriment.
Sometimes, the dainty princess joined in the singing too. In this manner,
they moved from palace to garden, to mountaintop, to the forest, with
the faithful clown following them all the while.
Admission to the makyong was ten cents per person. The tickets
were ‘printed’ by writing the amount in red or blue on the inside of a
cigarette pack.
In 1918, when I was about eight, children wore the same clothes to
school, to play and to bed. We did not wear pyjamas. The sarongs we
wore were called ‘German pulaikats’, but some said they came from Japan
as the Germans were then at war with the British. The cloth was fairly
cheap and rough, and the colour ran. But no better quality sarongs were
easily available. Our tunics were made of equally rough material except
for those worn during the major Muslim celebrations of Hari Raya Puasa
and Hari Raya Haji, when they were specially stitched from silk, satin
or other soft fabric.
Hardly any Malay boy wore Western shirts or coats as they were
beyond our means. My first coat, made of khaki material, cost me all of
the $5.75 that it took me forever to save from selling mangoes. Stitched
by a squint-eyed Chinese tailor, two buttons adorned the ends of the
sleeves, which were worn slightly folded, in line with the fashion of the
day. I was as proud as a peacock in my shirt and coat.
We wore velvet songkoks of red, black, blue and green on our heads.
They were bought once a year, again to celebrate the Muslim holiday of
Hari Raya Puasa. But for the poor, a songkok was worn for so many
years that the velvet got so thin, its lining could be seen clearly.
Most boys did not wear shoes because they were not easily available
and were costly. There were black canvas shoes with black soles, but
despite being not durable were very expensive. Only two shops in the
entire town of Taiping sold shoes. But if a child attended English school,
a pair of shoes was a must. The ‘Bell’ brand, made by Tan Kah Kee
Company Ltd, was the most popular. They were expensive, but durable.
Malays recounted how the Chinese man who manufactured these shoes
had dreamt of a bell while searching for a suitable trademark. I still think
his shoes became popular because his name ‘Kah Kee’ sounds just like
the Malay word for feet, kaki.