Mak yong

Mak yong (Jawi: مق يوڠ‎; Thai: มะโย่ง, RTGS: ma yong) is a traditional form of dance-drama from northern Malaysia, particularly the state of Kelantan. It was banned by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party because of its animist and Hindu-Buddhist roots which pre-date Islam in the Asian region by far, but the ban was uplifted in 2019. The late Cik Ning was a leading mak yong performer in the 1980s. In 2005, UNESCO declared mak yong theatre a "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity". Although most traditional Malay dances were influenced by India, Java, and other parts of Southeast Asia, Mak yong's singing and musical repertoire are unique to the region. Of the major stories performed in Mak yong, most are derived from Kelantan-Patani mythology. Some of those obtained from outside the Malayan-Thai region have now died out elsewhere, such as Anak Raja Gondang, a story originally from the Buddhist Jataka tales but now almost unknown in India. A performance begins by paying respect to the spirits (semah kumpung) with an offering. This is followed by dancing, acting, and improvised dialogues. Stories were presented in a series of three-hour performances over several nights. The lead dancer is called the Pak Yong and dresses like a king. The cast usually includes a queen in second lead, palace girls, and jesters. Traditionally, all performers were female except for the clowns who are always male.¶

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Mak yong”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.¶

Mak yong is performing art originating from Malaysia, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition.¹¶

The source record links this tradition to 5 external registers, which can be verified through the citation.¹¶