Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Rice needs soil and water to grow. Rice is grown on vast spaces if land. Rice sustains life of an individual in a typical SEA community. Hence, the land which sustains the life of the individual is the land that she/he belongs to.
For riverince and coastal communities, the river or the sea would be their source of life. River provides mode of transport. Sea provides food.
Due to the connection and the bond between the individual and the surroundings, the notion of "tanah air" is very central to the life and culture of the Malay community.
Tanah tumpah darahLiterally: "soil where blood is shed"
Meaning: birthplace
Tanah pusakaLiterally: hereditary soil
Meaning: land inherited from past ancestors
Tanah hidupLit: living soil
Meaning: land used for growing crops
Tanah matiLit: dead soil
meaning: non-arable land
another part of SEA; 2:16 AM