THE JAH HET CULTURE

Among the little known Orang Asli of Pahang there is is one notable tribe which are the Jah-Het people. Also notable for wood-carvings which embody their belief in spirits. Since the Jah-Het have no written records, everything is connected with their culture and daily life is expressed in carvings.
Jah-Het festivals follow the Muslim calendar and held accordingly to the moon. Jah-Het have festivals for agricultural occasions such as planting of crops or harvesting. A special festival, 'Hari Bes', is held in November for all the evil spirits. On this occasion, the oldest poyang uses different types of leaves which are put into a bowl of water and blesses by sprinkling it under and around the house as well as on to the people of each house. These procedure is repeated in all Jah-Het houses.

In music, Jah Het people have many type of music instruments such as buloh keluntong and galong board, siloy(a mouth-flute made from bamboo), mouth-harp, and drum. However, usually Jah-Het woman plays the buloh keluntong on galong board while the man is singing.

In birth, it is a belief that the 'soul' of the child first inhabits in the 'soul bird'. As soon as the husband learns that his wife has conceived, he has to trap the 'soul bird' for his wife to eat. If the pregnant woman does not eat the 'soul bird' during her early days of pregnancy, her child will either be born death or will die shortly after birth. If twins or triplets are born, they are welcomed by the people.

In marriage, bride and bridegroom must be from different ladang. The bridegroom goes to the bride's house. Both families assemble as witnesses. The relatives from both sides discuss the dowry the bridegroom has to pay the bride. Average amount is about one hundred to four hundred dollars. During the marriage ceremony, the bridegroom and bride will eat together from one plate of rice in front of both families. Once they have eaten from the same bowl, they are considered to be man and wife. However, divorces are quite common after a child has been born.

In death, when the wife dies, the husband will prepare her for burial and also when a child die, the father will perform the rites. The body of the deceased is bathed and wrapped in cloth and kept overnight in the house with the mourners. On the next day, the burial will take place. No coffin is used, there is only the body which has been wrapped in cloth. After seven days of prayers in the house, there is a meal with the relatives, followed by the construction of a 'pyramid cone' shaped tomb. The guardian spirit is bes kubor. No offerings which have been taken to the grave should be taken back to the house. They are left at the grave.

So, these is the culture of Jah Het people during their past life. However in this modern era, many Jah-Het people forget their own culture because they think of it as outdated culture. Thats why it is significant for all races to know and remember their culture.