Reconnecting the Past Through Oral History: An Effort in Preserving Malaysians’ Intangible Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Malaysian are among the societies in the world who started late in documenting their history. Most stories and cultural heritage were commonly shared orally from one generation to another. Hence, the lack of original historical resources has been a major problem in reconstructing Malaysian history. Without oral history being recorded and written, and with the loss of the elders who were willing to preserve and pass along this history, cultural memories began to wither, along with many of the colorful cultures and heritage. Malaysia, known as a melting pot of race and culture, has a society who had long discovered their culture and heritage through oral history as a part of their rich historical heritage. In view of that, there is a need of encouragement and effort on historical research and oral history writing for the continued preservation and appreciation of oral history among its people. This paper provides an overview on the importance of oral history in preserving the valuable oral treasures among the society, and to further enrich the local culture and heritage for the future generations. The findings of this paper suggest that there is a need for requirement of improved level of awareness on the value of oral history, and as well as a greater exposure through education for the younger generations and tourists, in order to ensure that oral history is appropriately understood and accepted at all levels.