Emeritus professor of anthropology Robert Dentan spoke at Asia at Noon on Friday to enlighten students on Malaysian ideas of violence.
According to Dentan, indigenous people in Malaysia have different concepts about violence than many Americans. They have no problem with screaming loudly in public, for example, but they detest any form of physical violence.
A Yale University graduate, Dentan has a long history of working with indigenous peoples, most notably the Semai people of Malaysia. In fact, he has worked with them for six years.
"It is truly fate that I ended up in Malaysia. When I was studying anthropology in Yale, I learned Indonesian from a friend. After my graduation, the political turmoil and instability in Indonesia led me to settle in Malaysia," Dentan said.
The Semai people view violence of any kind with horror, he said. They can be very polite and hospitable, and their language and morality don't approve violence in any way. They believe that hitting a child may kill it, either directly or through damaging it psychologically. They also pay attention to the welfare of their friends and neighbors, which is why they may be the most peaceful people on the planet, Dentan explained.
Dentan said that he came close to understanding an alien philosophical and folk psychological system, which has no central locus of authority or no written texts. He explained that the Semai people have been subject to slave raids for centuries.
"Traditional slaving is not something peculiar to Malaysia. It has existed since the memorial times of ancient civilizations - the Semai people have managed to create their culture in part as response to slaving by their neighbors," he said.
He also spoke on the beauty of the principle of nonviolence that exists in the Semai people. He believes that the world could learn much from them.
"They have a unique system of morality and law. They believe that if you (inflict) even verbal or symbolic violence to others, you will bring them stress and thus run the risk of doing them physical harm. You need them as helpers in times of need. Therefore, they have always maintained a strict sense of nonviolence among themselves," he said.
Dentan not only speaks the Malay language of Malaysia, but also speaks the language of the Semai people and of another group of Malaysian indigenes.
"The language of the Semai people is very different from the Malay language. It is more related to Cambodian," he said.
Dentan went on to describe the children of the Semai, who are in constant contact with adults. He said that they are always running everywhere and playing with the adults at times, as adults do not enforce obedience at home or anywhere.
"In fact, my friend from the Semai people came to Buffalo, and asked why there are no kids outside hanging around with adults," he said. "Obedience is not a value for the egalitarian Semai. The children, however, learn from the behavior of their parents. The Semai people have a very interesting culture and society."
Dentan has written three books and numerous articles on the indigenous people of Malaysia. He visited Malaysia from time to time and still keeps in contact with scholars and friends in Malaysia.
"I love Malaysia, the food and the people," he said. "It is almost like a second home to me."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
