A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF KUDA KEPANG IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Kuda Kepang is a hobby horse dance that originated from Java and proliferated throughout the Malay archipelago. In Singapore, the Kuda Kepang is practiced by the Malays. This is an exploratory study on the Kuda Kepang activities in Singapore; it is primarily concerned with the origin, contents, as well as the Malay Muslims' perception of the Kuda Kepang. The data collection for the study of the origin and the cultural bases behind the Kuda Kepang was done through a socio-historical method of research, that is, by looking into the Malay past through the available Malay records, ethnographies and historiographies. The study of the Kuda Kepang activities in Singapore was done mainly through field observations and through various interviews conducted with both the leaders and the participants throughout the course of study. The main focus of this research is on the Singapore Malay Muslims' perception of the Kuda Kepang which many regard as being heretical to the teachings of Islam. The Kuda Kepang practice survives especially among the Singapore Javanese despite the presence of opposition from others in the Muslim community here. These practitioners hold strongly to their principle that the Kuda Kepang is an ancient cultural practice that must be protected as a heritage.