Daun sireh (betel leave)
There was a time when a Lipat Kajang-ite may be known by another name outside the kampong and by a different name inside the kampong. The name he/she was called outside the kampong must be those officially registered in the Birth Certificate (and the IC) but that in the kampong may be the name or a name that has been changed due to one reason or another. The most common reason why the kampong folks changed the name of the child was because they say the name was not ‘suitable’ for the child because the child became very sickly and they could not find a cure for the sickness. Or that the name had bad meaning as almost all Malay Muslim names are Arabic but when translated into Malay they mean something shameful to the family. Or that the spelling was wrongly written (due to the ignorance or carelessness of the Registrar or confusion over local slang). But such cases were rare.
When a name was unsuitable, the family would decide to change the child’s name. Unfortunately most of these new names were not registered with the Registration Dept. so in all official dealings the registered names were and are used. That was and still is the reason why outside the kampong they always use the registered names, suitable or not.
When the family decided that the name must be changed, they would all suggest names that they might want the child to be called. They then, with the assistance of the elders, would write each name on a ‘sireh’ (betel) leave. Then all the ‘sireh’ leave were put on the floor infront of the (sick) child. The child would be goaded to pick one of the ‘sireh’ leave with the name on it. Whatever ‘sireh’ leaf the child picked up then the child would be known by that new name on the ‘sireh’ leaf that the child just picked up by the family. He/she would be called that name in the kampong by the family, by the nearest relatives and by the kampong folks. Untill the child goes to school then he/she would be registered by the registered name in the Birth Cert., but he/she would still be known in the kampong by the ‘sireh’ leaf name. When he/she goes outside the kampong, no one would know if the ‘sireh’ leaf name as he/she would go about under his/her registered Birth Cert. name.
When he/she gets married, he/she would register his/her marriage under the registered name. And all his/her children will be named after his/her registered name.
Now what happens when he/she dies. The death cert will probably have his/her registered name, but his/her other name … well I don’t really know whether they in the kampong will still use his/her ‘sireh’ name when they read his/her after death speech.
A strange culture. Not really, unless an outsider is looking for him/her in the kampong then he/she will never be found as he/she may not be known by that registered name in the kampong.
Lipat Kajang people (or decendents) are encouraged to participate& contribute (Orang Lipat Kajang, atau keturunan, di jemput memberi sumbangan idea)
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