Indonesia Conference Directory

Abstract This paper discuss on the uniqueness of traditional Rawa food namely Kelamai; one of the symbolic markers of community ethnicity in Gopeng Homestay, Perak. Kelamai is one of the Rawa-s classic dishes preserved by the community along with their native language, the Adet Bojojak ceremony and traditional dances. The Rawa ethnic minority retain some of their cultural traditions as symbols of their ethnic identity even though they have gone through a process of assimilation with the locals. Kelamai is part of Rawa signature cuisines and rarely been presented to the homestay guest, due to its tedious and complicated preparation of the ingredients and method of cooking. Thus, this study was conducted with the residents of Gopeng Homestay through qualitative research methods. Investigations include participant observations, interviews and the researcher-s field notes to understand the significance of this cultural food to the whole Rawa community in Gopeng. Findings of this study indicates that Kelamai is only famous and sought after by Rawa communities on special occasions such as Eid Mubarak and Eid Hajj. Indeed, the older generation admitted that not many of them persist in the cooking of this traditional food due to the lengthy preparation time required in addition to the insufficient help received from the family members. Hence, it is crucial for new generations of Malay Rawa in Gopeng and other parts of Malaysia to attend to this issue and ensure the continuity and safeguarding of Kelamai precious cultural tradition for the benefit of future generations.