We’re in Kelantan, a state in the northeastern coast of the Malaysian peninsula, not far from the border with Thailand. Traditionally, this time of year, just after the rice harvest, is when Malaysian men indulge in one of their favorite national pastimes — top spinning. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by the American Museum of Natural History.
ambience: top spinning
Malaysian tops are roughly the size of bowling balls and can weigh up to ten pounds; they’re carefully crafted from hardwood and tin. The top spinning competition is a team effort, with one person throwing the top and another virtually catching it and setting it up to spin. The team with the longest spinning top is usually awarded a prize. Peter Zabielskis, an anthropologist from New York University doing field research in Kelantan, describes the action for us.
ambience: rebana drum
“They tie an oiled rope, about 20 or 30 feet long to a tree and then pull very hard with the whole weight of their body as they are winding the rope around the top. Then the master of ceremonies blows a whistle and they bring the tops to the playing field. The playing field itself is a very small square of dirt. It’s about a yard on each side. And one man throws the top onto that patch of Earth and another quickly scoops it up on a flat wooden spatula-like instrument. Then he brings it over to where there are a series of bamboo posts laid out in rows, puts some palm oil onto the top and then sets the top onto the bamboo post, where it can spin for up to two hours.”
The music we’re listening to is played on the rebana, a giant drum four feet in diameter. Traditionally, it’s heard during the harvest season and after top spinning competitions.
Additional funding for Pulse of the Planet has been provided by the National Science Foundation.