The story of how the Cultural Learning Center at MMCV came to serve the community of Carey Island in the district of Kuala Langat, Selangor is a story of many people whose collective vision made it what it is today.
It’s the story of young men and women who wanted to bring their Mah Meri cultural heritage back to life. It’s the story of community elders, community partners, who wanted to pass along their knowledge to the young, especially those in need of guidance. And it’s the story of all the educational partners, from archaeologists to community service organizations, government official, corporations, individuals and ministers who through sweat and determination helped make this vision a reality.
According to tradition the villages were founded due to consistent attacks by pirates. They moved inland onto the island seeking shelter. The moyangs protected them by covering their trails with spider webs and showed them location of the moyangs abode. So they build them rumah moyang or house of the moyang and latter build their dwelling homes near the site, If you visit Carey Island today, you will see Sok Gre’ the sacred mountain towering above the island reach sharply to the clouds, catching the rain.
It use to be the rice bowl of the island providing for raw materials for cultural and rituals events, herbs for healing and food. Once a watch tower for incoming enemies and housing their ancestral spirits, it is now out of bounds to the islanders due to the activities not conducive to local traditions. Water flows down the hill from the sea in turn rises as tides filling the streams that feeds the inter tidal muddy areas with vital nutrients and, so that nature take nothing from the land without giving something back. And in the coastal swampland , up to their knees in mud, are the villagers and their children, collecting shellfish for the much needed supplement for their diet.
