Na Tuk Kong

Na Tuk Kong
Picture of Na Tuk Kong Shrine (拿督公神龛).
Traditional Chinese	拿督公
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Ná Dū Gōng Southern Min Hokkien POJ Ná-tok-kong

Na Tuk Kong are local guardian spirits worshipped in Malaysia, Singapore and parts of Indonesia, especially Sumatra. An alternate more generic name for the cult is Datuk Gong, uniting Dato or Datuk from the local Malay word for 'grandfather', which is also used as an honorific title, and Kong or Gong from Chinese, also an honorific title. It is important to note that Datuk Keramat, Datuk Gong and Na Tuk Kong all refer to the same deity. For the sake of clarity, the term Datuk, which is universally used to describe the spirit in Malaysia, will be used.

According to local legends, all Datuks were once humans who had a standing in society either for their position or special attributes. They could have been an important leader, a renowned healer, a silat warrior, a pious man or even a shaman. Upon their death, locals and their followers would sometimes offer prayers at their gravestones, in line with the concept of keramat. Local Malay culture prior to the arrival of a more conservative brand of Islam practised the paying of respects to guardian spirits or penunggu which is believed to reside in seemingly 'unusual' natural formations; a unique shaped rock, an ant mount, a snake's nest, an extraordinarily large tree etc.

With the arrival of Chinese immigrants who carried along with them the Confucianist belief of ancestor worship, both practices converged and formed a new micro-culture as observed today. Datuks, referred to in Chinese as Na Tuk Kong (earth spirits), is considered a localised form in the worship of the spirit of the land, along with Tu Di Gong.

The worship of Datuk among Malays and Indian Muslims declined steadily after Islamic authorities started clamping down on such activities. By that time, Dato worship have taken root in the local Chinese spiritual beliefs.

To most Malaysian Chinese, Datuk Gong is a local guardian spirit that resides in trees, ant hills, caves, riverbanks and in strange stone formations. A Datuk worship usually begins after a person is granted a vision of the Datuk's spiritual form. Some common forms are a white tiger and the form of an old man dressed in white. A Datuk can also be "invited" to reside outside (never indoors) a family home for spiritual protection and luck.

The Datuk Gong is presented in many forms; an idol bearing his likeness, a tablet with an inscription of his title, a rock, a songkok, a stack incense and flags are all used to denote the presence of the spirit. Shrines are usually decorated with items related to the Datuk and his position as a Malay guardian; a Malay sarong, songkok, keris, rattan cane, baju Melayu are among the items one can find placed right next to the idol. In more urban areas, the Datuk is usually represented with a central tablet bearing his title as the Datuk Gong of the area, written in Chinese.