The Ancient Wisdom Of "Wedelai Wede Semai": Unraveling The Deep-Rooted Meaning

Wedelai wede semai roughly translates to smoke some cannabis and go to a wedding. Wede is a noun for cannabis, especially when smoked or consumed as a psychoactive drug. It is also the shortened name for a beautiful, passionate woman. Semai is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Semai people, an indigenous ethnic group living in the centre of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia.

The Semai people

The Semai are thought to be the descendants of the original population of Southeast Asia, arriving on the Malay peninsula approximately 8000 to 6000 BC. They are bordered by the Temiars to the north and the Jah Hut to the south. The Semai live in settlements of 30 to 200 people, with individual households consisting of nuclear families and sometimes a few extended relatives. Most dwellings are built with wood and bamboo with thatched roofs using palm leaves.

The Semai are semi-sedentary horticulturalists who practice "slash and burn" agriculture. They rely mainly on growing rice and manioc or cassava roots for their subsistence, supplementing their diet with hunting and fishing. Fish are mostly caught by women, who use basket traps, while men hunt using blowguns, poison darts, and spears. Any large game that is caught, such as deer, pigs, pythons, or binturong, is shared among the community.

The Semai are also known for their traditional Sewang dance, which is performed during important events such as births, funerals, and circumcision ceremonies, and can last for up to six days. They believe in a thunder deity called Enku and perform a ritual called Chuntah to make evil spirits leave during a storm.

The Semai have a clear but flexible division of labor between the sexes, with no separate ideals or tasks strictly assigned to men or women. Newly married couples often live in the wife's settlement for weeks, then the husband's, and so on, with visits lengthening until they finally settle down. People in the East Semai region have less contact with the Malay peoples and do not have formal marriage ceremonies.

The Semai have a strong sense of community and believe that the only source of safety and nurturance is their community. They value "getting along" and avoiding conflict, and have a taboo against making someone unhappy or imposing their wishes on others, known as Punan. They resolve disputes through public assemblies, or becharaa, which can last for days and involve thorough discussions of the causes, motivations, and resolutions of the dispute.

The Semai have a unique approach to raising children, where infants are constantly cared for and loved, but around the age of two, they are gradually encouraged to seek support from the whole community rather than depending solely on their parents. Children are taught to fear emotional arousal, especially anger, and are discouraged from competitive games.

In recent years, some Semai people have been getting educations and even university degrees, entering various professions, and seeking opportunities in larger cities. However, they continue to face challenges such as poverty and the desecration of their forests.

The meaning of 'wede'

The phrase "wedelai wede semai" appears to be a combination of two unrelated terms. "Wede" is a word from the Urban Dictionary meaning cannabis, especially when smoked or consumed as a psychoactive drug. It is also used as a shortened name, which according to Urban Dictionary, belongs to a beautiful and passionate woman who is impulsive, sensitive, obsessive, caring, and extremely generous.

On the other hand, "Semai" or "Mai Semai" is an ethnic group living in the center of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. They are known for their non-violent nature and practice "slash and burn" agriculture, relying on rice, manioc, and cassava root cultivation.

Therefore, the phrase "wedelai wede semai" could be interpreted as combining references to cannabis and the Semai people, but without more context, the exact meaning or intention behind this phrase remains unclear.

Wede Harer Guzo by Hailu Mergia and the Dahlak Band

Wede Harer Guzo is a soulful and smokey recording by Hailu Mergia and the Dahlak Band. It was recorded in 1978 at the Ghion Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the band's afternoon rehearsal meetings. The album was released on cassette tape in 1977 and was the first full-length record by the Dahlak Band. It is the third release on Awesome Tapes From Africa for Ethiopian keyboard and accordion maestro, Hailu Mergia.

Hailu Mergia was a key figure in Addis Ababa's golden age of music. He was preparing a follow-up to his seminal Tche Belew LP with the famed Walias Band. However, his colleagues were busy recording with other vocalists, so Mergia went to the nearby Ghion Hotel, another upmarket outpost with a popular nightclub, and teamed up with the Dahlak Band, who were the house band at the time.

The album was recorded during a challenging time for Addis Ababa's nightlife. The ruling Derg regime had imposed curfews, banning citizens from the streets after midnight until 6:00 am. Despite this, people continued to dance and party through the night, with bands playing from evening until daybreak.

The Dahlak Band catered to a slightly more youthful, local audience, while Mergia’s main gig with the Walias Band at the Hilton Hotel attracted a mixed audience, including foreign diplomats and older folks from abroad. The Dahlak Band was known for their soul and Amharic jams, which they played for hours two nights a week to a younger crowd.

The album Wede Harer Guzo is a unique collaboration between Mergia and the Dahlak Band, combining elements of traditional Ethiopian music with modern soul and jazz influences. It features instrumental-focused arrangements and memorable new flavours of existing songs already popular with listeners.

The album includes the following tracks:

• Embuwa Bey Lamitu
• Migibima Moltual
• Yene Nesh Wey (Amalele)
• Wede Harer Guzo
• Yemanesh Ayinama
• Almaz Eyasebkush
• Anchin Kifu Ayinkash
• Minlbelesh

The meaning of 'wedelai'

Wedelai, wede, and semai are terms with different meanings. Wedelai is not a commonly used word, and there are no direct meanings associated with it. However, "wede" and "semai" have distinct definitions.

Wede is a noun referring to cannabis, especially when smoked or consumed as a psychoactive drug. The plural form of "wede" is "wedes". This term is commonly used as the laziest way to say "weed". Additionally, "wede" is a shortened name in the Urhobo language. It represents a beautiful, passionate woman who is impulsive, sensitive, obsessive, caring, and extremely generous. A woman named Wede usually possesses sex appeal and is good in bed. She is also loving and charming, bringing joy to almost every room she enters.

On the other hand, semai refers to the Semai people, an ethnic group living in the center of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. They are known for their non-violent nature and semi-sedentary lifestyle. The Semai people are one of the largest indigenous ethnic groups in the Peninsula and the largest of the Senoi group. Their language, also called Semai, belongs to the Austroasiatic language family and is closely related to Temiar, spoken by the Temiars living nearby.

The meaning of 'semai'

The phrase "wedelai wede semai" appears to be a combination of two languages: "wedelai wede" in an unknown language, and "semai", which is a Japanese word meaning "narrow, not enough space".

"Semai" can also refer to the Mai Semai or Sengoi Hik, an ethnic group living in the centre of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. They are known for their non-violent nature, their practice of "slash and burn" agriculture, and their spiritual beliefs. The Semai are semi-sedentary horticulturalists who grow rice and manioc or cassava roots for subsistence. They supplement their diet with fishing, hunting, and raising livestock. They live in settlements of 30 to 200 people, with dwellings made of wood, bamboo, and thatched roofs using palm leaves.

The Semai worldview is that they live in a hostile and dangerous world beyond their control. They believe in a thunder deity called Enku and various other spiritual entities associated with thunder, such as Nāga, a group of huge, subterranean dragons. They also believe in the concept of Punan, which is the idea that making someone else unhappy is taboo and will increase the likelihood of physical injury to oneself.

The Semai have no formal government or police force, and disputes are resolved through public assemblies called becharaa, which are led by a headman. They also place great importance on food sharing as a way to build community relationships and provide food security.

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