All
 
|
 
 


Old Malay Texts Concerning the Chinese in the Malay World
 
PIIS086919080007448-9-1
DOI10.31857/S086919080007448-9
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Tatiana Denisova 
Occupation: Professor
Affiliation: University Technology Malaysia
Address: Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Journal nameVostok. Afro-Aziatskie obshchestva: istoriia i sovremennost
EditionIssue 6
Pages219-232
Abstract

Essays from Malay Islamic historiography contain the brief reports on the history of local societies and kingdoms in the Malay world from 13th to 20th centuries. The sources focus mainly on information on rulers, the elite and those in the upper crust of society, in addition to their families, also including information on all those who resided at court. There is much to learn from such sources of knowledge, specifically with regards to politics, intellectual life, trade and economy, shipping, customs and ceremonies, and the very fabric and design of Malay society, to name a few. Scholars have correctly assumed such works to be veritable encyclopedias of Malay life. One of the subjects that is quite frequently recorded in Malay Islamic historiographical texts concerns the various civilizations and races which have lived in the Malay world for centuries. For example, there are records on the Chinese and their respective civilization. The author discusses the information related to China and the Chinese people that can be found in old Malay texts, based on six chronicles, namely Hikayat Raja Pasai (HRP), Sejarah Melayu (SM), Hikayat Aceh (HA), Peringatan Sejarah Negeri Johor (PSNJ), Hikayat Siak (HS), and Tuhfat al-Nafis (TN). Analysis on these texts revealed that there are various information regarding the Chinese community in the Archipelago, including general information concerning life and customs of the Chinese people, trade routes and toponyms, shipping, trading, Chinese-Malay relations, local stories and legends and others. The analysis also proved that the Chinese community in Malay world experienced some important transition in 13th–19th centuries.

Keywordsold Malay texts, Malay Islamic historiography, Malay world, Chinese, Chinese trade and shipping, customs, multicultural interrelationship
Received05.11.2019
Publication date16.12.2019
Number of characters45855
Cite  
100 rub.
When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.
Размещенный ниже текст является ознакомительной версией и может не соответствовать печатной

Table of contents

PLACE NAME (TOPONYM): CHINA
RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND THE MALAY WORLD
ITEMS OF TRADE
CHINESE SHIPS AND SHIPPING ROUTES BETWEEN CHINA AND THE MALAY WORLD
CHINESE PEOPLE AND THEIR LIVES IN THE MALAY WORLD
CONCLUSION
1 Old Malay texts are one of the most fascinating parts of the wealth of knowledge available in Malay written tradition. Malay Islamic Historiography, i.e. texts on the history of Muslim kingdoms and its rulers, represents the highest level in the development of this tradition and it is one of the most widespread and significant genres of old Malay texts can be found in manuscripts. Malay Islamic historiography exists in various forms, among which are hikayats (narrative histories), genealogies, histories, chronicles, daily journals and reports among others. All these are important sources of history that can greatly help in the rebuilding of the history of the Malay world and its comprehensive understanding.
2 Essays from Malay Islamic historiography contain information on rulers, the elite and those in the upper crust of society, in addition to their families, also including information on people residing at court. There is much to learn from such sources, specifically with regards to politics, intellectual life, trade and economy, shipping, customs and ceremonies, and the very fabric and design of Malay society. Scholars consider such works to be veritable encyclopedias of Malay life.
3 It is also useful to view Malay Islamic historiography as a source of complex history, viz., studies on historical texts which represent the various eras of history and these eras’ respective historiographical footprints. Comparative as well as textual analyses, based on various texts also enable us to better understand empirical history and the various social conditions of the Malays throughout diverse countries and generations.
4 One of the subjects that is quite frequently recorded in Malay Islamic historiographical texts concerns the various civilizations and races which have lived in the Malay world for centuries. For example, there exist records on the Chinese people and their civilization. These texts are most important due to the fact that they allow us to answer several important questions concerning Chinese civilization. There are following objectives of our research could be listed here: which Malay texts contain information on China and Chinese; what are the themes and subjects of inquiry mentioned in these texts; how the Chinese have been portrayed in Malay Islamic hikayats between 13th and 19th centuries?
5 As sources, we chose to examine six texts, each representing a particular historical period and various streams of thought in Malay Islamic historiography.1 They are as follows: Hikayat Raja Pasai (HRP), Sejarah Melayu (SM), Hikayat Aceh (HA), Peringatan Sejarah Negeri Johor (PSNJ), Hikayat Siak (HS), and Tuhfat al-Nafis (TN). 1. Reports on Chinese and China could be found also in many other historical texts. For example in Misa Melayu there are 8 mentions of Chinese traders, shops, mirrors, games, rituals, etc. See also: [Winstedt, 1965, p. 66, 82, 83, 86, 184]. See also 26 mentions in Hikayat Pahang (Cina, China, cina-cina): Chinese traders; marriage with Chinese, Kampung Cina; Chinese soldiers, Chinese in local conflicts, etc. [Kalthum, 1997, p. 9, 11–12, 45, 83–84, 105–107, 135].
6 Hikayat Raja Pasai (HRP)2 is a narrative on the history of Pasai. This work reflects the earliest period of Malay Islamic historiography. The date of the HRP has still not been determined conclusively, and although the text contains no references at all to any dates, analysts date the work to be between 1280 and 1400 AD, that is, approximately between the years 680 and 800 AD. The most final and complete version of the HRP was estimated to have been completed at the end of the 14th century, and a copy of this final text emerged in Java in 1797 [Jones, 1999, p. 3]. 2. There are three copies of the HRP. The most well-known is the MS Raffles Malay N. 67 found in the Royal Asiatic Society, London (Ms. A). The second one is a direct copy of this Ms. A, made by the French scholar Edouard Dulaurier in 1838, kept at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, No. Mal-Pol. 50, which is almost impossible to use for comparative analysis. The third one was discovered in London in 1986 and purchased by the British Library in 1986 (Ms. B). There are six editions of the Hikayat Raja Pasai: [Dulaurier, 1849]. This is a high-quality Jawi edition, perhaps even better than subsequent ones Pasai [Mead, 1914; Hill, 1960]. This is the most complete edition of the work [Alfiah, T. I. 1973; Jones, 1987; Jones, 1999].
7 The Sejarah Melayu (SM)3 is one of the most well-known Malay texts, dealing with the history of Melaka from 15th to 16th centuries. According to several scholars, the SM was composed by Tun Sri Lanang, the Bendahara of Johor during the time of the two sultans of Melaka – Johor Dynasty, i.e. Ali Jalla Abdul Jalil Shah II (1570–1591) and Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah III (1597–1615). 3. There are 29 copies and three versions of the Sejarah Melayu: 1. The first is most often identified as originating from the original cluster, published by Abdullah Munsyi in Singapore (1831), namely, the “Batu Sawar” (Johor) cluster dated at approximately 1612. This version contains 34 chapters, each with an introduction, noting that the work was requested by the Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Muhammad (Tun Seri Lanang). This is the most well-known version, distributed throughout Malaysia, Indonesia and the rest of the world. This cluster consists of hundreds of copies (St. Petersburg, London, Manchester, Leiden, dan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka); 2. There is another cluster, which had yet to become likely well-known and which has not yet been published as a book. There are only two copies, with the oldest version dating circa 1536. The first copy is Copy 18 in the Raffles Collection at the Royal Asiatic Society in London, containing the complete text. The second copy in the Leiden University Library, Cod. Or. 1704, is incomplete, having only the first 100 pages. However, this copy has eight chapters that are not found in the first version, and the arrangement of the chapters also differs slightly from that found in the first cluster. The introduction is also shorter and the author's name is omitted. It is dated 1612; 3. There is also the undated Pasir Raja version, found in the Raffles Malay 18, page 203 line 25 (the first page is 17), made with black and red ink, this is an undated copy on English paper with watermark “C. Wilmott, 1812,” given to the Royal Asiatic Society in 1830 by Raffles' wife. There exist several editions of the Sejarah Melayu, the most well-known of which include [Dulaurier, 1849; Shellabear, 1967; Situmorang, Teeuw, 1958; Winstedt, 1938; Brown, 1953; Blagden, 1925; Iskandar, 1964; Roolvink, 1967]. For the present essay we use [Salleh, 1997].
8 The Hikayat Aceh (HA)4 deals with the history of Acehnese Sultanate, in particular, its famous Sultan Iskandar Muda, written in fact to praise the Sultan. As in case with the previous texts, the date when the HA was composed is not firmly established, but it is believed to be written sometime between 1607 and 1636, during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda5. The HA is extremely interesting and valuable text because it represents a genre of historiography, that incorporates the Malay history and local Islamic literature, as well as historical accounts on many other countries and civilizations. According to T. Iskandar, the HA was composed in the style and genre of the Akbarnama, the well-known work composed in praise of the Moghul ruler King Akbar [Iskandar, 2001, p. xl–xlii]. According to Prof. Vladimir Braginsky, HA was influenced by Malfuzat-I Timuri (Autobiography of Timur) – one of the Timurid Mughal panegyric chronicles, written by Abu Talib al-Husayni for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1628–1658) [Braginsky, 2008, p. 446–450]. 4. Several copies of the Hikayat Aceh exist. One of the most complete is the edition by T. Iskandar, Cod Or. 1954 (Copy A) and Cod. Or. 1983 (Copy B) from the collection of the Legatum Warnerianum at the Leiden University Library. The first one (Copy A) is a copy of a copy of one of the manuscripts from the Library of Isaak de Saint Martin made at the end of the 17th century, originating from the group of Malay and Javanese copies, moved circa 1871 to the Leiden University Library. The second (Copy B) is also a copy from the earlier edition of Hikayat Aceh. According to the colophon, it is dated 9.03.1847.

5. Opinions are somewhat divided on the precise date of the Hikayat Aceh; see discussion in: [Braginsky, 2008].
9 The Peringatan Sejarah Negeri Johor (PSNJ)6 represents the historiographical tradition of the Johor Malays. The book was produced during the 18th century, again by an unknown author and written in the form of several documents and stories presenting the activities and biography of Sultan Suleiman Badr al-Alam Shah (1699–1760). 6. There are two copies of this text, namely the KL24B copy at the Leiden University Library in the collection of H.K. von Klinkert. Copied in Riau in 1863–1866. The second one is the copy of Von de Wall 196 at the Library of the Indonesian Cultural Board in Jakarta, made sometime between 1855 and 1873. Both copies were used in [Kratz, 1973]. This German translation is yet another source of Malay history as it pertains to Johor in the 18th century.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 1223

Readers community rating: votes 0 

1. Денисова Т. А. Малайский мир в малайских хрониках. Мореплавание, торговля, шариат. М.: ИВ РАН, 2012 [Denisova T. A. Malay World in Malay Chronicles (13th–19th cc). Seafaring, Trade, Sharia. Moscow: IOS RAS, 2012 (in Russian)].
2. Денисова Т. А. Тухфат ал-Нафис (Драгоценный дар). Введение перевод и комментарии Т. А. Денисовой. «Памятники мусульманской историографии Джохора XVIII–XIX вв. М.: ИВ РАН & CASIS UTM, 2016 [Denisova T. A. Tuhfat al-Nafis. (The Precious Gift). The Heritage of Malay Muslim Historiography of Johor. Intr., tr. and comm. by T. Denisova. Moscow: IOS RAS & CASIS UTM, 2016 (in Russian)].
3. Alfiah T. I. Kronika Pasai. Sebuah Tinjauan Sejarah. Yogyakarta: Gajah Mada University Press, 1973 (in Malay).
4. Andaya L. Y. Kerajaan Johor 1641–1728. Pembangunan Ekonomi dan Politik. Kuala Lumpur: DBP, 1987 (in Malay).
5. Barlow H. S. (ed.) Boats, boat building and fishing in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 2009 (MBRAS Reprint 27).
6. Blagden C. O. An Unpublished Variant Version of Malay Annals. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (JMBRAS). Vol. III. P. 1. 1925. Pp. 10–52.
7. Braginsky V. ‘Structure, date and Sources of Hikayat Aceh Revisited. The Problem of Mughal-Malay Literary Ties. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (BTVL) 162(4). 2008. Pp. 441–467.
8. Brown C. C. Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals. A Translation of Raffles Ms. 18, Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Vol. 25 parts 2 and 3, Singapore: JMBRAS, 1953.
9. Cortesao A. (ed.). Suma Oriental of Tome Pires. London: The Hakluyt Society & Kraus Reprint Limited, 1967.
10. Dulaurier E. Collection des Princiales Chroniques Malay. Premier Fascicule La Chronique du Royaume de Pasey. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1849.
11. Jones R. Hikayat Raja Pasai. Kuala Lumpur: Fajar Bakti, 1987 (in Malay).
12. Jones R. (ed.) Hikayat Raja Pasai. Studied and introduced by Russel Jones. Kuala Lumpur: Yayasan Karyawan & Penerbit Fajar Bakti, 1999.
13. Halimi A. J. Perdagangan Dan Perkapalan Melayu Di Selat Melaka. Abad ke-15 hingga ke-18. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), 2006 (in Malay).
14. Hall K. R. Maritime Trade and State Development in Early South-East Asia. Sidney: University of Hawaii Press, 1985.
15. Hashim M. Yu. (ed.) Hikayat Siak dirawikan oleh Tengku Said. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1992 (in Malay).
16. Hill A. H. Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai, a Revised Romanised Version with an English Translation, an Introduction and Notes. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (JMBRAS). 33, Part 2. 1960. Pp. 2–208.
17. Horridge A. The Perahu. Traditional Sailing Boat in Indonesia. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1981.
18. Iskandar T. (ed.) Hikayat Aceh, Studied and Introduced by Teuku Iskandar. Kuala Lumpur: Yayasan Karyawan, 2001.
19. Iskandar T. Tun Seri Lanang Pengarang Sejarah Melayu. Dewan Bahasa. Kuala Lumpur, 1964. Jil. 8 Bil. 11. Pp. 484–492.
20. Kalthum J. (ed.). Hikayat Pahang. Shah Alam: Penerbit Fajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd., 1997 (in Malay).
21. Kratz E. U. Peringatan Sejarah Negeri Johor. Eine malaische Quelle zur Geschichte Johors im 18. Jahrhundert. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1973.
22. Lombard D. Kerajaan Aceh: Zaman Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607–1636). Jakarta: Balai Pustaka, 1991.
23. Manguin, P. Y. The South-East Asian Ships: An Historical Approach. Journal of South East Asian Studies (JSEAS). Vol. XI, No. 2. Singapore, 1980. Pp. 266–276.
24. Matheson H. V., Andaya B. W. (Eds.). Raja Ali Haji Bin Ahmad. The Precious Gift. (Tuhfat al-Nafis). Kuala Lumpur & New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.
25. Matheson H. V. (ed.) Tuhfat al-Nafis. Karangan Raja Ali Haji. Studied and Introduced by Virginia Matheson Hooker. Kuala Lumpur: Yayasan Karyawan & Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1998.
26. Matheson H. V. «Tuhfat al-Nafis». Sejarah Melayu-Islam. Kuala-Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), 1991 (in Malay).
27. Mead. J. P. A Romanised Version of The Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (JSBRAS). No. 66. Singapore, 1914. Pp. 1–55.
28. Winstedt R. O. (ed.). Raja Chulan. Misa Melayu. Kuala Lumpur: Penerbitan Pustaka Antara, 1965.
29. Roolvink R. The Versions of the Malay Annals. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (BTVL). Deel 123. afl. 3. 1967. Pp. 301–324.
30. Salleh M. H. (ed.) Sulalat al-Salatin, ya’ni Perteturun segala Raja-Raja (Sejarah Melayu / Malay Annals). Karangan Tun Seri Lanang. Studied and Introduced by Muhammad Haji Salleh. Kuala Lumpur: Yayasan Karyawan & Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), 1997.
31. Shellabear W. G. (ed.) Sejarah Melayu. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1967.
32. Situmorang D. T., Teeuw A. (eds.). Sejarah Melayu Menurut Terbitan Abdullah. Djakarta: Djambatan, 1958 (in Malay).
33. Winstedt R. O. The Malay Annals or Sejarah Melayu. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (JMBRAS). Vol. 16. P. 3. 1938. Pp. 1–222.
34. Winstedt R. O. Malay Text of «Tuhfat al-Nafis». Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (JMBRAS). Vol. 10. P. 2. 1932. Pp. 1–320.

Система Orphus

Loading...
Up