Nobat and Ethnification: Cultural Encounters and Adaptation in the Formation of Malay Identity
(Nobat dan Etnifikasi: Pertembungan Budaya dan Pengadaptasiannya dalam Pembentukan Identiti Melayu)
Abstract
The fall of the Melaka in 1511 saw the emergence and resurgence of Malay Sultanates trying to fill the void left by the empire. Consequently, there was also an increase in encounters between local people and European explorers and traders that stimulated "ethnic formation" in the Straits of Melaka. Sultanates continued to practice customs that shows music as a symbol of Malay identity and civilization and immortalized through court literature. Music became an important tool that mediated the idea of collective identity and the demarcation of social and political boundaries. Based on early Malay court literature and European accounts, this paper discusses the role of court music known as nobat in this process of Malay identity formation amid the quest for cultural, political and economic supremacy among competing Malay Sultanates between the 15th and 17th centuries.
Keywords: nobat, court music, Malay identity, literature, Malay Sultanates
References
Al-Attas, S. N. (1969). Preliminary Statement on a General Theory of the Islamization of the Malay-Indonesian Archipelago. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Andaya, B. W. (2011). Distant Drums and Thunderous Cannon: Sounding Authority in Traditional Malay Society. IJAPS, 7(2), 19-35.
Andaya, L. Y. (2008). Leaves of the Same Tree: Trade and Ethnicity in the Straits of Melaka. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
Anderson, B. (1990). Language of Power: Exploring Political Culture in Indonesia. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Attali, J. (2003). Noise: The Political Economy of Music. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Azyumardi Azra et al. (2006). Islam in the Indonesian World: An Account of Institutional Formation. Bandung: Mizan Pustaka.
Barnard, T. P. (2006) (Ed.). Contesting Malayness: Malay Identity Across Boundaries. Singapore: NUS Publishing.
Barnard, T. P. (2001). Texts, Raja Ismail and violence: Siak and the transformation of Malay identity in the eighteenth century. Journal of Southeast Asian History, 32(3), 331-342.
Best, T. (1934). The Voyage of Thomas Best to the East Indies, 1612-1614 (W. Foster (Ed.)). London: Hakluyt Society.
Bhatia, H.S. (2001). Rival Hindu Kingdoms and Sultans: Fusion of the Hindu and Muslim Civilizations. New Delhi: Deep and Deep Publications.
Bougas, W. A. (1986). Some Early Islamic Tombstones in Patani. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of Asiatic Society, 59(1), 85-112.
Brown, C. C. (1952). Sejarah Melayu: A Translation of Raffles MS 18. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of Asiatic Society, 25 (Bahagian 2 dan 3).
Drewes, G. W. J., dan Vorhoeve, P. (1958). Adat Atjeh: Reproduced in facsimile form a manuscript in the India Office Library. 'S-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff.
Drewes, G. W. J. (1985). New Light on the Coming of Islam to Indonesia? In: Drewes, ed. 1985. Readings on Islam in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Farmer, H. G. (1967). A History of Arabian Music to the XIIIth Century. London: Luzac and Co. Ltd.
Fee, L. K. (2001). The Construction of Malay Identity across Nations: Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, 157(4), 861-879.
Gibb, H. A. R. (1929). Ibn Battuta: Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354. London: Routledge.
Hadi, A. (2004). Islam and State in Sumatra: A Study of Seventeenth Century Aceh. Leiden: Brill.
Hall, K. R. (1985). Maritime Trade and State Development in Early Southeast Asia. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Hesmondhalgh, D. (2013). Why Music Matters. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
Hill, A. H. (1963). The Coming of Islam to North Sumatra. Journal of Southeast Asian History, 4(1), 6-21.
Ho, Meilu (1991). The Royal Nobat of Kedah, Malaysia. M. A. Thesis, University of California, Los Angeles.
Ito, Takeshi (1984). The World of the Adat Aceh: A Historical Study of the Sultanate of Aceh. Phd Dissertation, Australian National University.
Jones, R. (Ed.) (1997). Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai. Shah Alam: Fajar Bakti.
Kartomi, M. (1997). The Royal Nobat Ensemble of Indragiri in Riau, Sumatra, in Colonial and Post-Colonial Times. The Galpin Society Journal, 50 (Mac 1997), 3-15.
Laffan, M. (2011). The Makings of Indonesian Islam: Orientalism and the Narration of a Sufi Past. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Lancaster, J. (1940). The Voyages of Sir James Lancaster to Brazil and the East Indies, 1591-1603 (W. Foster (Ed.)). London: Hakluyt Society.
Matheson, V. (1979). Concepts of Malay Ethos in Indigenous Malay Writings. Journal of Southeast Asian History, 10(2), 351-371.
Milner, A. C. (2008). The Malays. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
Mohd Anis Md Nor (1993). Zapin: Folk Dance of the Malay World. Singapore: Oxford University Press.
Moin, A. A. (2012). The Millennial Sovereign: Sacred Kingship and Sainthood in Islam. New York: Colombia University Press.
Mundy, P. (1919). The Travels of Peter Mundy in Europe and Asia: 1608-1667 (R. C. Temple (Ed.)) (Edisi Ketiga) (Bahagian l dan 2). London: Hakluyt Society.
Reid, A. (2001). Understanding Melayu (Malay) as a Source of Diverse Modern Identities. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 32(3), 295-313.
Shamsul A. B. (1996). Debating About Identity in Malaysia: A Discourse Analysis. Southeast Asian Studies, 34(3), 476-499.
Shellabear, W. G. (1977). Sejarah Melayu. Petaling Jaya: Penerbit Fajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd.
Shiloah, A. (1995). Music in the World of Islam: A Socio-Cultural Study. Michigan: Wayne State University Press.
S.Q. Fatimi (1963). Islam Comes to Malaysia. Singapore: Malaysian Sociological Research Institute Ltd.
Stokes, M. (Ed.) (1997). Ethnicity, Identity and Music: The Musical Construction of Place. Oxford: Berg.
Tan, S. B. (1993). Bangsawan: A Social and Stylistic History of Popular Malay Opera. Singapore: Oxford University Press.
Tan, S. B. (2005). From Folk to National Popular Music: Recreating Ronggeng in Malaysia. Journal of Musicological Research, 24, 287-307.
Teeuw, A., dan Wyatt D. K. (1970). Hikayat Patani: The Story of Patani. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
Turino, T. (2008). Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Van Leur, J. C. (1955). Indonesian trade and society: Essays in Asian social and economic history. dlm. Wertheim, W. F. et al. (Eds.), Selected Studies on Indonesia. The Hague: W. van Hoeve Ltd.
Wade, B. C. (1998). Imaging sound: An ethnomusicological study of music, art and culture in Mughal India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Andaya, B. W. (2011). Distant Drums and Thunderous Cannon: Sounding Authority in Traditional Malay Society. IJAPS, 7(2), 19-35.
Andaya, L. Y. (2008). Leaves of the Same Tree: Trade and Ethnicity in the Straits of Melaka. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
Anderson, B. (1990). Language of Power: Exploring Political Culture in Indonesia. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Attali, J. (2003). Noise: The Political Economy of Music. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Azyumardi Azra et al. (2006). Islam in the Indonesian World: An Account of Institutional Formation. Bandung: Mizan Pustaka.
Barnard, T. P. (2006) (Ed.). Contesting Malayness: Malay Identity Across Boundaries. Singapore: NUS Publishing.
Barnard, T. P. (2001). Texts, Raja Ismail and violence: Siak and the transformation of Malay identity in the eighteenth century. Journal of Southeast Asian History, 32(3), 331-342.
Best, T. (1934). The Voyage of Thomas Best to the East Indies, 1612-1614 (W. Foster (Ed.)). London: Hakluyt Society.
Bhatia, H.S. (2001). Rival Hindu Kingdoms and Sultans: Fusion of the Hindu and Muslim Civilizations. New Delhi: Deep and Deep Publications.
Bougas, W. A. (1986). Some Early Islamic Tombstones in Patani. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of Asiatic Society, 59(1), 85-112.
Brown, C. C. (1952). Sejarah Melayu: A Translation of Raffles MS 18. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of Asiatic Society, 25 (Bahagian 2 dan 3).
Drewes, G. W. J., dan Vorhoeve, P. (1958). Adat Atjeh: Reproduced in facsimile form a manuscript in the India Office Library. 'S-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff.
Drewes, G. W. J. (1985). New Light on the Coming of Islam to Indonesia? In: Drewes, ed. 1985. Readings on Islam in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Farmer, H. G. (1967). A History of Arabian Music to the XIIIth Century. London: Luzac and Co. Ltd.
Fee, L. K. (2001). The Construction of Malay Identity across Nations: Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, 157(4), 861-879.
Gibb, H. A. R. (1929). Ibn Battuta: Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354. London: Routledge.
Hadi, A. (2004). Islam and State in Sumatra: A Study of Seventeenth Century Aceh. Leiden: Brill.
Hall, K. R. (1985). Maritime Trade and State Development in Early Southeast Asia. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Hesmondhalgh, D. (2013). Why Music Matters. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
Hill, A. H. (1963). The Coming of Islam to North Sumatra. Journal of Southeast Asian History, 4(1), 6-21.
Ho, Meilu (1991). The Royal Nobat of Kedah, Malaysia. M. A. Thesis, University of California, Los Angeles.
Ito, Takeshi (1984). The World of the Adat Aceh: A Historical Study of the Sultanate of Aceh. Phd Dissertation, Australian National University.
Jones, R. (Ed.) (1997). Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai. Shah Alam: Fajar Bakti.
Kartomi, M. (1997). The Royal Nobat Ensemble of Indragiri in Riau, Sumatra, in Colonial and Post-Colonial Times. The Galpin Society Journal, 50 (Mac 1997), 3-15.
Laffan, M. (2011). The Makings of Indonesian Islam: Orientalism and the Narration of a Sufi Past. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Lancaster, J. (1940). The Voyages of Sir James Lancaster to Brazil and the East Indies, 1591-1603 (W. Foster (Ed.)). London: Hakluyt Society.
Matheson, V. (1979). Concepts of Malay Ethos in Indigenous Malay Writings. Journal of Southeast Asian History, 10(2), 351-371.
Milner, A. C. (2008). The Malays. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
Mohd Anis Md Nor (1993). Zapin: Folk Dance of the Malay World. Singapore: Oxford University Press.
Moin, A. A. (2012). The Millennial Sovereign: Sacred Kingship and Sainthood in Islam. New York: Colombia University Press.
Mundy, P. (1919). The Travels of Peter Mundy in Europe and Asia: 1608-1667 (R. C. Temple (Ed.)) (Edisi Ketiga) (Bahagian l dan 2). London: Hakluyt Society.
Reid, A. (2001). Understanding Melayu (Malay) as a Source of Diverse Modern Identities. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 32(3), 295-313.
Shamsul A. B. (1996). Debating About Identity in Malaysia: A Discourse Analysis. Southeast Asian Studies, 34(3), 476-499.
Shellabear, W. G. (1977). Sejarah Melayu. Petaling Jaya: Penerbit Fajar Bakti Sdn. Bhd.
Shiloah, A. (1995). Music in the World of Islam: A Socio-Cultural Study. Michigan: Wayne State University Press.
S.Q. Fatimi (1963). Islam Comes to Malaysia. Singapore: Malaysian Sociological Research Institute Ltd.
Stokes, M. (Ed.) (1997). Ethnicity, Identity and Music: The Musical Construction of Place. Oxford: Berg.
Tan, S. B. (1993). Bangsawan: A Social and Stylistic History of Popular Malay Opera. Singapore: Oxford University Press.
Tan, S. B. (2005). From Folk to National Popular Music: Recreating Ronggeng in Malaysia. Journal of Musicological Research, 24, 287-307.
Teeuw, A., dan Wyatt D. K. (1970). Hikayat Patani: The Story of Patani. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
Turino, T. (2008). Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Van Leur, J. C. (1955). Indonesian trade and society: Essays in Asian social and economic history. dlm. Wertheim, W. F. et al. (Eds.), Selected Studies on Indonesia. The Hague: W. van Hoeve Ltd.
Wade, B. C. (1998). Imaging sound: An ethnomusicological study of music, art and culture in Mughal India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Published
2017-07-01
How to Cite
RAJA HALID, Raja Iskandar Bin.
Nobat and Ethnification: Cultural Encounters and Adaptation in the Formation of Malay Identity.
Melayu: Jurnal Antarabangsa Dunia Melayu, [S.l.], v. 10, n. 2, p. 214-229, july 2017.
ISSN 2682-8049.
Available at: <https://jurnal.dbp.my/index.php/Melayu/article/view/1922>. Date accessed: 22 dec. 2024.
Section
Articles
