IMR 659

Management of Manuscripts and Personal Papers

CHAPTER 2
MALAY MANUSCRIPTS
 Learning Outcomes

1. Understand Malay manuscripts.

2. Discuss the papers, typography, calligraphy, ink and watermark.

 History of Malay Manuscript

A Malay manuscript is defined as one which is written by hand in Malay language on

material like paper, parchment, lontar or treebark, usually is aged over a hundreds of
years old.

Since the early days, when the Malays first learned how to write, particularly during
the period when Islam penetrated into the Malay world bringing with it the Perso-
Arabic script Jawi, thousands of manuscripts have been written. These manuscripts
covered a wide range of subjects, which reflect the rich cultural and high intellectual
attainment of Malays. Many of the early Malay manuscripts, some which are of
considerable importance and interest, are now repositories outside the Malay world.

National Library of Malaysia (2003)

 History of Malay Manuscript

As writing material, the Malays used pen or kalam derived from the stem of plants
which the most commonly used were kalam resam and kalam kabong. Kalam resam
was made from the stem of fern resam (gleichenia linearis) and the kalam kabong was
made of a black hard bristle from various palmea plants namely enau or kabung
(arenga pinnata) and gamuti palm (borassus gamuti).

As for the ink, it was locally manufactured from the ingenuity of the Malays. It was
largely made from oily or torch lamp black or burnt charcoal mixed with gum and
honey. Another source of ink is manjakani. Color ink was extracted from certain plants
such as hyacinth for purple ink, the fruit rind of mangosteen for brown ink and
safflower for red. These colors enhanced the beauty of illuminated manuscript.

Asma (1986)
 History of Malay Manuscript

During the early period, manuscripts were written on palm leaves from the lontar palm and the
nipah palm, bamboo, vellum and tree bark.

Lontar Palm
History of Malay Manuscript

Bamboo

Tree Bark
 Collections of Malay Manuscript

Collections of Malay Manuscripts in Malaysia are at the National Library of Malaysia,

Pusat Manuskrip Melayu, the National Archives and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. The
Malay Manuscripts also can be found in the British Library, Library of Congress and
many parts of the world.

Examples of manuscript collections at the National Library of Malaysia.

Hikayat Hang Tuah

Misa Melayu
Taj-as Salatin
Syair Musuh Kelantan
Kitab Tib
Hukum Kanun Melaka
 Types of Malay Manuscript

1. Hikayat - products of classical Malay literature , name of the authors and the
dates the Hikayat are composed are unknown, contain elements of magic, bravery
and the heroic of extraordinary warriors .
Example: Hikayat Bayan Budiman , Hikayat Inderaputera, Hikayat Nabi MIkraj, Hikayat Amir
Hamzah & Hikayat Nabi Sulaiman

2. Syair - traditional poetic forms that are still relevant in contemporary society,
comprises four lines stanzas with the rhyming scheme of a, a, a, a, functions of the
syairs are to tell stories, provide guidance and they are also used in religious
activities.

Example: Syair Bidasari, Syair Siti Zubaida, Syair Burung Merpati

3. Nazam - is an old poetic form where each couplet is made up of two lines ,
influenced by the Arabic poetic style, regarded as a berzanji text in Malay.
Example: Nazam Nabi Muhammad s.a.w., Nazam pengajaran (instructions)
 Types of Malay Manuscript

4. Islamic Text - kitabs or texts on the teachings of Islam were produced in the
period between the 17th century until the early 20th century , written in old
Malay using the Jawi script, subject matters covered by these texts include
doctrines (tauhid), jurisprudence (fiqh), Prophet's sayings (hadith) and mysticism
(tasawuf).
Example: Sirat al-mustaqim, Warda al-Zawahir , Sayr al-salikin ila 'ibadah rabb al-'alamin,
Mir’at al-Quran

5. Medicine - medicines record the materials and method of preparation and use for
all kinds of diseases.
Example: Kitab Tib, Kitab Tib dan Petua

6. Beliefs & Amulet - accumulated a collection of unique knowledge and skills on

medicine, beliefs, amulet and interpretation of dreams.
Example: Petua dan azimat, Kitab raksi, Petua lembu, anjing, burung dan kucing, Ta’dbir
mimpi, Firasat, Azimat.
 Types of Malay Manuscript

7. Laws - tradition of state administration that had been practiced over a long period
of time in the Archipelago had gone through several changes from time to time,
especially after the arrival of Islam
Example: Hukum kanun Melaka, Minangkabau Laws

8. History - writing tradition of traditional Malay society, especially in the court

circle, chronicles of events recorded in these works
Example: Misa Melayu, Salasilah Melayu dan Bugis, Sejarah Patani

9. Custom - include works on statecraft, collections of works produced by Malay

court writers to provide guidance on the procedures of government to rulers and
state officials
Example: Adab Raja-raja, Taj al-salatin
 Ink

 Ink is such a tiny word, three letters, but it has played such a huge part on the
stage of world history. The original use for ink was to draw and paint on the walls
of caves a lasting legacy of prehistoric man. However, its greatest impact was to
spread knowledge, in the form of the printed word.

 Ink and its production has always been to a certain extent problematic, it has
always had issues regarding durability, it fades when exposed to sunlight and
different types of paper absorb different amounts of ink.

 To understand the chemical structure of ink it is necessary to understand the

properties of the chemicals that have gone into ink production, and why certain
chemicals improve or debase its durability.
 Types of Ink

There are three basic types of ink:

i.Inks using a pigment plus a binder like a

gouache, Chinese ink sticks are in this group
where the pigment is soot. In general, ink sticks
are regarded as the best general type of all-
purpose inks, though there are differences in
properties especially when writing on Eastern
paper.

ii. Inks with a dyestuff added such as fountain pen ink.

iii. Inks with a chemical precipitation added such as Ferro Gallic or iron gall inks.
 Logwood Inks

 Logwood inks are manufactured from

extracts of the Haematoxylon
campecheartzim tree mixed with
crystallized sodium carbonate and
potassium chromate.

 The pieces of wood are purchased as

small chips and they are steeped in
water to extract the dye.

 The ink dries easily into a purplish black which becomes a concentrated black on
the surface and in the paper. It can be washed, but when exposed to air it
decomposes into small flakes.
 Secret Inks

 This type of ink is the ink of espionage and subterfuge, referred to as invisible,
sympathetic, or secret ink.

 The most common of the sympathetic ink is one made from cobalt chloride,
when diluted before writing the ink dries to a very pale shade of pink, but once
the ink is warmed, it becomes a clear and distinct blue.

 When phenolphthalein is added to the ink it remains invisible until it is exposed

to ammonia vapours.

 Some of the earliest invisible inks were lemon, orange or onion juice it had to be
scorched to make it visible, because it is an undigested juice, once heated they
return to their natural colour.
 Typewriter Ribbon Inks

 The base of typewriter ink is usually

castor oil, because it is slow drying
and it is then mixed with oleic acid to
which ground colouring agents have
been added.

 The ribbon is passed through rollers,

which have been set at a specific
distance apart.

 Most typewriter ribbons have two

colours, but each section is inked at
the same time from two separate
reservoirs of colour.
 There has to be a partition at the rollers to prevent the two inks from merging. Even
so, the viscosity of both inks has to be equal if it is not the colours will blend. The
finished ribbon has a line in the centre, which is the width of the partition.
 Supplies & Equipment

Boxes and folders are the most inexpensive way of protecting manuscripts against
dust, light and to a considerable extent, atmospheric gases. Boxes also insulate
against fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity especially to maps
mounted on cloth and some photographs and films.

Filing cabinet designed for normal documents are not suitable for storage
manuscripts. Folders tend to jammed when the drawer is closed and searches for
material place undue wear upon the documents edges exposed at the top of the
folders.
 Supplies & Equipment

Another common form of manuscript storage is the corrugated box, measuring 15

by 10 by 12, with a fitted telescopic lid, generally known as records center carton.
This is the cheapest possible container for manuscripts and archives.
 Boxing

Boxing involves making a choice of containers governed by the size of collections

and the amount use. Horizontal boxes are most satisfactory for small collections
and miscellaneous items. Folders & documents lie flat, and containers do not have
to be completely filled to prevent warping and curling.

However, they are likely to require an expensive custom order since almost all
standard manuscripts containers provide upright storage.

A dust proof lid and side handholds are a decided advantages. Containers larger
than 12.5 x 15.5 inches are uncomfortable to handle and any saving in money or
space is offset by their inconvenience
 Labeling

Labeling of all containers is necessary.

A label is satisfactory if it tells the name of the collection, its classification number
(if used), and the contents of the container (i.e., folder, box or filing drawer) being
labelled or Its place in the order of containers, i.e., box 1, box 2, etc.

Labels designed especially for the repository using them will make shelves and
collections more attractive at little extra cost.
 Shelving

Can be done in 2 ways, in order of acquisition or by classification scheme.

Some provision can be made for differentiating bound and unbound material or
outsize items e.g.

AA – Bound manuscripts (diaries, scrapbooks etc)

Aa – Unbound papers, collection of personal papers
Ab – Upright boxes of personal papers for large or especially valuable collections

Shelving is done in alphabetical order by collections within classification

scheme. This work very well for single items and small collections.

When a classification scheme is used, it must be remembered that it specifies

only type of collections i.e., personal papers, business records, institutional
records etc. It does not attempt to perform the task of the library classification
scheme is organized according to subject matter.
 Environmental Control

It has been proven that, if good paper could be stored in a near-freezing, dry
atmosphere, it would last almost indefinitely, but conservators have agreed that
the acceptable temperature for documents is 68 to 70 degrees F. and 50% relative
humidity.

Air conditioning works to mitigate against fungi and acid. With central air
conditioning, it will filters and washes the air, removing sulphur dioxide and other
impurities.

It also keeps the air in motion, the growth of spores is

retarded in well ventilated rooms. Such system may
incorporate expensive thermometers and hygrometers
which record temperatures and humidity readings on a
continuous roll of paper.
 Conclusion

It is important to remember is that the general principle of processing a manuscript

repository is to keep a balance between consistency and flexibility. Organization
implies a scheme, and to attempt to deal with manuscript materials without having
decided on a system for handling them would result in chaos.