Compared to other regions in Indonesia, Minangkabau has unique tradition regarding the writing of manuscripts; the tradition is still live here until recently. I found some of them written even in 2001 on modern papers. Kitab al-Taqwim wa al-Siyam is one of the contemporary manuscripts, deals with the calendar system of Shattari ...
Malayo-Polynesian languages, sometimes also called Austronesian languages family of languages estimated at from 300 to 500 tongues and understood by approximately 300 million people in Madagascar; the Malay Peninsula; Indonesia and New Guinea; the Philippines; Taiwan; the Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian islands; and New Zealand. ...
Intricate floral cutouts are pasted on, building up the design until the kite is ready for the bright paper tassels that complete its decoration. Kite construction is an ancient art passed down from the nobles of the Melakan court. Over the dried padi fields, a wau bulan, or moon kite, catches an upcurrent of air. Its wing span is larger ...
In Malaysia, dances can be clearly defined into two categories: traditional and modern dances. The traditional dances were initially an integral part of the animistic rituals that adorned the lives of the early Malays. They served to placate the various spirits which governed numerous facets of their lives. Through the passage of time and ...
After reading the malaysiakini interview with Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) director-general Dr Syed Ali Taufix Al-Attas, I cannot but disagree with certain of his views which appear myopic and bigoted. He says the Malays are Malays because of Islam and therefore they are Muslims first and that they are not Malays ...
In his highly influential work the Preliminary Statement on a General Theory of the Islamization of the Malay-Indonesian Archipelago (1963), Syed Naquib al-Attas argued that “the coming of Islam, seen from the perspective of modern times, was the most momentous event in the history of the Malay archipelago”.1 Naquib al-Attas’ ...
At the beginning of the 16th century, the eastern spice trade was routed through Egypt, and no non-Muslim vessel was permitted to dock in Arabian ports. The competing European powers, painfully aware of the need for an open trade route to India and the Far East, sought to establish their own trading ports at the source. In 1511, a ...
Malay literature, a diverse subject, can be clearly divided into 4 main areas of literature: Poetry (e.g. puisi, pantun, syair and sajak), Stories (e.g. novels, biographies and autobiography) Drama Critique (the analysis of the literature) These for divisions of Malay literature grew from Hindu influenced texts such ...
Born Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir in Melaka in 1796, Munshi Abdullah is hailed by many as one of the Malay world‘s great men of letters. He led Malay literature from the world of heroic myth, fantasy and feudal exploits into what R O Winstedt described as "a realism that ... is in accord with the genius of a race of extroverts." Abdullah ...
The visitor to Metro Manila commonly sees the Philippines as the most westernized of Asian countries and in many ways it is. But there is also a rich underlay of Malay culture beneath the patina of Spanish and American heritage. National cultural life is a happy marriage of many influences, as the indigenous Malay culture is assimilated ...
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