Book Reviews - G.W.. Drewes, Taufik Abdullah, and society in Southeast , Institute of Southeast Asian studies, , 1986, XII and 348 pp., Sharon Siddique (eds.) - Th. van den End, T.Valentino Sitoy, A history of Christianity in the Philippines. The initial encounter , Vol. I, Quezon City (Philippines): New day publishers, 1985. - R. Hagesteijn, David G. Marr, in the 9th to 14th centuries, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian studies and the research school of Pacific studies of the Australian National University, 1986, 416 pp., A.C. Milner (eds.) - R. Hagesteijn, Constance M. Wilson, The Burma-Thai frontier over sixteen decades - Three descriptive documents, Ohio University monographs in international studies, Southeast Asia series No. 70, 1985,120 pp., Lucien M. Hanks (eds.) - Barbara Harrisson, John S. Guy, Oriental trade ceramics in South-east Asia, ninth to sixteenth century, Oxford University Press, Singapore, 1986. [Revised, updated version of an exhibition catalogue issued in in 1980, in the enlarged format of the Oxford in Asia studies of ceramic series.] 161 pp. with figs. and maps, 197 catalogue ills., numerous thereof in colour, extensive bibliography, chronol. tables, glossary, index. - V.J.H. Houben, G.D. Larson, Prelude to revolution. Palaces and politics in Surakarta, 1912- 1942. VKI 124, Dordrecht/Providence: Foris publications 1987. - Marijke J. Klokke, Stephanie Morgan, Aesthetic tradition and cultural transition in Java and Bali. University of Wisconsin, Center for Southeast Asian studies, Monograph 2, 1984., Laurie Jo Sears (eds.) - Liaw Yock Fang, Mohamad Jajuli, The undang-undang; A mid-eighteenth century law text, Center for South-East Asian studies, University of Kent at Canterbury, Occasional paper No. 6, 1986, VIII + 104 + 16 pp. - S.D.G. de Lima, A.B. Adam, The vernacular press and the emergence of modern Indonesian consciousness (1855-1913), unpublished Ph. D. thesis, School of Oriental and African studies, University of London, 1984, 366 pp. - J. Thomas Lindblad, .M. Robinson, Stepchildren of progress; The political economy of development in an Indonesian mining town, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1986, xv + 315 pp. - Pauline Lunsingh Scheurleer, J.E. van Lohuizen-de Leeuw, Indo-Javanese Metalwork, Linden- Museum, Stuttgart, Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, 1984, 218 pp. - H.M.J. Maier, V. Matheson, Perceptions of the Haj; Five Malay texts, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian studies (Research notes and discussions paper no. 46), 1984; 63 pp., A.C. Milner (eds.)

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access - Wolfgang Marschall, Sandra A. Niessen, Motifs of life in Toba Batak texts and textiles, Verhandelingen KITLV 110. Dordrecht/Cinnaminson: Foris publications, 1985. VIII + 249 pp., 60 ills. - Peter Meel, Ben Scholtens, Opkomende arbeidersbeweging in Suriname. Doedel, Liesdek, De Sanders, De kom en de werklozenonrust 1931-1933, Nijmegen: Transculturele Uitgeverij Masusa, 1986, 224 pp. - Anke Niehof, Patrick Guinness, Harmony and hierarchy in a Javanese kampung, Asian Studies Association of Australia, Singapore: Oxford University Press, 1986, 191 pp. - C.H.M. Nooy-Palm, Toby Alice Volkman, Feasts of honor; Ritual and change in the Toraja Highlands, Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, Illinois Studies in Anthropology no. 16, 1985, IX + 217 pp., 2 maps, black and white photographs. - Gert J. Oostindie, Jean Louis Poulalion, Le Surinam; Des origines à lindépendance. La Chapelle Monligeon, s.n., 1986, 93 pp. - Harry A. Poeze, Bob Hering, The PKIs aborted revolt: Some selected documents, Townsville: James Cook University of North Queensland. (Occasional Paper 17.) IV + 100 pp. - Harry A. Poeze, Biografisch woordenboek van het socialisme en de arbeidersbeweging in Nederland; Deel I, Amsterdam: Stichting tot Beheer van Materialen op het Gebied van de Sociale Geschiedenis IISG, 1986. XXIV + 184 pp. - S. Pompe, Philipus M. Hadjon, Perlindungan hukum bagi rakyat di , Ph.D thesis Airlangga University, Surabaya: Airlangga University Press, 1985, xviii + 308 pp. - J.M.C. Pragt, Volker Moeller, Javanische bronzen, Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Museum für Indische Kunst, , 1985. Bilderheft 51. 62 pp., ill. - J.J. Ras, Friedrich Seltmann, Die Kalang. Eine Volksgruppe auf Java und ihre Stamm-Myth. Ein beitrag zur kulturgeschichte Javas, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH, 1987, 430 pp. - R. Roolvink, Russell Jones, Hikayat Sultan Ibrahim ibn Adham, Berkeley: Center for South and Southeast Asia Studies, University of California, Monograph Series no. 57, 1985. ix, 332 pp. - R. Roolvink, Russell Jones, Hikayat Sultan Ibrahim, Dordrecht/Cinnaminson: Foris, KITLV, Bibliotheca Indonesica vol. 24, 1983. 75 pp. - Wim Rutgers, Harry Theirlynck, Van Maria tot Rosy: Over Antilliaanse literatuur, Antillen Working Papers 11, Caraïbische Afdeling, Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Leiden, 1986, 107 pp. - C. Salmon, John R. Clammer, Studies in Chinese folk and , Contributions to Southeast Asian Ethnography no. 2, Singapore, August 1983, 178 pp. - C. Salmon, Ingo Wandelt, Wihara Kencana - Zur chinesischen Heilkunde in Jakarta, unter Mitarbeit bei der Feldforschung und Texttranskription von Hwie-Ing Harsono [The Wihara Kencana and Chinese Therapeutics in Jakarta, with the cooperation of Hwie-Ing Harsono for the fieldwork and text transcriptions], Kölner ethopgraphische Studien Bd. 10, Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag, 1985, 155 pp., 1 plate. - Mathieu Schoffeleers, 100 jaar fraters op de Nederlandse Antillen, Zutphen: De Walburg Pers, 1986, 191 pp. - Mathieu Schoffeleers, Jules de Palm, Kinderen van de fraters, Amsterdam: De Bezige Bij, 1986,

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 199 pp. - Henk Schulte Nordholt, H. von Saher, Emanuel Rodenburg, of wat er op het eiland Bali geschiedde toen de eerste Nederlanders daar in 1597 voet aan wal zetten. De Walburg Pers, Zutphen, 1986, 104 pp., 13 ills. and map. - G.J. Schutte, W.Ph. Coolhaas, Generale missiven van Gouverneurs-Generaal en Raden aan Heren XVII der Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VIII: 1725-1729, Rijks Geschiedkundige Publicatiën, Grote Serie 193, s-Gravenhage, 1985, 275 pp. - H. Steinhauer, Jeff Siegel, Language contact in a plantation environment. A sociolinguistic history of Fiji, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987, xiv + 305 pp. [Studies in the social and cultural foundations of language 5.] - H. Steinhauer, L.E. Visser, Sahu-Indonesian-English Dictionary and Sahu grammar sketch, Verhandelingen van het KITLV 126, Dordrecht: Foris Publications, 1987, xiv + 258 pp., C.L. Voorhoeve (eds.) - Taufik Abdullah, H.A.J. Klooster, Indonesiërs schrijven hun geschiedenis: De ontwikkeling van de Indonesische geschiedbeoefening in theorie en praktijk, 1900-1980, Verhandelingen KITLV 113, Dordrecht/Cinnaminson: Foris Publications, 1985, Bibl., Index, 264 pp. - Maarten van der Wee, Jan Breman, Control of land and labour in colonial Java: A case study of agrarian crisis and reform in the region of Ceribon during the first decades of the 20th century, Verhandelingen of the Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology, Leiden, No. 101, Dordrecht: Foris Publications, 1983. xi + 159 pp. In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 143 (1987), no: 4, Leiden, 555-613

This PDF-file was downloaded from http://www.kitlv-journals.nl

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ONVOLLEDIGE VERMELDING Aan de 'Rechtzetting' van Dr. J. van Goor, opgenomen in de Bijdragen van 1987, jrg. 143, p. 159, is door ons de volledige tekst van het sonnet van G. J. Resink toegevoegd. Verzuimd is echter te vermelden dat het gedicht voorkomt in de bundel Kreeft en Steenbok, uitgegeven door G. A. van Oorschot te Amsterdam in het jaar 1963. Wij bieden auteur en uitgever voor deze omissie onze verontschuldigingen aan. Redactie

Taufik Abdullah and Sharon Siddique (eds.), Islam and Society in Southeast Asia, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singa- pore, 1986, XII and 348 pp. G. W. J. DREWES The Singapore Institute, which in 1985 published the useful compilation Readings on , has now followed up this compre- hensive work with the publication of the papers presented at the work- shop on Islam in Southeast Asia that was held by the Institute in February 1983. They are 13 in number and come from as many authors, of whom five are from Indonesia, four from Malaysia, two from Singa- pore, one from Thailand and one from the Philippines. Accounting for their approach, the editors say in the Introduction that, in accordance with on-going research on the topic, three themes emerge as major foei: tradition, reformation, and state formation - interwoven themes, which can be viewed under the aspect of universality, in a national context, or in the local setting. The last-mentioned view, being the more concrete, perhaps taken cumulatively is the more indicative of the broader conse- quences for the long-term direction of the development of Islam in Southeast Asia. Accordingly, one finds between the opening and the concluding paper eleven contributions dealing with local problems and affairs. In the first article, by Chandra Muzaffar, and entitled 'Islamic Resur- gence: A Global View (with illustrations from Southeast Asia)', the author, formerly a Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Science, Penang, explains why he prefers the term 'resurrection' to 're-assertion' or 'revivalism', following this up with a few clarifications in which — within fairly wide limits — a great number of diverse movements all over the Muslim world are subsumed under this denominator. Next he describes in brief the three groups that can be distinguished according to their attitude towards religion in urban centres, and the chief charac- teristics of each group, while the core of the article consists of a resumé of the, frequently described, causes of the resurgence and the Western reaction to it. Before passing on to the papers on local problems, the

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 556 Boekbesprekingen reader would do well to turn to the concluding article, bearing the title 'Islamic Resurgence, Challenge of Change'. Here the writer, the Singa- pore political scientist Obaid ul-Haq, gives a good, concise analysis of the general state of affairs, which makes the article in some respects complementary to the opening article. Thus far the plan of the book. The remaining articles are not all of equal value. In places, one remark and another might be made, but it is beyond the of this review to go into detail. M. Kamal Hassan (International Islamic University, Kuala Lumpur) opens the series of papers on local subjects with an article on 'Some Dimensions of Islamic Education in S.E. Asia', in particular in Malaysia. Taufik Abdullah (LIPI, Jakarta) writes on 'The Pesantren in Historical Perspective', Kunto Wijoyo (Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta) contributes an instructive article on 'Islam and Politics: The Local Sarekat Islam Move- ments in Madura 1913-20', Mrs. Baroroh Baried (G.M. University, Yogyakarta) writes on 'Islam and the Modernization of Indonesian Women', Moh. Abu Bakar (University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur) on 'Islam and Nationalism in Contemporary Malay Society', and Abdur- rahman Wahid (Chairman of Nahdatululama) on 'Nahdatululama and Islam in Present Day Indonesia'. The two last-named articles are most illustrative of the great differences between Malaysia and Indonesia with respect to Islam. Moh. Daud Ali, Director of the Islamic Law Study Centre, Fac. of Law, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, brings up the rear as regards the papers dealing with Indonesia and Malaysia with a dis- course on 'The Position of Islamic Law in the Indonesian Legal System', which cannot be said to be up to the general Standard of this book. However, there would be no point in going into its errors and inexac- titudes, seeing that the writer labours under the fallacy of earlier genera- tions that in countries with a Muslim population Islamic Law as a matter of course is the law of the land, and still quotes the long-abandoned misconceptions of Raffles, Keijzer and Van den Berg as authoritative views, not to speak of his referring to the worthless juridical texts fabricated at the instigation of ignorant VOC officials. Considerable attention is given to the three areas where constitute a minority in countries of a different religious signature: Southern Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore. What is referred to as Southern Thailand is the territory of the former Malay kingdom of Patani, now divided into four Thai provinces. Patani lost her independence in the latter part of the 18th century, when the northern states of the Malay peninsula were subjugated by the Siamese, and was not ceded when, in 1909, the suzerainty of Kedah, Kelantan, Trengganu and Perlis was transferred from Siam to . From the Hikayat Patani (edited by Teeuw and Wyatt, Bibl. Indonesica 5, 2 vols., 1970) we know that, apart from occasional troubles, there was always a steady relationship between Siam and Patani: provided that Patani sent the habitual bunga mas in recognition of the Siamese king's suzerainty, she was pretty well left alone as a Muslim state with its own administration and institutions. However, this situation did not last. From the beginning of this century onward the Siamese Government tightened its grasp on Patani's administration and society, the conse-

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 557 quences of which made themselves feit in almost all walks of life. After 1932, when Siam became a constitutional monarchy and a centrally run country, Patani was incorporated more and more into the Thai provin- cial organization, and the Government, cherishing the ideal of a unified nation-state, strove to assimilate the Malay population through Bud- dhist-Thai nationalist education and various other means. As was to be expected, these measures aroused great resentment among the people, and eventually led to resistance, violence, and the emergence of a separatist organization. Patani's history of the past centuries is dealt with in two well-informed articles, one by Uthai Dulyakasem (Fac. of Education, Silpakorn Uni- versity, Nakorn Pathom, Thailand), under the title 'The Emergence and Escalation of Ethnic Nationalism: The Case of the Muslim Malays in Southern Siam', the other by Omar Farouk (History Dept., University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur), under the title 'The Origins and Evolution of Malay-Muslim Ethnic Nationalism in Southern Thailand'. Both of them are equally of the opinion that the problem is far from being solved, and that there is a serious need for careful re-evaluation of the present policy towards the Muslim Malay communities. In the Philippines, where similar tensions, of fluctuating intensity, between the Central Government and the Muslim provinces are known to have existed almost throughout the entire colonial period and con- tinued after independence, an agreement was reached in 1976. In con- sequence of this a Ministry of Muslim Affairs was created in 1982, to direct and implement the various government responses to a resurgent Islam. In an article entitled 'The Resurgence of Islam and Nationalism in the Philippines', Nagasura Madale (Mindanao State University) gives an enumeration of the laws enacted and the measures taken since. The ideal of secession still seems to be cherished by a minority, though. When, in 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia, the Muslim minority in Singapore - 15 per cent of the total population - was suddenly cut off from the Muslim majority in Peninsular Malaysia. This development necessitated the creation of certain regulations adapted to the changed circumstances, in which activity the newly established Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura played an important part. Starting from the historical background of Singapore, Sharon Siddique, a Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, proceeds through the colonial period and the post-war period to the present realities, and winds up on a cheerful note. In the final paragraph of her interesting paper on 'The Administration of Islam in Singapore' she says: 'Thus from the sphere of personal law, the Singapore Muslim community has begun to rationalize educational, as well as economie activities within a religious world-view. The administration of Islam in Singapore must be seen as an ongoing process, which has been ac- celerated since independence.' The Singapore Institute deserves praise for this publication, in parti- cular on account of the ample mention which is made of the minority groups in the area dealt with.

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T. Valentino Sitoy, A History of Christianity in the Philip- pines. The Initial Encounter, Vol. I, Quezon City (Philip- pines): New Day Publishers, 1985. ISBN 971-10-0254-X (bp), 971-10-0255-8 (np). TH. VAN DEN END

In the work under review Dr. Sitoy, inter alia Professor of Christian History and Asian Religions and Dean of the Siliman Divinity School, attempts to teil not so much the story of the institutional church itself as that of Christianity as a religion, and of the latter's interaction with various areas of concern of the Filipino people. In this volume, which is to be the first of three, the author brings the story up to the year 1591. After an Introduction into pre-Spanish Filipino religion (pp. 1-33), the history of the successive Spanish expeditions to the Philippines (pp. 34-86) and of how the Spanish gained a foothold in the Visayas (pp. 87-138) and conquered Luzon (pp. 139-197) is told in broad detail. A chapter on Filipino responses to Spanish colonization and evangeliza- tion (pp. 198-270) concludes this first volume. Throughout his account, Sitoy quotes extensively from 16th-century European sources, which he has studied thoroughly. His book is a fine example of narrative history, which at times makes fascinating reading, especially when it discusses the Filipino side of the story. An example is the way Sitoy, on the basis of Iberian sources, questions the current opinion that in the Spanish conquest of the Philippines a minimum of force was used. However, there remain a few questions. In the first place one of quantity. The author plans the present volume to be the first of three. Contrary to the impression one gets from the title of the book, the Preface does not limit the span of time to the first period of Philippine Church History only. But as the Christianization of the Philippines began in 1565, this first volume only relates the story of 25 years out of 400. This makes it unlikely that the complete work can be restricted to three volumes. From this point of view, one wonders if the author has not devoted too much space to the vicissitudés of the various expeditions and to the conquest of the Philippines, giving full details of armaments and so on and reserving only about fifty pages for the history of the missions in the strict sense of the word. In a book written mainly for students of church history, one would like to read more about subjects which can be considered major themes in this particular field. For instance, which Gospel was brought by the missionaries (involving questions about such subjects as the structure of Spanish Christianity, the Christian faith of the friar-missionaries, their ideas about the relation between Church and State, and the kind of local work they envisaged)? What methods were used in the missionary work here (e.g., what Christian doctrines were stressed by the missionaries, how did they préparé people for baptism, what languages did they use, what was the actual measure of cooperation between the conquerors and the missionaries, what role did the encomienderos play in the process of Christianization)? How was the Gospel received by the Filipinos who had themselves baptized (what were their motives in this, what was

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 559 the actual brand of their Christian faith)? Finally, how was Filipino Christianity organized? After all, in 1591 the church here numbered about 200,000 people. Perhaps these questions will be answered in the second volume, 1591 being a rather arbitrary point for breaking off the story of 'the initial encounter'. We hope Mr. Sitoy's many duties will leave him enough time to write the sequel to the book with which he has presented us here.

David G. Marr and A. C. Milner (eds), Southeast Asia in the 9th to I4th Centuries, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and the Research School of Pacific Studies of the Australian National University, 1986,416 pp. R. HAGESTEIJN

This volume is the outcome.of an interdisciplinary conference on South- east Asia in the 9th to 14th centuries held in May 1984 at the Australian National University. This particular period has been neglected until recently, the colonial and post-colonial periods being considered of more interest for study. Till the seventies, the early history of Southeast Asia was represented by nothing more than an obligatory myth or two in the Introductions to 'real' historical analyses. Fortunately this imbalance has been redressed in the past two decades. Step by step - slowly, because the available data are difficult to interpret - political figures are being removed from their mythical pedestals and placed in a more dynamic anthropological framework. After the collective volumes of Hall and Whitmore (1976), Cowan and Wolters (1976), Hutterer (1977), Smith and Watson (1979), and Gesick (1983), and the monographs by Wolters (1982), Wheatley (1983) and K. Hall (1985), this new collection of articles forms a useful contribution to the discussion on the nature of early Southeast Asian polities. Including the Introduction, it comprises twenty-one chapters. Six of these discuss Vietnamese subjects (Whitmore, Taylor, Ungar, Guy, Tran Quoc Vuong and Wolters), four are on early Java (de Casparis, Wisseman, Fox and Worsley), two on Thailand (Stargardt and Srisakra), one on Arakan (Gutman), one on Champa (Mabbatt), and one on Angkorian Cambodia (Vickery); and another five deal with different larger regions (Kulke with Southeast Asia in general, Manguin.and Macknight with Insular Southeast Asia, Loofs-Wissowa with mainland Southeast Asia and Jacques with the Khmer and Cham areas). Wang Gungwu, in the Introduction, sketches the shift in approach of Southeast Asian historiography from a Western-expansionist viewpoint leaning heavily on traditional archive research to a multi-disciplinary approach with a wider methodological range and greater attention to theoretical questions concerning political structures and state formation. In retrospect, the conference appears to have had two themes: changing

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 560 Boekbesprekingen polities (both in structure and in appearance) and the 'localization' of these polities. The term 'localization' is somewhat vague, but appears to be used as a designation for the reaction against so-called 'Indianization' and to be meant to emphasize internal political developments instead of Indian acculturation. According to Wang Gungwu, an important out- come of the conference is the conclusion that the tendency of historians to separate the 'institution' (political structure) from the 'process' ('localization') should be abandoned. Political structure and political process are inseparable. The subjects of the individual contributions vary from the technical- ities of hydraulic works (Stargardt) to the questions of structuralism and boat symbolism (Manguin). Most of these papers are interesting because of their in-depth analyses, or re-analyses, of specific sources (e.g., Sri- sakra Vallibhotama, Loofs and Guy on archaeological data, Worsley on a Javanese bas-relief, Wolters on Vietnamese Annals, and Ungar with a comparison of 'official' and 'unofficial' histories) or themes (e.g., de Casparis on political bureaucracy, Gutman on kingship, Mabbett on Buddhism, Fox on kinship, and Macknight on political boundaries). These in-depth analyses are indeed the strength of the volume. It contains a wealth of data and valuable, time-saving annotations and references. Many authors, some of them implicitly, touch upon the nature of the early Southeast Asian state. For instance, Whitmore and Taylor convin- cingly demonstrate that Vietnam in the Ly period (1010-1225 AD) was not the Confucian state that prior Chinese domination of the area might lead one to expect. Vickery, after a thorough investigation of the meaning of the titles pon and mratdh in the primary sources, concludes that relations among the local political elites of pre-Angkor Cambodia were more fluid than Chinese sources and their interpreters have made us believe thus far. Only a few of the authors explicitly use their data for a discussion on a theoretical level. Wolters' interpretation of the mandala concept and his application of this concept to early Southeast Asian data (1982) has been used by some as a frame of reference for their analyses (Kulke, Whitmore, Wisseman, Jacques). The article by Kulke has the widest scope - both in a theoretical and in a geographical sense. It discusses the structural change of the political system in the process of its develöpment from a local to a regional level ('Early Kingdom'), and to a supra- regional 'Imperial Kingdom' level. According to Kulke, Wolters' man- dala concept allows insufficient scope for the structural changes which determine the differences between the Early and the Imperial Kingdoms as defined by him. However, Kulke's distinction between an 'Early Kingdom' and an 'Imperial Kingdom' level in my opinion is not very convincing. The structural differences between these two types - the hold over the local administration, the legitimate degree of access to local resources and the effect of an 'imperial ideology' - were often more 'theoretical' than 'real'; they depended on fluctuating personal relations and were never enduring, not even in Angkor. Perhaps it would be a good idea to make less use of Western terms like 'kingdom', 'state' and

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'imperial' and to give more attention to the contents of the relations between the political actors instead. Compared with the other contributors, Wisseman Christie, in his chapter on early Java, is most critical of the results of the research on early Southeast Asia of the past two decades. Discussing the various models that have been used to describe the developments in the period under consideration, he posits that there is a conflict between the views of the specialists on primary sources on the one hand and the theorists who lack access to the epigraphic and archaeological data on the other. 'The result has been a disjunction between data and theory, and the fault lies with all of us. We need new models, based on closer study and more active discussion of the available data.' (p. 86.) His point is that SE Asian early states were too fluid to fit the Weberian model of the state, but 'more cohesive' than predicted by the mandala model or the theatre state model developed by Wolters (1982) and Geertz (1980) respectively as a reaction to the Weberian model. Concluding, we may say that this volume contains many interesting small-scale analyses. However, as some of the contributors also make clear, as far as the theoretical interpretation and integration are con- cerned, more work needs to be done.

REFERENCES

Cowan, C. D., and O. Wolters, 1976, Historians and Historiography; Essays in Honourof D. C. E. Hall, Ithaca: Press. Geertz, C, 1980, Nagara; The Theatre State in Nineteenth Century Bali, Princeton: University of Princeton Press. Gesick, L. M., 1983, Centres, Symbols and Hierarchies; Essays on the Classical States of Southeast Asia, New Haven: Yale University Press. Hall, K., 1985, Maritime Trade and State Development in Early Southeast Asia, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Hall, K., and J. Whitmore, 1976, Explorations in Early Southeast Asian History; The Origins of Southeast Asian Statecraft, Michigan Papers on South and Southeast Asia, Ann Arbor: Michigan University Press. Hutterer, K., 1977, Economie Exchange and Social Interaction in Southeast Asia; Perspec- tives from Prehistory, History and Ethnography, Ann Arbor: Michigan University Press. Wheatley, P., 1983, Negara and Commandery. The Origins of Southeast Asian Urban Traditions, University of Chicago Press. Wolters, O., 1982, History, Culture and Region in Southeast Asian Perspective, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

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Constance M. Wilson and Lucien M. Hanks, The Burma- Thai Frontier over Sixteen Decades — Three Descriptive Documents, Ohio University Monographs in International Studies, Southeast Asia Series No. 70, 1985, 120 pp. R. HAGESTEIJN

The three documents presented in this book - a report on the re-estab- lishment of Chiang Rai and its borders (1846), a Thai government survey of the Middle Salween (1890), and a socio-economic survey of regions in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces north of the Mae Kok valley, with special reference to the uplands (1964-1974) - provide interesting data bases. They focus on Thai-Burmese border area pro- blems 'from different periods of time, with different perceptions and with different analytical tools' (p. 2). These sources indeed 'provide a picture of regional turbulence' that contradicts the classical image of precolonial rural tranquility. The first, and also the shortest, document is an account by Thao Sitthimongkhon, a junior official from the principality of Chiengmai. It is introduced by Constance Wilson, who describes it as an important record of the relationships between tributary chiefs and their monarchs, of Shan and Thai diplomacy in practice, and of life in northern Thailand and the Shan states in general. It was written in 1846, at a time when the area had little contact with the outside world. The second document is a report by a trainee cartographer, Nai Banchaphumasathan, who surveyed the middle Salween region in 1890. Apart from an account of mutual hostilities along the borderline, it contains numerous interesting details of socio-political relations among the Burmese, Thai, Karen and Shan. It also abounds with descriptions of aspects of culture like the death rituals of the Karen and with quanti- tative data such as the number of houses in a particular urban area and the prices of land and merchandise. During his trip, Nai Banchaphuma- sathan also collected information on the languages of the Karen and the Lawa. The third record is a socio-economic survey over a ten-year period (1964-1974) by the anthropologist Lucien Hanks. It contains very de- tailed quantitative data on the Mae Kok area between Chiang Rai and Mae Sai, in northwestern Thailand. The survey was originally designed for purposes of taking a census among the Akha, Lahu, Lisu, Yao, Karen and Miao hill tribes, but later on the objective 'shifted to a study of the changes in the Mae Kok region'. Immigrations from Burma resulted in mounting population pressure in the Thai uplands, erop failures, migra- tions from the hills into the valleys, a doubling of the population from 16,000 to 32,000, a shift from a subsistence to a market economy (with an increasing importance of cash crops like soy beans, sesame and opium), a tenfold increase in cash income, and growing social and economie inequality. These observations by Hanks, who revisited the area in 1979 to collect additional data, are backed up by a variety of extremely detailed statistics. These documents indeed are important for the analysis of socio-polit- ical changes in the area in question. They provide an exceptional insight

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John S. Guy, Oriental Trade Ceramics in South-east Asia, Ninth to Sixteenth Century, Oxford University Press, Singa- pore, 1986. [Revised, updated version of an exhibition cata- logue issued in Australia in 1980, in the enlarged format of the Oxford in Asia Studies of Ceramics Series.] 161 pp. with figs. and maps, 197 catalogue ills., numerous thereof in colour, extensive bibliography, chronol. tables, glossary, index. BARBARA HARRISSON

Oriental trade ceramics are delightful collectors' items which stimulate the mind. One may reflect on their distinctiveness of style while recalling the times, places and manners where they were made, traded and used. John Guy, currently Asst. Keeper at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, extensively studied glazed ceramics traded from China, Viet- nam or Thailand into the South-east Asian region from the 9th century to about 1600, when the traditional trade in Asia began to be signifi- cantly disrupted by European intrusion. Of all trade ceramics which had assumed prominence at this point, only Kraak and Swatow wares were excluded. Through the materials and the techniques Asian potters used in ceramic manufacture, Guy describes the distinctiveness of wares. His presentations are clarified through numerous illustrations, i.a. of exca- vated kiln-sites and kiln-furniture, or of potters still engaging in ancient techniques. In showing stone-reliefs which illustrate the trade and use of imported ceramics on Java, burial grounds in the Philippines, where quantities of trade ceramics were exposed in excavation, and Asian and European drawings and prints which illustrate trade ceramics in South- east Asia in historie times, Guy recalls how they were handled, identifies the cultural significance they assumed in diverse societies, and explains the processes of competitive interaction between producers and traders in China, Vietnam and Thailand. Most illustrated examples of the three catalogues, which follow eight chapters of introductory text (Chinese: 92, Vietnamese: 56, Thai: 49 examples) are of ceramics excavated in South-east Asia and now in private or public collections in Australia (where they were exhibited in 1980). Catalogue entries are descriptive, dated within a century and cross-referred to reports of parallels from kiln-sites and user-sites. Illus- trations are clear and explicit. Examples in colour are ingeniously spaced among others, enabling the reader to mentally transpose black and white illustrations present alongside colour on the same pages. This book is highly commendable. Students, connoisseurs and scholars who already know or own Guy's 1980 version will be interested

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 564 Boekbesprekingen in his revisions. Most others will gain insight, form fresh judgements or opinions and, last but not least, take solace from Guy's careful refer- ences, extensive bibliography (15 pp.), and his discussions of problems, for instance of the evidence to date most of these fragile objects from external sources.

G. D. Larson, Prelude to Revolution. Palaces and Politics in Surakarta, 1912-1942. VKI 124, Dordrecht/Providence: Foris Publications 1987. V. J. H. HOUBEN

This book on the principality of Surakarta in the last three decades of Dutch colonial rule in Java is a revised version of an unpublished 1979 Northern Illinois Ph.D. thesis. Recent information provided by C. van den Haspel, Overwicht in overleg; Hervormingen van justitie, grondge- bruik en bestuur in de Vorstenlanden op Java, 1880-1930 (Dordrecht/ Cinnaminson 1985), and S. Scherer in her 1985 Cornell M.A. thesis has been incorporated in the text. Larson gives a clear, factual account of the political history of the area, which on the one hand fills in an awkward gap in our knowledge of the period and on the other hand offers a number of interesting historical reinterpretations. What is basically new in the view of the nationalist movement offered by the author is the representation of the role of the Javanese court in this movement. In general, Indonesian nationalism is still perceived as largely the preserve of an enlightened, Western-educated elite, who eventually succeeded in mobilizing the masses in the cause of political freedom. However, Central Java as the seat of traditional authority was the natural locus for Javano-nationalistic ideas, which is often curiously enough overlooked by historians. The writer tries to stress this through- out his book by showing how there were essential links between the Solo kraton and Sarekat Islam and between that kraton and Budi Utomo. According to Larson, there was a natural affinity between Javanese nationalism and the palaces of Central Java. Sarekat Islam in its earliest phase was essentially a court-inspired matter, and its retrogression in Solo after 1914 occurred only when the court had withdrawn its support. Subsequently Budi Utomo served the kraton as a means of exerting influence on nationalism. Against this background, Susuhunan Paku- buwana X (r. 1893-1939) appears as a much stronger personality than is generally assumed on the basis of colonial reports. Biographical details of other rulers, such as Mangkunagara VI and VII, and of court per- sonages such as R. M. Woerjaningrat and P. Hadiwidjojo strengthen this impression. Finally, the chapter on radicalism and communism in Sura- karta and the account of pre-war Kasunan-Mangkunagaran rivalry pro- vide the relevant perspective for the revolutionary events in the Sura- karta area during the struggle for independence. Of course this study also has its limitations, as the available sources

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 565 have been consulted selectively for the above-mentioned reinterpreta- tion of the Solonese position in Indonesian nationalism to be achieved. The role of Yogyakarta, with the Pakempalan Kawoelo Ngajogjakarta as one of the largest Indonesian mass organizations in colonial times, is dealt with only briefly, whilst an analysis of the interaction of the two court centres might have offered us a better insight into the relative position of Solo. Moreover, establishing that there were personal links between the leaders of Budi Utomo and the Surakarta court is not yet proving that this court was of great significance for the course of Indo- nesian nationalism as a whole. Was the court's interest in a moderate nationalist organization only born out of fear for further Dutch re- organizations of the principalities, or did it spring fróm a positive natio- nalist strategy? Was the stance of the Javanese elite as a whole with respect to colonial rule reflected in the court-Budi Utomo connection, or did it represent just the position of a certain faction within the court? Was it the 'fatal' decision of the Dutch regarding the succession to the throne that was the essential prelude to revolution, or was it the wide gap between the court and the people, aggravated by bad economie and social conditions, that constituted more than 'merely the necessary preconditions' (p. 5)? With regard to these questions Larson does not always come up with wholly convincing answers. It should be stressed that, in spite of this lack of a broader perspective - to a certain extent the corollary of writing any regional history - the book has obvious merits. It shows how the last decades of colonial rule set the scène for events during the Indonesian revolution. It also con- vincingly demonstrates that traditional elites in Indonesia played an important part in the development of nationalism. Finally, not only the value of the Dutch Memories van Overgave but also that of the local indigenous press publications becomes apparent to anyone glancing through the notes. Thus, both in its approach and in its use of source material, Larson's monograph should stimulate fellow-specialists to further study.

Stephanie Morgan and Laurie Jo Sears (eds.), Aesthetic Tradition and Cultural Transition in Java and Bali, Univer- sity of Wisconsin, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Monograph 2, 1984. MARIJKE J. KLOKKE This is a collection of twelve articles by scholars of various backgrounds, including historians, anthropologists, linguists, musicologists and per- forming artists (see pp. 311-13). As we are informed by the foreword, they are 'intent on illustrating the integral relationship between myth, language, the arts and social patterns' and 'hope to add to the scholarly dialogue concerned with tradition and transition in the arts and lan- guages of Java and Bali' (p. xv). In fact, only one article is concerned with

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Bali; all the others are focused on Java. The articles are grouped in three parts: I. Performance in History (Sears, V. M. Vetter, Choy); II. Culture in Performance (Suyenaga, Sumarsam, Susilo, R. Vetter, Widaryanto); and III. Presented Identities (Sutton, Zurbuchen, Rafferty, Dreyfuss). The value of the book for me lies in the fact that it deals with a large number of subjects, mainly in the field of the performing arts, which have as yet received little attention. I will discuss the essence of the last ten articles, and then comment on the first two, which lie in my own field of research. The Golèk Dance has only been incorporated in the repertoire of dances performed in the Yogyakarta kraton recently, in the first part of this century. In tracing its roots, Peggy Choy relates it to three other 'Javanese cultural artifacts': klana alus, danced by a refined male, tayuban, in which a tlèdhèk (ronggèng) dances, and the wooden puppet (golèk) that appears at the end of a vvayang kulit performance. Joan M. Suyenaga starts from the theoretical assumption that 'various aspects of culture seemingly distinct at surface level reveal similar patterns of organization' (p. 83). She tries to penetrate to the patterns of organiza- tion underlying gamelan music and to relate these to patterns of organ- ization in everyday life: Most essential in her opinion is that individual autonomy is maintained within group harmony. Sumarsam, drawing on his own experience, goes into matters concerned with the reception of wayang kulit. He argues that enjoyment is not evoked exclusively by the dramatic action but by the shifting focus from the dramatic action to what he calls its 'ornamentations', i.e. the music, literature, dance, carving and painting. Hardja Susilo describes the non-court-related Wayang Wong Pang'gung, from its organization — down to the minutest details, such as the fact that tickets are sold at different prices - to the function of the dhalang and to the music that accompanies a perform- ance. In the next article Roger Vetter analyses a Langen Mandra Wanara performance, basing himself on a recording and the libretto (in Javanese, French and English) accompanying it. After describing the textual, musical and dramatic structures separately, he goes into their interrelationship. There are twelve figures and a very useful perform- ance flow chart illustrating the article. Vetter concludes by stressing the need for a complete audiovisual recording in order to be able.to give more attention to the visual aspects of the performance. I found this article one of the most attractive because of its detailed and systematic presentation. F. X. Widaryanto then gives a personal account of his experiences as a visiting artist at the Universities of Michigan and Wisconsin in 1980 and 1981. R. Anderson Sutton examines the back- ground of the present concern of members of the Yogya court nobility and of the local government of the Yogyakarta region to define a Yogyanese gamelan style. Traditionally gamelan music is linked with the court. As in contemporary times the idea of Yogyakarta as a court has been replaced by the idea of Yogyakarta as a region, distinct from the rest of Central Java, the social function of the court culture, too, has to be viewed in a different light, namely in that of regional identity. The nobility and local government are keen to foster a general awareness of

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 567 such a regional identity, as it will help them to secure their status and politically influential position in the new situation. The last three articles deal with sociolinguistic subjects. Mary S. Zurbuchen examines the contexts in which Indonesian is used in Bali, and the factors that cause its increasing use. Ellen Rafferty traces the linguistic history of the peranakan Chinese of Java in relation to their social and political history, and suggests a number of factors that may have played a role in the shift in language use from Low Malay to Indonesianized Javanese. Most important is the need feit to identify oneself as a group with a distinct dialect in a new nation where Indone- sian rose to prominence as the national language. Jeff Dreyfuss finally examines some marked features of Jakarta Youth Language (JYL), basing himself primarily on Teguh Esha's novel AH Topan Detektip Partikelir. He then goes into the connection of JYL with modern youth culture. The first two articles of the book embark upon subjects that have received more attention than most of the others. Laurie Jo Sears is interested in the question of how the transmission of the Indian epics from India to Java' took place and of which versions reached Java and from which regions in India. Valerie Mau Vetter goes into the historical background of the Panji story. Both draw heavily on secondary litera- ture. Sears, in her introduction, gives an overview of works to be consulted when dealing with ancient Javanese culture (pp. 2-4). Neither this overview nor the bibliography at the end of her article are well balanced. The most important criterion for including any work seems to have been the fact of its being published in the . As a consequence, a relatively large number of English-language works by Indian authors are listed and referred to, since Indians, especially shortly before and after independence, were extremely interested in what was called 'Greater India'. Valuable though their works may be for the factual information they provide, one should be aware that they tend to treat ancient Javanese culture from a one-sided point of view by overempha- sizing the Indian influence on it. Sears manifests too little discrimination in her use of information contained in these works. Another con- sequence is that, for instance, Stutterheim's dissertation, which deals at length with the very subject of the transmission of the Ramayana from India to Java, has not been consulted because it is written in German (see p. 3, note 2). Further, the use of the much criticized concepts of 'Sans- kritization' and 'Great and Little Tradition' as starting-points has led to an oversimplification of the processes at work, and has moreover added to the exaggerated emphasis on tracing the Indian 'strands' rather than considering the Javaneseness of Old Javanese literature and of the wayang plays whose themes ultimately go back to the Indian epics. Since it appears that Sears has done research on the repertoire of Javanese wayang kulit as an oral tradition, with emphasis on processes of trans- mission (p. 311), Ifinditapity that she has not incorporated more of her own findings, as I agree with her final remark that a close and detailed study of Old Javanese literature and the wayang dramas may provide answers to the many questions that remain.

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Valerie Mau Vetter's main sources of information on the Panji story are scholarly studies by Rassers, Robson and Ras. I wish to draw atten- tion here only to a few inaccuracies in her observations on East Javanese art (pp. 40-41). The division into two distinct styles, a 'wayang style' and a 'romantic style', cannot be applied rigidly, as there are intermediate forms. V. M. Vetter creates the impression that all the reliëfs at Panata- ran are in the wayang style. However, only the Ramayana series on the main temple is, while the Krsnayana series on the same temple is to a much lesser extent, and the reliëfs on the so-called Pendopo Terrace are not at all. As for the romantic style 'used for the depiction of Panji stories among others' (p. 41), it should be noted that so far no ancient Javanese reliëfs have been satisfactorily identified as actual scènes from the Panji story. Notwithstanding the above critical remarks, I find that the book contains many articles on interesting subjects, many of which have not previously attracted the attention of researchers. Not all the articles are of the same scholarly standard, but many of them do provide interesting information. The article by Roger Vetter on a Langen Mandra Wanara performance, for example, gives a good demonstration of how the performing arts may be studied from a scholarly point of view, and may serve as an example for others interested in the subject.

Mohamad Jajuli, The Undang-undang; A Mid-Eighteenth Century Law Text, Center for South-East Asian Studies, University of Kent at Canterbury, Occasional Paper No. 6, 1986, VIII + 104 + 16 pp. LIAW YOCK FANG

This occasional paper, a text edition and translation of a mid-eighteenth century law text, is part of the Malay Text Translation Programme of the Center for South-East Asian Studies, University of Kent at Canterbury, under the general editorship of Prof. M.B. Hooker. This particular paper is divided into two parts. Part one consists of three chapters. Chapter one gives a description of the manuscript, MS 2393 of the Sloane collection at the British Museum. The calligraphy, purpose of the text, its source, vocabulary, script, spelling and other features are also discussed. Chapter two presents an analysis and summary of the content. Chapter three touches on the Islamic element of the text and compares it with other Malay legal texts. Part two of the book comprises a transliteration and translation of the text, accompanied by a commentary and special notes. Added to this are three appendices, containing (a) a list of Arabic loan-words, (b) a list of Javanese words, and (c) a comparison of spelling; there are also a selected vocabulary, a bibliography, and fac- similes of a Javanese Islamic legal digest, the Perimbon, the title page of the Mirat Al-Tullab and the text used in this edition. This paper provides valuable materials for students of Malay law. It is

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 569 unfortunate that the translation is not placed side by side with the transliteration. As a result, it is rather difficult for the reader to compare the Malay text with the English translation. Perhaps this is because it was not anticipated that there would be many readers who would compare the Malay text with the English translation. Parts of the manuscript are poorly copied, which makes reading rather difficult. This is not improved by the circumstance that the page numbers indicated in the translitera- tion often do not correspond with those of the facsimile provided, as, for example, p. 36 (p. IV), p. 39 (p. XIII), p. 40 (p. XIX), p. 42 (p. XXII), etc. Mohd. Jajuli is to be congratulated for having transcribed this difficult text, as well as providing a very smooth and readable English translation. However, many parts of the translation are not direct translations, and incorporate the translator's personal interpretation of the text. As a result this translation is debatable, as others may choose to interpret the text quite differently.

A. B. Adam, The vernacular press and the emergence of modern Indonesian consciousness (1855-1913), unpublish- ed Ph. D. thesis, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1984, 366 pp. S. D. G. DE LIMA

This Ph. D. thesis describes the emergence and development of the vernacular press in Indonesia from 1855 until 1913, with particular attention to its role in the rise of an Indonesian consciousness at the turn of the century. The first chapter deals with the historical development of printing in Indonesia from the seventeenth century. Early newspapers such as Bataviase Nouvelles and the Vendu Nieuws were a result of private initiatives, although printed on governmental (i.e., V.O.C.) presses. According to Adam, the non-governmental printing presses in this period were owned by missionaries. Chapter two considers the emergence of the Dutch-controlled ver- nacular press in Indonesia. The first vernacular newspapers were the Javanese Brontartani (1855) and the Malay-language Soerat Kabar Bahasa Melaijoe (1856). The third chapter discusses the role of Eurasians in the vernacular press in the second half of the nineteenth century. Because of their general proficiency in Malay, they were regarded as the obvious persons to open up the Indonesian market in this field through the vernacular press both as editors and as writers. The fourth chapter is focused on the Chinese. Most Chinese were active in business, while there were relatively numerous Chinese among the subscribers to newspapers. By the end of the nineteenth century, Chinese involvement with the press started with a few take-overs of printing houses which were in financial difficulties, at least one of them

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 570 Boekbesprekingen publishing a prominent newspaper (Bintang Timor, later Bintang Surabaya). The root of Indonesian involvement in the press, the emerging Indo- nesian consciousness, is dealt with in chapter five. In line with H. Sutherland's Bureaucratie Elite, the autrior points out that the traditional elite turned to the press as a vehicle for its ideas at the turn of the century. The author points out that by that time the Eurasian-controlled ver- nacular press had begun to concentrate on the Indonesian section of society. In this context, it was natural that Indonesian editors should make their appearance. The rise of the Indonesian-owned press is considered in chapter six. It was almost completely dominated by R. M. Tirto Adhi Soerjo, who has recently been the subject of renewed attention (see, for example, W. F. Wertheim, 'Een vergeten pionier van het Indonesisch ontwaken', BKI 142-IV (1986), pp. 453-469, discussing Pramoedya Ananta Toer's Sang Pemula (1985)). According to Adam, Tirto Adhi Soerjo published the first Indonesian-owned newspaper, Soenda Berita, in 1903, initiated the Sarekat Prijaji organization one year before the establishment of Boedi Oetomo (1906/7), and founded the Sarekat Dagang Islamiah, which was the precursor of the Sarekat Islam. The seventh chapter discusses the vernacular press in the Outer Islands. This on the whole followed the developments in Java. The final chapter concentrates on the role of the press in the rise of the Indonesian national awareness. It makes a thorough study of the unifying role of Islam as apparent from the character of the various vernacular newspapers and organizations based on the Islamic creed - the most prominent in the latter categpry being, of course, Sarekat Islam. The political awakening of the Indonesian people according to this book contributed to a further loosening of the Euresian control of the ver- nacular press. In sum, this is a very detailed and interesting book. It has a few minor shortcomings, such as the lack of definitions of crucial terms such as 'newspaper', 'periodical', 'journal' or 'magazine'. Furthermore, an index would have been useful, while an indication of the places where the various newspapers etc. mentioned in this thesis were based would also make the information in the book more easily accessible. Possibly too little attention has been given to the effect of the Dutch-language press on the vernacular press in Indonesia. Finally, whilst this Ph. D. thesis mentions some interesting and rare sources on the press in Indonesia, the author, for the sake of comple- teness, might have also considered the following publications: W. R. van Hoëvell, De journalistiek in Indië, 1858; A. Merkelijn, Wat de in- heemsche pers zegt, 1939; R. M. Noto Soeroto, Eén en ander over de Inlandschepers, 1909; J. J. A. Schill, Over de drukpers in Nederlandsch- Indië, 1863; D. G. Stibbe, Lapresse aux Indes Néerlandaises, 1924; and Adinegoro, Bijdrage tot de kennis van de Indonesische pers, 1954. These titles are all mentioned in the useful and informative M. A. thesis of J. A. Erkelens, Krant in Indonesië, 1971. Still, these slight defects do not affect the overall quality of this most stimulating book, which will hopefully be published soon.

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K. M. Robinson, Stepchildren of progress; The political economy of development in an Indonesian mining town, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1986, xv+ 315 pp. J. THOMAS LINDBLAD

In this monograph, which was originally a doctoral dissertation defended at the Australian National University at Canberra, the anthropologist Katryn Robinson offers an analysis of Westernized exploitation of Indo- nesia's natural resources. It is a case-study of the town of Soroako, in Central Sulawesi, where the Canadian multinational Inco operates a nickel mine in close co-operation with the Indonesian Government. The new mining town, erected in the early 197ÜS, is entirely oriented towards the Western Corporation. Robinson's analysis, which is clearly inspired by Marxist ideology, demonstrates that the accelerated modernization has brought more harm than good to the local community. First the author depicts present-day Soroako against the background of local history. She discusses the traditional agrarian society, Dutch colonial rule, the wartime troubles and the prolonged rebellion against Soekarno's Government in rapid succession. She then proceeds to de- scribe local Indonesian reactions to the arrival of Inco, and also the social repercussions of the construction of the mining town and the sudden influx of foreigners and Bugis. She paints a vivid picture of the long- drawn-out conflict between Inco and local peasants about compensatory payments for expropriated farm land. The defeat of the locals is ascribed to lack of support from the Indonesian Government. The author gives a great deal of attention to social customs and the relationships between the various population groups. She observes that there is a high degree of residential segregation and enumerates cases of outright racism among the non-Indonesian immigrants working for Inco. Robinson's book is lucidly written and contains a wealth of informa- tion on local conditions. The author sympathizes strongly with the local inhabitants and was probably viewed with some misgivings by other Westerners on the spot. Her detailed description of the confrontation between the traditional and modern life-styles creates a very authentic impression. Similar situations are familiar also from other Indonesian centers of development such as Kalimantan Timur, where successive oil and timber revolutions have transformed local life at a breakneck speed. Robinson's personal commitment and thoroughknowledge of Soroako make her arguments all the more convincing. On that score alone, this monograph forms a valuable contribution to our knowledge of modern Indonesia. The theoretical part of the argument is less convincing. The very point of departure is defined in Marxist terms: how does proletarianization change peasant life in contemporary Indonesia? Wage differentials at Inco are instantly interpreted along the lines of the conventional class analysis. An assumed surplus labor group in traditional agriculture is immediately labelled an industrial reserve army. Work at Inco is con- sidered as a degradation of individual life. Even local bitterness against the central Indonesian Government or privileged immigrants from

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Ujung Pandang is interpreted as an indication of false consciousness. Western capital remains the true enemy. At times the reader cannot but think that many of the same conclusions would have been reached without such an elaborate use of Marxist terminology. On occasion the argument becomes rather diffuse. For instance, two types of economie structure are introduced, the one based on occupa- tional differentiation at Inco and the other on wage dependency outside Inco. An integration between these two structures would seem logical, in particular as the difference between wage and non-wage labor outside Inco is far from unambiguous. The author further ascribes a declining productivity in traditional agriculture to a decrease in land use and lower labor inputs. Here it is unfortunate that no distinction is drawn between the scale of production and the level of productivity. A final example concerns the disturbed social relationships and racism. Here the argu- mentation barely rises above the level of isolated instances or even anecdotes. Dualism is a concept that, although virtually omnipresent in this monograph, is never explicitly defined. To my mind the story of Soroako could have been written equally well within the framework of an aggrav- ated dualism. That would probably have fitted in better with the fun- damental ambivalence in local attitudes towards Inco. The indigenous inhabitants of Soroako did not resent modernization as such. They only wanted more of the cake. Kathryn Robinson notices this herself, and it is a belief held by many in Indonesia.

J. E. van Lohuizen-de Leeuw, Indo-Javanese Metalwork, Linden-Museum, Stuttgart, Staatliches Museum für Völker- kunde, 1984, 218 pp. PAULINE LUNSINGH SCHEURLEER

The publication of catalogues of collections of Indo-Javanese objects has a fairly long tradition in ancient Indonesian cultural studies. W. P. Groeneveldt's catalogue of the archaeological collection at former Batavia, now Jakarta, of 1887 and H. H. Juynboll's work on the Leiden collection of 1909 are rightly the best-known. They were sound works in their time and describe what are both still far the most important collections in the world. Their classification of objects still serves as a model for cataloguing even today. In more recent times, while many private collections have been ac- commodated in museums all over the world, little has been done to publish descriptions of them. One of the main obstacles to the study of ancient Indonesian art is that most of the research results in this field have been published in Dutch, a language not internationally accessible, the learning of which, on top of having to learn the languages used in ancient Indonesia, is too much trouble. The elaborate, thorough work by Dr. Albert Ie Bonheur on Indonesian sculpture in the Musée Guimet in

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Paris (1971), the only catalogue of a museum collection of the post-war period, is the more to be admired. We may therefore rejoice at the recent appearance of another cata- logue of a museum collection, that of Indo-Javanese bronzes at the ethnological museum of Stuttgart, the Linden Museum. In view of what was said above, it does not come as a surprise that the author is a Dutch scholar, the late Professor J. E. van Lohuizen, well-known for many important publications in the field of ancient Indonesian archaeology. Some years ago a private collection of 124 bronzes was added to the 87 already kept at the Linden Museum. This catalogue of the whole collection thus provides a good survey of the different kinds of bronze objects from the Indo-Javanese period. As this private collection had already been described by Professor van Lohuizen and the catalogue was in process of preparation for printing, the decision was quickly made to publish the complete collection. Shortly before the final check of the manuscript, Professor van Lohuizen feil ill, and unfortunately died a few days later. The keeper for South Asia at the Linden Museum, Gerd Kreisel, was given the task of completing her work as well as he could with the aid of her notes. He also wrote an introduction on the various Indo-Javanese periods in Indonesian culture, and functioned as general editor of the publication. Professor van Lohuizen herself wrote a preface and an introduction to the catalogue, in which six coloured illustrations are incorporated. The author has applied the old, well-tested method of classification. Because of her knowledge of ancient Indonesian culture, the attributions and descriptions are sound and reliable. What one missed in the earliest catalogues - illustrations, attempts at dating, a good knowledge of iconography - is compensated here: each object is illustrated with a black-and-white photograph (especially domestic utensils used formerly to be neglected). The lay-out is convenient; each item is placed in either the Central or the Eastern Javanese period; and each figure has an up-to-date iconographical determination (although one iconographical enigma remains: no. 33, a four-armed, seated god, who by the charac- teristic mark of a skull lying on a crescent in his hair and by the upavita in the form of a snake can be identified as Shiva, but whose two lower hands, lying in his lap holding a large lotus flower, constitute a striking iconographical exception in Indonesian bronzes, about which no remark is made). The descriptions have been made with great care, and moreover, for each object an iconographical or stylistic parallel is given where possible. A glossary and bibliography complete the catalogue. All this turns the Linden Museum catalogue into a useful handbook for students of an- cient Indonesian culture. While the author has kept the entries purely descriptive, she intended her Introduction to be more general, giving particulars of the objects concerned which usually extend beyond the individual object, and to inform the reader of ancient Indonesian reli- gious notions and historical developments. In this way, however, the attention of the interested reader is sometimes put under some strain. For after reading the caption accompanying the illustration of a parti- cular item, he has to flip back the pages to the Introduction, to make sure

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 574 Boekbesprekingen if the author has made any special remark about that item anywhere there, in a few cases to be disappointed. For example, where a bronze figure has been given an intriguing attribution in the caption, as in the case of no. 1, Sakyamuni, 'probably imported from Sumatra or mainland Southeast Asia', or no. 10, Jina Aksobhya or Sakyamuni, 'Bengal or Bihar, but discovered in Java', no explanation of this is given in the following description, nor in the Introduction. These small inconveniences aside, the catalogue forms a most wel- come addition to the scant up-to-date literature available on ancient Indonesian bronzes. This catalogue is meant to be used by scholars and laymen alike, and it serves its purpose well. It is to be hoped that more publications in this field will follow.

V. Matheson and A. C. Milner, Perceptions of the Ha]; Five Malay texts, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (Research Notes and Discussions Paper No. 46), 1984; 63 pp. H. M. J. MAIER

The device is a simple one: take a community which is held together by a distinct culture, choose an element which is considered to be important within that community, collect accounts by its members about that element, and then present those accounts in some kind of order. The search for such accounts in itself may be a difficult task; however, the art lies in presenting those accounts in a relevant sequence. In their essay on Malay perceptions of the Pilgrimage to Mecca, Matheson and Milner demonstrate a superior command of this art of relevance. They have selected five Malay accounts, written between 1600 and 1979, offer a short but incisive interpretation of each, inter- larded with translations of important passages, and show how these five may be read as expressions of particular socio-cultural values prevailing in the times in which they were written and as indications of changes and tensions within Malay culture. Reading backwards from the 1979 report by H. M. Jajuli, the claim is made that Malay accounts of the pilgrimage illustrate how Islam was liberated first from 'kerajaan' and then from nationalism. A convincing narrative indeed, and a relevant one at that. The only criticism one might make of this superb exercise in reading concerns the authors' assumption that ibn Batuta's account of the pil- grimage can serve as point of departure: why take the report of a man from Tangier as the most accurate depiction of the pilgrimage, and why read accounts by Malays against the background of a description by a man from the Western Arab world? Beginnings always have other beginnings - there must have been other texts which made the authors decide to start out from ibn Batuta: why be so explicit about this uneasy starting-point? It is to be regretted that Perceptions of the Haj is such a short book -

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 575 the wealth of notes is hardly a consolation. It is a fascinating attempt at demonstrating the rewards of presenting Malay socio-cultural history by way of Malay texts, and it is to be hoped that the authors' proposal to examine Malay attitudes towards other elements of Malay culture in this same way will be taken up as a challenge by others.

Sandra A. Niessen, Motifs of Life in Toba Batak Texts and Textiles, Verhandelingen KITLV 110. Dordrecht/Cinna- minson: Foris Publications, 1985. VIII + 249 pp., 60 ills. PriceD.fl. 35.-. WOLFGANG MARSCHALL

Indonesia is rich in symbolic representation, not only in the compre- hensive way Cassirer thought of symbolism, but also in the special form of material symbols and symbolic material. Thus some of the earliest, and some of the best, analyses of the symbolic scheme a house may represent were written on the basis of Indonesian examples (e.g. Cun- ningham on Timor, Feldman and Viaro on Nias, Barraud on Kai, and so on). Much work has been done on the symbolism of the shadow theatre, the kris and other objects, and also on textiles. In English, apart from M. Adams's study on Sumba textiles, the present publication is the only other book-length attempt to arrive at deeper insights into the meaning of woven textiles of a given single society. The author places herself in the Leiden FAS tradition, but this does not mean that she tries to fit every detail into a particular framework. The book opens with an introduction offering summary statements on FAS, on the Toba, on three texts (presented in chapters 1 and 3 respec- tively), and on textiles, saying in this connection that this study deals with Toba textiles, ulos, 'above all as an abstract concept'. In ch. 1 a text on 'The Origin of Humans' (taken from the literature and rearranged) and one on 'The Origins of the Earth' (from an informant) are presented and annotated. These provide several topics for discussion in the chapters on the kinship motif, the fertility motif, the temporal motif, and the spatial motif. The chapter entitled 'The Kinship Motif deals with descent and alliance, and connects these with property rights, rules of inheritance and inheritance-like transfers (that the Toba do not consider to belong to this category), and forms of exchange. Most of the material is taken from Vergouwen, with some added information from Toba authors (Siahaan, Sitorus, Situmorang). As in many other parts of the book, it is often not clear to what time or area a specific reference applies, which in fact is a major problem with most structural studies. However, this chapter gives a clear presentation of the logic of Toba kinship. Less convincing is the author's attempt to fit the data or their logic into the kinship type commonly referred to as 'Indonesian' (the Van Wouden/FAS-type). The matrilineal principle being essential, at least as an 'ideal principle', it had to be found, and so it was (pp. 109,

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113). The fact that 'it may be reasoned that the passage of ulos and weaving equipment from mother to daughter attests to a matrilineal principle' (p. 80) is stated to have been easily overlooked due to the impact of the patri-system and the dominance of male researchers (p. 113). Chapter 3 ('The Fertility Motif) has as centre-piece a Rice Incan- tation and describes the rice-cycle as well as some symbols connected with it. There appears to be no relationship to textiles worth mentioning, and it comes as a surprise to read in the conclusions to this chapter (p. 145) that 'according to Batak conceptions, it is possible to subsume under . . . sociocosmic dualism, the . . . principles of doublé unilineal descent and circulating connubium', since neither of these principles apply to Toba society. In 'The Temporal Motif (ch. 4) a general over- view of Toba time reckoning is given, but one looks in vain for closer connections between time and textiles. Altough the author claims 'clear indications that aspects of ulos structure . . . are symbols of time' (p. 154), the evidence hardly goes beyond showing 'that ulos lobu-lobu with its uncut warp is a symbol for unity and well-being and that ulos corresp- ond to lunar cycles' (p. 164). It may prove useful to consider some of C. Schuster's ideas in his 'Joint-marks' when trying to find temporal motifs in textiles. We come closer to actual textiles in the last chapter but one, on the 'Spatial Motif, where a formal analysis of ulos is made. (The word for the pinunsaan variety 1, jogia, may derive from jugia, see Warneck: djugia.) Tripartition and bipartition (called 'dualism' here) are the major organizing features of the ulos. Where so much stress is placed on symmetry, it might be helpful to reread Simmel's short article on the sociology of art. On the basis of the material presented here, some of it taken from Gittinger's work, one has easy access to the overt structure of the ulos. Deeper insights are made possible where the author tries to give meaning to the ulos by comparison with the lay-out of houses and villages, and the arrangement of bius territory and the cosmos. Con- gruences seem obvious, although in parts they are 'read into' the mate- rial. No intérpretations of singular motifs are proposed. This is a helpful book in that it tries to uncover corresponding struc- tures on different levels. But the many printing errors do not amuse the reader. And, after all - to quote Niessen herself (p. 154):'. . . research is sadly lacking into how design features of textiles are classified and evaluated by the Toba Batak . . .'.

Ben Scholtens, Opkomende arbeidersbeweging in Suriname. Doedel, Liesdek, De Sanders, De Kom en de werklozen- onrust 1931-1933, Nijmegen: Transculturele Uitgeverij Masusa, 1986, 224 pp. PETER MEEL

Binnen de sociale wetenschappen heeft de Surinaamse arbeidersbewe- ging tot nog toe nauwelijks enige aandacht gekregen. Met uitzondering

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 577 van enkele artikelen en een sporadische passage in een handboek, zijn er geen publikaties over dit onderwerp verschenen. Alleen al vanuit dit oogpunt is het toe te juichen, dat de historicus Ben Scholtens gemeend heeft de vroegste geschiedenis van de arbeidersbeweging in Suriname in kaart te moeten brengen. In zijn studie beschrijft Scholtens tot in detail de politieke rol die arbeidersleiders als Doedel, Liesdek, De Sanders en De Kom hebben gespeeld in het begin van de jaren dertig. Jaren waarin de economische wereldcrisis diep inwerkte op de levensomstandigheden van de lagere klassen in Suriname. Bedreigd door werkloosheid, armoede en crimi- naliteit leden de meeste arbeiders een uitzichtloos bestaan. Het Kolo- niaal Bestuur deed weinig om de nood onder de bevolking te lenigen. In gouvernementskringen werd het voeren van een straffe bezuinigings- politiek beschouwd als de enige mogelijkheid om de economie te saneren. In dit klimaat van ambtelijke onverschilligheid probeerden de ar- beidersleiders via hun organisaties de overheid van de ernst van de situatie te overtuigen. Volgens hen vereisten de omstandigheden een alert en slagvaardig beleid. Maar hoe groot hun inzet ook was, hun eisen en verlangens vonden geen gehoor. De meeste bonden werden door de autoriteiten duidelijk tegengewerkt om te voorkomen dat de arbeids- onrust zich zou uitbreiden. In 1931 en 1933 raakten arbeiders slaags met de politie en vielen er één respectievelijk twee doden. Bij deze laatste confrontatie was een sleutelrol weggelegd voor Anton de Kom, één van de bekendste Surinaamse arbeidersleiders. Scholtens toont aan dat de reputatie van De Kom altijd ten onrechte de verdiensten van zijn col- lega's heeft overschaduwd. In een historiografisch hoofdstuk analyseert Scholtens de visies op de werklozenonrust van 1931, 1932 en 1933, vanaf de jaren dertig tot nu toe. Hierbij wordt in het bijzonder gerefereerd aan het werk van Van Lier ('Samenleving in een grensgebied') en van Hira ('Van Priary tot en met De Kom'). Scholtens oefent genuanceerde kritiek uit op de hand- boeken van beide onderzoekers. Tegelijkertijd probeert hij de kloof tussen het pluralisme van de eerste en het marxisme van de laatste te versmallen. Een nobel streven. Om compositorische redenen lijken de tot slotparagraaf van dit hoofdstuk omgewerkte interviews alleen beter te passen in hoofdstuk drie van het boek. Ofschoon veel vragen onbeantwoord blijven en Scholtens het belang van de Surinaamse arbeidersbeweging tussen 1931 en 1933 soms enigs- zins overwaardeert, is Opkomende arbeidersbeweging in Suriname een boeiende en gedegen studie. Eventuele vervolgdelen op dit werk kun- nen alleen maar met grote belangstelling tegemoet worden gezien.

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Patrick Guinness, Harmony and Hierarchy in a Javanese Kampung, Asian Studies Association of Australia, Singa- pore: Oxford University Press, 1986, 191 pp. ANKE NIEHOF

The Yogya urban kampung described, which was first chosen as a place of residence by the author in 1975-8 because he was looking for 'cheap accommodation' where he would have 'no trouble in meeting and associ- ating with neighbours', eventually became his research area in 1979-80. The strong point of the book is that the kampung emerges as a com- munity. Kampung like this one appear to be not just segments of urban society; neither are they 'passing phenomena in the development of a truly urban culture' (p. 170). Although the emphasis on the key concept of rukun (harmony, soli- darity) reminds one of Jay's Javanese villagers, the author convincingly demonstrates its specific significance for the inhabitants of urban kampung. At the level of the community, rukun is taken both as a point of departure and as something that has to be continually achieved. In a situation of strongly centrifugal social forces it cannot be taken for granted. Most distinctive of this situation is the importance of social stratification. People are accorded social rank, but also social esteem: 'the respect that the community pays an individual on the basis of his performance or behaviour' (p. 28). And, as social esteem seems to be a direct function of the degree to which an individual contributes to communal rukun, there is a stabilizing relationship between hierarchy and rukun. The richer neighbour who fails to recognize this will effec- tively have himself ostracized from the community — 'for most residents, of all social ranks, not a viable alternative' (p. 183). The inner self also has to achieve a state of rukun; for kampung youth this is especially difficult to attain. The emergence of akebatinan move- ment among them illustrates their 'yearning for security and assurance in facing unemployment, poverty, continued low status in society and lives without much meaning. . .' (p. 125). The attention (rightly) given to this group proves the author's point that kampung life is not urbanized rurality. The kampung people need their own strategies for social survival in the city environment. As regards this point, the plight of the urban youth deserves more serious attention in urban studies.

Toby Alice Volkman, Feasts ofHonor; Ritualand Change in the Toraja Highlands, Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, Illinois Studies in Anthropology No. 16, 1985, IX + 217 pp., 2 maps, black and white photographs. C. H. M. NOOY-PALM Originally, this publication was a doctoral dissertation presented to the Cornell University. At the instigation of a friend of the author's, it has

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 579 now been published as a book in order to reach a broader audience. We are grateful for this, for the work is a true document humain. Toby Volkman's fieldwork took place from 1976 to 1978. The loca- tion was the Sesean region, which is relatively untouched by modern influences, though part of the population has been converted to Chris- tianity. The author's research was carried out approximately 15 years after a mass conversion from the autochthonous religion to Protestan- tism took place. Toby Volkman stayed at the house of Mama' Agus, a Christian woman brought up by an aunt who was married to a German. The latter presumably took the Dutch nationality, as he and his family were interned by the Japanese - a fate which Mama' Agus herself escaped. No doubt the personality of her hostess, a woman of character belonging to two worlds - a 'western' and the Toraja world - influenced Volkman's work. Mama' Agus often comes to the fore in the subsequent chapters of the book. In the Introduction, the author gives a survey of Toraja culture, discussing the historical context of this people. In The Pregnant House' she gives a vivid description of the role played by the house in society: she makes clear that a tongkonan is more than a dwelling affording shelter to a family and its servants (formerly slaves). It also constitutes the status symbol of the cognatic descent group focused on an ancestor who founded the house and is the center of the ceremonies of this group. In the course of one major ritual the house is considered to be 'pregnant', and the same state of fertility is attributed to all the valuable family goods: buffaloes, pigs and other animals, and rice, as well as man himself - may he have many children. The subsequent chapter has some alto- gether different subjects: 'Status, shame and the politics of meat'. Honour and shame, together forming the concept of siri', are feit in social situations which occur frequently, often in connection with the distribution of meat at funerals, though occasionally also in other social contexts. This chapter also discusses the saroan, which for want of a better term we will label a 'mutual aid organization'. In only a few ethnographical accounts or anthropological works is attention given to this interesting institution, which differs from area to area in Tana Toraja. In this and other chapters Volkman describes the organization and the function of the saroan, at the same time painting a vivid picture of the saroan'?, activities and efforts and pains in the Sesean area. The chapter 'Capturing the wind' deals with funerals. Funerals are a compli- cated, time- and labour-consuming affair in Tana Toraja, giving rise to conspicuous consumption. The subtleties of giving and taking, paying off debts, and meat distribution are discussed, as well as the implications of inheritance. 'Change at To' Dama" and 'Our Umbrelladom has gone' deal with social and religious changes in the community, in this particular instance To' Dama'. Despite its official recognition, the autochthonous religion, Aluk To Dolo (The Faith of the Old Folk), is losing ground. Christianity is more 'modern', giving access to education and jobs, and anyone going abroad (merantau) finds it easier to introducé himself as a Christian than as an Aluk To Dolo adherent. Social mobility, which in the pre-war social structure was present on only a very modest scale, increased after the Second World War, and is now giving ample oppor-

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 580 Boekbesprekingen tunity to former slaves to compete with those who were once their masters. Once unfree, it is now possible for these to make money by taking all kinds of jobs. The name 'umbrelladom' refers to the lofty and elevated position and sheltering function of the former class of nobles, which for several reasons is losing its power, as is illustrated by Mama' Agus. The new situation is portrayed vividly in 'The Undertaker be- comes a Big Man'. It tells how the local death priest (in Tana Toraja such functionaries are persons of low status and are considered to be more or less unclean) managed to stage a high-status funeral for his deceased wife by intriguing with his relatives. His children had gone abroad and become well-to-do, and wanted to show off their newly acquired wealth. One of the ways of accomplishing this is to spend a large amount of money on a father's or mother's burial. The consequences of social and religious change form the leading themes of the book; other topics besides social mobility are discussed in the concluding chapters. Merantau, migration in search of a job outside Tana Toraja, has become so common that entire villages are empty of young people. Christianity is making progress, which is giving rise to a dilemma on the personal and the ritual level. This is illustrated in the biography of a Sesean to minaa priest ('Pong Sassan's homily', Appendix A), who became a Christian just before his death because he did not want to be separated from his (Christian) children in the hereafter. Tourism is the newest disrupting influence: it is ambiguous, because on one hand it promotes the staging of rituals, in particular funerals, whereas on the other hand it is taking the 'soul' out of the ceremonies by degrading them to mere festivals. Some minor criticisms that could be made concern the absence of a map of the village of To' Dama' and of the area in which it is situated. L. Pakan was not the first Toraja author to publish a book - he was preceded by K. Kadang (Ukiran Rumah Toradja, Jakarta: Balai Pustaka, 1960; he also compiled an ethnography focused on Tikala and the Sesean region, but destroyed his valuable material because of feelings of affront - 'sirf). The funeral of Puang Lasok Rinding of Sangalla', staged in two phases, was not attended by a thousand tourists — this sounds like a piece of Toraja boasting! A hundred would be a fairer estimate. We hope that the author will have the opportunity to pursue her research in the Toraja area and publish more field material in future.

Jean Louis Poulalion, Le Surinam; Des origines a l'indépen- dance. La Chapelle Monligeon, s.n., 1986, 93 pp. GERTJ.OOSTINDIE L'historiographie du Surinam est, en quelque sorte, le domaine réserve des historiens hollandais, surinamiens et de quelques historiens anglo- phones, les publications étant en hollandais ou en anglais. Ainsi, en dehors de quelques rares publications, faut-il remonter aux XVIIIe et

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XlXe siècles pour trouver des ouvrages en francais sur Ie Surinam, alors colonie hollandaise. Quelques-uns de ces livres furent écrits par des franfais, par exemple Ie haut fonctionrïaire francais Malouet (1802), par des francophones, ou par des résidents sensibles au prestige de la langue. Le Surinam; Des origines a l'indépendance est, dans ces conditions, une contribution propre a intéresser le public francophone a 1'histoire du Surinam. Sous sa plume alerte, M. Poulalion offre a ses lecteurs un tour d'horizon de 1'histoire surinamienne des origines pré-colombiennes a 1'indépendance en 1975, mais en s'attachant surtout a la periode de 1'esclavage. En effet, 1'auteur a été amené a écrire ce livre après avoir constaté Pabsence d'ouvrages de synthese ou de publications récentes en francais sur ce sujet. Pourtant, le lecteur se demandera pour quelles raisons M. Poulalion s'est tant appesanti sur les premières decades du XlXe siècle, rendant son étude plus superficielle a mesure qu'on se rapproche de la periode contemporaine. Ainsi, s'étonnera-t-il qu'un ouvrage soi-disant de syn- these, publié en 1986, ne consacre que deux pages a 1'indépendance et seulement une ligne a la periode ultérieure. D'ailleurs, Le Surinam n'est pas basé sur 1'analyse d'archives perti- nentes, mais sur la lecture d'ouvrages de seconde main assurément incomplete. Ceci s'explique par le fait que M. Poulalion est diplomate de profession et historiën amateur (dans le bon sens du terme). On attend encore un ouvrage de synthese plus profond et mieux équilibré que celui-ci.

Bob Hering (ed.), The PKI's Aborted Revolt: Some Selected Documents, Townsville: James Cook University of North Queensland. (Occasional Paper 17.) IV + 100 pp. HARRY A. POEZE

Onder de kenners van de geschiedenis van de vooroorlogse Indone- sische nationalistische beweging heeft Bob Hering, hoofd van het Centre for Southeast Asian Studies van de James Cook University of North Queensland, een grote naam. In een niet aflatende reeks publikaties in het door zijn Centre uitgegeven blad Kabar Seberang en in de series Occasional Papers and Monographs wordt, vooral door hemzelf, verslag gedaan van de resultaten van archief- en literatuurstudie. Hering kiest daarvoor vaak de vorm van uit het Nederlands of Indonesisch vertaalde archiefstukken of eigentijdse persverslagen die hij voorziet van gedegen annotaties. Zo zijn een hele serie publikaties verschenen over Soekarno, de P.N.I., Partindo en P.N.I.-Baroe. Het enige nadeel van deze vloed- golf aan informatie is dat het zelfs voor de ingewijde lezer wel eens moeilijk is hierin zijn weg te vinden. Maar enige volharding in dit opzicht wordt overvloedig beloond. Een recente toevoeging aan de series betreft de publikatie van een aantal documenten over de communistische opstanden van 1926-1927. Hering bewijst opnieuw zijn kennis van zaken door aan te tonen dat in de

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 582 Boekbesprekingen door H. J. Benda en R. T. McVey samengestelde The Communist Uprisings of 1926-1927 in Indonesia: Key Documents (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University, 1960) aan de opgenomen 'Politieke Nota over de Partij Kommunist Indonesia' een aantal hoofdstukken ontbreken, om- dat de samenstellers gebruik maakten van een bekorte versie. Hering drukt de ontbrekende hoofdstukken alsnog af, in de vertaling zoals die in 1927 door de Dienst der Algemeene Recherche in Batavia voor de Britse intelligence collega's in Singapore werd gemaakt. Uit Herings summiere inleiding wordt niet duidelijk of in de door Benda en McVey opgenomen Nota ook in de eerste hoofdstukken bekortingen zijn aan- gebracht. Het ligt voor de hand dat dat het geval is en dan is het jammer dat Hering niet de gehele vertaalde Nota heeft opgenomen. Na deze aanvullingen (28 blz.) volgen, alle in het Nederlands en niet vertaald, de fotografische reproducties van de bijlagen in het Koloniaal Verslag 1927 over verloop en achtergronden van de opstanden en de brochures van Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo, Het communisme in Indo- nesië: J. van Gelderen, Indië, de sociaal-democratie en de onlusten op Java en J. D. L. Lefebvre, De onlusten ter Westkust van Sumatra van 1 Januari 1927. Dit zijn nuttige herdrukken van moeilijk verkrijgbare brochures, waarin voor alle drie auteurs de opstanden de aanleiding vormden voor diepgaande beschouwingen over de oorzaak en achter- gronden van de onlusten en over het probleem van de koloniale ver- houding. Al deze documenten zijn niet geannoteerd, in tegenstelling tot He- rings eerdere publikaties. Dat is jammer en een tekortkoming. Wat resteert is een nuttige uitgave voor een kleine groep kenners.

Biografisch woordenboek van het socialisme en de arbeiders- beweging in Nederland; Deel 1, Amsterdam: Stichting tot Beheer van Materialen op het Gebied van de Sociale Ge- schiedenis IISG, 1986. XXIV + 184 pp. HARRY A. POEZE

Dit eerste van zes te verschijnen delen bevat 75 korte biografieën van mensen die een rol hebben gespeeld in de Nederlandse arbeidersbe- weging. Van de opgenomen personen worden persoons- en familie- gegevens verschaft, de levensomstandigheden en levensloop geschetst en wordt tenslotte een lijst van publikaties van en over de betrokkene, alsmede de vindplaats van een eventueel aanwezig archief, opgenomen. De fraaie, verzorgde uitgave maakt vaak sterk verspreide gegevens toegankelijk en vormt een handig naslagwerk voor verder onderzoek. De belangstelling van de Nederlandse arbeidersbeweging voor Neder- landsch-Indië, vooral bij de communisten en links-socialisten, was aan- zienlijk. Vaak was deze gebaseerd op politieke activiteit tijdens een verblijf in Indië. In dit eerste deel getuigen biografieën van A. Baars, E. Fimmen, W. H. Meijer, G. J. van Munster, H. Sneevliet en J. C. Stam hiervan.

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Philipus M. Hadjon, Perlihdungan Hukum bagi Rakyat di Indonesia, Ph. D. thesis Airlangga University, Surabaya: Airlangga University Press, 1985, xviii + 308 pp. S. POMPE

As in any modern state, government administration in Indonesia is marked by the presence of official regulatory instruments. These instru- ments consist of decrees (Ketetapan), laws (Undang-undang), regula- tions {Peraturan), decisions (Keputusan), instructions (Instruksi), guide- lines (PedomanlPetunjuk), and whatever other forms of regulation there may be. The great number of regulatory instruments and their complexity is creating its own dilemmas. Sometimes the internal cohesion of particular regulations is lost, regulations are mutually con- flicting, or the regulatory powers of institutions of government are not clearly defined. And sometimes regulations may be just plainly in con- flict with the interests or rights of the individual. The jurist's response to the encroachment by government on the rights of the individual has been the development of a system of adminis- trative law. In Indonesia, too, there have been long-standing plans to develop such a body of laws, as is testified by the numerous books and articles published on the subject (such as: B. Mustafa, Pokok-pokok Hukum Administrasi Negara Indonesia, Bandung: Alumni, 1979; Muchsan, Pengantar Hukum Administrasi Negara Indonesia, Yogyakarta: Liberty, 1982; P. Atmosudirdjo, Hukum Administrasi Negara, Jakarta: Ghalia, 1983 (6th, revised, ed.); S. Basah, 'Eksistensi Badan Peradilan Administrasi dan Tolok Ukur Atribusi di Indonesia', Padjadjaran 1-2-1985, p. 19; B. Hoessein, 'Fungsi Administrasi Negara', Hukum dan Pembangunan, 3 Juni 1986, p. 225). Moreover, a code for the institution of administrative courts has been enacted in December 1986 (Undang-undang peradilan tata usaha negara 5/1986). In the Indonesian legal world, this law is talked about as a Presidential 'hadiah Tahun Baru' (New Year's present), which is a possible testimony to the urgent need for adequate legal remedies against wrongful ad- ministrative acts. This book is certainly one of the more interesting studies on the present state of such administrative remedies and the way in which Indonesian administrative law should develop in the future. It consists of five long chapters. The first is the expected technical chapter dealing with the topic of research (i.e., protection of the individual against the administration), the research methodology and the research approach. The second chapter looks at the general principles of legal protection (Indonesian: perlindungan hukum; Dutch: rechtsbescherming). Parti- cular attention is given to basic human rights and the rule of law concept. The basic human rights concept is considered in an international and a national context. First the historical development of the concept in the west from the 17th century is considered, as is that of the concept of social justice. As regards the Third World, the author points out that countries generally appear to be more concerned with improving their material welfare, if need be at the cost of individual rights, than with improving the legal position of the individual. (The two concerns are

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 584 Boekbesprekingen obviously connected, one might add.) The author takes a brief look at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and points out that it applies in Indonesia. The more interesting part of this chapter for anybody interested in basic human rights in an Indonesian context is the second part, which discusses the relation between basic human rights and the 1945 Constitution and the Pancasila state doctrine. As regards the Constitution, preparatory work had been done in 1944 and 1945 for the inclusion of a Bill of Rights. The author points out how the relevant proposal was rejected by Soepomo, who did not see the need for inclu- ding such a list, with as argument that the Indonesian state was based on 'the sovereignty of the Indonesian people' (kedaulatan rakyat). Appa- rently, Hatta did not see this need, either, arguing that a gotong-royong state based on the rule of law could not be a dictatorial state {negara kekuasaan, Dutch: machtsstaat). As a result, the 1945 Constitution did not contain a Bill of Rights, even though a number of its articles concern human rights (such as art. 27(2): the right to work; art. 29: freedom of religion; art. 31(1): the right to education). Looking at the Pancasila, the author claims the essential implication of this state ideology to be a 'recognition of man both as a social and as a private being' (p. 84). This means that Pancasila man is conscious not only of his rights but also of his obligations with respect to the common good, and that the Pancasila state is by definition equally conscious of these individual rights (and obligations). As a result, it is claimed that the Pancasila itself offers sufficient protection for basic human rights within the state. Looking at the Rule of Law/Rechtsstaat/Negara Hukum principle, the author points out that the most important Pancasila-related charac- teristic of the Indonesian state is the fact that government is based on the law as the result of the principle of harmony (kerukunan) through representation (as evidenced by the principles of gotong-royong, musyawarahlmufakat, asas kekeluargaan, etc). This means, in effect, that the relationship between government and subjects is based on a principle of mutual give-and-take aimed at maintaining good harmony through consensus as much as possible. On this basis, the author dis- tinguishes between harmonious Pancasila legality on the one hand and the Anglo-Saxon concept of the rule of law and the Dutch concept of rechtsstaat, which both concentrate on the rights of the individual not as in harmony with, but rather as opposed to, the government, on the other hand. This also implies that the relative powers of the different Indo- nesian government authorities require no clear definition or system of checks and balances. The third chapter describes the administrative remedies existing in Indonesia at present. There being no administrative courts operating at the moment, administrative procedures come within the competence of the common judge (pengadilan umurri). In Anglo-Saxon terms one could, in fact, speak of common law actions, since the only means of challenging the government's acts is through tort actions, art. 1365, Indon. Civil Code (art. 1401, Dutch Civil Code). In Indonesian such acts are called perbuatan melanggar hukum oleh penguasa (Dutch: onrecht- matige overheidsdaad), which may be translated with 'government tort'.

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This chapter deals in the first place with Mahkamah Agung case-law and instructions on the subject, with particular attention to the Josopandojo case (no. 838K/Sip/1970) and the Surat Edaran of February 1977 (MA/Pemb/0159/77). From these it appears that the individual may obtain redress for government acts in the following cases: if the act in question is obviously illegal, if the relevant regulation conflicts with regulations issued by a higher authority, if the government act is patently arbitrary or based on an improper use of power. The author points out that the administrative remedies in Indonesia (i.e. through tort actions) are more limited than in the . Administrative remedies in the Netherlands are extensively analysed in this book. As in the Nether- lands, however, in Indonesia there is no judicial review as such whereby judges are empowered to review the constitutionality of legislation. Only 'marginale toetsing' (limited appraisal) is allowed on the basis of the two above-mentioned criteria of arbitrariness or abuse of power. The fourth chapter deals with measures to be taken by reference to conclusions drawn from the data presented in the preceding chapters with regard to the introduction of administrative courts. Several issues are involved. Firstly, the question is addressed whether administrative courts are at all necessary. Several prominent Indonesian scholars are cited (Rochmat Soemitro, Kuntjoro Purbopranoto and Sunaryati Har- tono), some of whom are in favour of the introduction of separate administrative courts and some of whom are against. The arguments put forward by these scholars concern either criteria of efficiency or the relationship between administrative courts and the Pancasila. According to the author, the Pancasila doctrine does not guarantee that no conflicts will occur between the government and the individual by definition. Hence administrative courts are needed. These courts must function not so much to prove either party in the wrong, as to maintain harmonious relations between the state and the individual. Secondly, if such courts are necessary, in what way should they be constituted? The author considers different questions, such as what kind of disputes the courts should be given competence to judge (between the state and individuals, and between state organs mutually), what should be the court structure (two-tiered, with the Mahkamah Agung as highest court of appeal, separate appeal to the government allowing as in the Netherlands wider review), and what the position of the judges should be (e.g., should they have Iife tenure). The formal legal basis for the institution of administrative courts is also considered (the 1945 Consti- tution, Law no. 19/1964, Law no. 14/1970). Finally, the advisory, conciliatory and adjudicative functions of administrative courts in the Pancasila state are looked at. The concluding chapter contains a number of recommendations on the way administrative courts may best be instituted in Indonesia. These recommendations focus on the law of procedure, on preventive pro- tection of the individual through a process of information by the go- vernment and consultation of the individual, and thirdly on the training of judges. The book is a serious study of administrative law in the Indonesian context. It provokes several comments.

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Firstly, it is interesting to note how the difficult issue of judicial review of administrative acts is related to the ideological tenets of the Pancasila. The question of how to accommodate the idea of redress against the administration in a Pancasila state which is based on government through consultation and consensus is particularly difficult to answer for foreign lawyers. The author has given a clear summary of the issues involved here. The question of the introduction of administrative courts in Indonesia plainly has not only legal and practical aspects, but also ideological implications. Secondly, if the Pancasila is indeed the guiding force in Indonesian society, what are the legal rights of the individual citizen by virtue of this ideology which the author alludes to? As would seem to me, an answer to this question is essential in any administrative action in Indonesia. It is most instructive to see the guiding principles of the Pancasila mentioned in chapter two of this book couched in legal terms. This rather hazy point, which outsiders often find it difficult to fully appreciate, has received much attention from the author. Thirdly, it is remarkable how little attention the 1945 Constitution receives in this study, from which it is quite apparent that this Consti- tution is in fact rather equivocal with regard to administrative law: it provides for the institution of the relevant state organs and assigns powers but fails perhaps to give these a clear delimitation. These limits, which are so essential in administrative law, are generally to be found indicated only in the decisions of the Majelis Pemusyawaratan Rakyat (MPR). Judicial review on the basis of the 1945 Constitution is some- what problematical. Thus the Constitution mentions no material law concept (materieel wetsbegrip), but only includes the term 'MPR decisions'. As a result, the hierarchy of Indonesian regulatory measures embedded in MPR decision XX/1966/MPRS is a little unclear, which in turn may hamper review of lower-status regulatory measures conflicting with higher ones, for instance. Finally, special mention should be made of the extensive references made to Dutch law. They testify to the author's thorough knowledge of law in the Netherlands and the important links existing between the Dutch and the Indonesian legal systems. This study provides convincing evidence of the advantages of a comparative approach in the field of law in the development of Indonesian law.

Volker Moelier, Javanische Bronzen. Staatliche Museen PreuBischer Kulturbesitz, Museum für Indische Kunst, Berlin, 1985. Bilderheft 51. ISSN 0522-9790. 62 pp., 111., DM 10.—. J. M. C. PRAGT

This volume in the series 'Bilderhefte der Staatlichen Museen PreuBi- scher Kulturbesitz' deals with a number of Indo-Javanese bronze images

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 587 and ritual objects and one silver image from the collection of the Museum of Indian Art in West Berlin. The bronzes are dated between the 9th and the 14th century and are a product of the Central and East Javanese periods in Java. The publication discusses almost all the bronzes which are currently on display in the museum. Judging from older museum catalogues, the entire bronze collection is somewhat larger. The publication addresses itself to the peculiar beauty of Java- nese bronzes and tries to discover in them particular features of the contemporary period. The booklet's primary purpose is to inform visi- tors to the collection. The introduction to this book deals, though only superficially, with the Indianization and the subsequent Javanization of Java, a process which is manifest, according to Moeller, in the stylistic development of the bronzes. The larger part of the book is devoted to a detailed descrip- tion of thirteen images and seven ritual objects chosen from the bronze and silver holdings of the museum. Unfortunately the only silver image (an Avalokitesvara, MIK II 215) and one of the Kubera images (MIK II 203) described are not exhibited in the museum at the moment. There is a wide selection of excellent photographs, some in colour, illustrating the bronzes. The study of Indo-Javanese bronzes still poses many questions. For instance, it remains difficult to define the precise relations between Indo-Javanese and Indian art styles and iconography. Also, the dating of the bronzes often gives rise to problems, since we know of almost no reliably dated objects for comparison. For this, among other reasons, it is not yet possible to determine the chronological order of the stylistic features in the evolution of Indo-Javanese bronzes. As a result the dating of Indo-Javanese bronzes is in many cases only an arbitrary activity. In addition, the exact provenance of most of the bronzes remains unknown. In spite of these difficulties, Moeller's descriptions of the objects are thorough. In most cases due attention is given to the iconography, the Buddhist pantheon, possible stylistic similarities with Indian art styles and equivalent objects, sometimes illustrated in drawings and photos, and other related data. Such extensiveness is often lacking in the earlier literature on bronzes, as most of the literature on this subject consists of mere enumerative catalogues, with only meagre additional information. It is regrettable that so much literature on this subject is written in Dutch and is moreover not readily accessible in countries outside The Netherlands. Therefore I would like to draw attention here to some additional relevant literature not cited by Moeller. A great deal of supplementary information on some of the Berlin bronzes, which originally belonged to the Dieduksman collection, may be found in an article by Stutterheim (W. F. Stutterheim, 'Nog eens de collectie Dieduksman', Oudheidkundig Verslag 7927(1928), pp. 189- 193). In this article, Stutterheim casts doubts upon the existence and location of the candi Sendu in Java from which one of the Avalokitesvara images (MIK II 195) is said to derive. Although Moeller mentions this temple, no candi by that name exists in Java. Stutterheim suggested a

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 588 Boekbesprekingen corruption of candi Sewu (Central Java) to candi Sendu. This, however, does not settle the matter definitively. According to Stutterheim, the inscription on the reverse of this Ava- lokitèsvara is written in Singosari-nagari script, which implies a date some time in the 13th century, and not in the llth/12th century, as is proposed by Moeller. The exact provenance of the ten-armed Cunda from Prambanan (MIK II 196) is stated by Stutterheim to be candi Loro Jonggrang. In addition it has an inscription {mantra) on its back, which is not mentioned by Moeller. In this context I might also point out that some of the other Berlin bronzes (MIK II217/215/608/ and perhaps also 203) are clearly recog- nizable in some of the photographs of the Dieduksman collection made in 1892 by Cephas and published by F. D. K. Bosch ('Oudheden in particulier bezit. De voormalige collectie Dieduksman', Oudheidkundig Verslag 1926 (1927), pp. 61-76, especially plates 5, 6, 7). A. J. Bernet Kempers also concerned himself with the question of the 'present abode' of the items of the former Dieduksman Collection ('Aanvullende gege- vens betreffende de voormalige collectie Dieduksman', Tijdschrift v. h. Bataviaasch Genootschap 73 (1933), pp. 216-9). Moeller often dates the bronzes of the Berlin museum in a very narrow margin. In many instances the author might have been somewhat more cautious regarding the date and might have allowed for a wider time margin. In the case of the zodiac-cups and the Amoghapasa, for instance, the relevant literature^ again often in Dutch, escaped Moeller's attention. Generally speaking, the filling of these gaps would-not change much in the descriptions, but it would shed new light on certain points. The author is referring to obsolete literature where he states that in the 8th and 9th centuries the Sailendra dynasty extended its dominion from Sumatra to Java (p. 6). The Sailendras of Central Java are not likely to have come from Sumatra, although their true origin still remains a mystery. The four Bodhisattvas on both sides of the Amoghapasa (MIK II233) are more likely to be feminine figures. They have, indeed, been recog- nized as Taras by most authors. For the spelling of Indonesian words it would have been preferable to follow the Standard rules, and to have written Wonosobo instead of Vanasava, candi instead of chandi, etc. Lastly, I would like to add to Moeller!s discussion on the present location of three Amoghapasa images (p. 23, note 1) that one of them is still kept in the Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, besides the ones at Berlin and Leiden. Despite these critical remarks, I feel that the book presents quite a pleasant and, in general, accurate picture of Indo-Javanese bronze art, which is now, for the first time, made accessible to a Iarger public. Moeller's publication serves its purpose quite well in the series 'Bilder- hefte', and it is to be hoped that more such publications on aspects of Indo-Javanese culture will follow.

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Friedrich Seltmann, Die Kalang. Eine Volksgruppe aufJava und ihre Stamm-Mythe. Ein Beitrag zur Kulturgeschichte Javas, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH, 1987, 430 pp. J. J. RAS

The Kalang are a group of people in Java who distinguish themselves from the surrounding population by specific cultural features, particular professional occupations and the fact that, until a rather recent past, they were segregated from the rest of Javanese society and as a group were held in low esteem. In the past, important groups of Kalang used to live in the forests and were occupied in the feiling and hewing of timber. It is probably from this basic occupation, which we find testified by historical documents dating from pre-Islamic times, that Kalang people entered other professions and became carpenters, ship-builders, house-builders, cartwrights, hunters, drivers and buffalo traders, road-builders, ferry- men, merchants, etc. They lived and worked under a special statute, originally exempted from the taxes imposed on the sedentary population engaged in agriculture, but liable on the other hand to corvée and the special assignmènts of heavy duties imposed by the king. It is this social group on which the enquiries resulting in the present monograph were focused. Since the author has published important scholarly contribu- tions over the past three decades on pre-Islamic religious practices and other cultural elements, such as the South and Southeast Asian shadow theatre, he was eminently qualified to undertake this difficult task. Seltmann begins by identifying his topic of research, locating the Kalang in place and time. For this purpose he avails himself of various historical sources, such as old VOC records, literary texts and other historical documents scattered through archives and libraries. Consid- ering the scrupulous manner in which this wealth of historical infor- mation has been unearthed and related to relevant facts, it is easy to realize that this part of the author's research must have been extremely time-consuming. In the following chapter the author deals with the various groups of Kalang, and the ways in which they used to be desig- nated, both regionally and in connection with their professional activ- ities. The discussion of the latter point automatically leads to a consid- eration of the position occupied by the various Kalang groups under the kings of Mataram and Kartasura and their position vis-a-vis the VOC when the latter took over the administration of the Pasisir areas. Then follows an account of the traditions and beliefs of the Kalang and a description of their principal feasts, rituals and other religious or magical practices. Central in Seltmann's research was his enquiry into the religious rituals for the deceased as observed by the Kalang Obong group of Kotha Gedhé in South Central Java: the upacara Kalang Obong. For his descriptions of this feast, made in 1962, he was able to make use of informants who had played leading parts in the feast of the dead held only six months earlier, namely the 'dhukun isteri obong' mbok Pawiranata, 45 years of age, her mother, her younger brother and the latter's daughter. This very detailed first-hand description of the funeral

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 590 Boekbesprekingen rites is preceded by quotations from much more succinct earlier reports by Ketjen, Oetoyo, Knebel, Van Hien, Darmasaraja and Ten Kate, covering South Central Java as well as the northern parts of the island (pp. HOff.). Thus the report by the author's own informants is sup- plemented with valuable details, while at the same time we are placed in a position to determine the extent of the variations in the ritual as observed by the various groups. An important element in Kalang tradition is the myth of origin. In its barest outline this myth relates how a nymph, living on earth in the form of a sow, becomes pregnant after inadvertently swallowing some sperm secreted by a god descended on earth. She gives birth to a girl of great beauty. When this girl has become grown up, she spends her time sitting in a pile-house and weaving. In consequence of a vow she makes after dropping her weaving-shuttle, she marries her dog and gives birth to a handsome boy. When grown up, this boy goes out hunting, and kills the dog who is his father. Informed of this by his mother, he leaves home. Several years later he comes back and marries his mother, who later recognizes him as her son by a scar on his head. Seltmann collected no less than 48 versions of this myth, originating from Bali, Lombok, and East, Central and West Java. By making a critical comparison, he was able to reconstruct a prototype from which all versions are supposed to derive. The importance of this myth rests on the one hand on the fact that it lends the Kalang people a specific cultural identity, and on the other hand on the parallels between essential elements of this myth - such as the marriage of the girl with her dog and the incestuous marriage of the son to his mother - and myths originating from Nias, the Mentawei islands and , which make it seem likely that it forms part of a common Indonesian heritage dating from pre-Hindu-Javanese times. It is certainly not coincidental that both these motifs have also been incorp- orated in the Javanese pseudo-historical traditions contained in several babad and kandha texts, namely in the form of the tales of Jaka Bandung and Watu Gunung. The way in which the author presents and analyses the extensive textual material is exemplary. Future researchers in the fields of the myth and folklore will be grateful for the way in which all the relevant material is placed at their disposal here. Seltmann's Kalang book is the fruit of many years of intensive re- search. It is a work of great depth and extraordinary quality, which will no doubt soon be recognized as the authoritative handbook on the subject.

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Russell Jones (ed.), Hikayat Sultan Ibrahim Ibn Adham, Berkeley: Center for South and Southeast Asia Studies, University of California, Monograph Series no. 57,1985. ix, 332 pp. Russell Jones (ed.), Hikayat Sultan Ibrahim, Dordrecht/ Cinnaminson: Foris, KITLV, Bibliotheca Indoriesica vol. 24, 1983. 75 pp. R. ROOLVINK

The two publications under review here contain the life-story in Malay of Ibrahim ibn Adham, born in Balkh (Khorasan). Islamic legend has it that he was the Ruler of Balkh (hence the 'Sultan' in the title), who subsequent to a certain incident (of which various accounts are given) gave up his throne in order to pursue a life of self-mortification, and later as an ascetic and a sufi became a well-known saintly figure throughout the world of Islam. Various dates are given for his death, the most dependable being AH 161/AD 777/8. In Malay literature, where Ibrahim ibn Adham has become Ruler of Irak, residing in Baghdad, there exist two versions of his life: (i) a long version found in 5 manuscripts, and (ii) a short version found in 6 manuscripts and in printed form. Both versions are now available in print, edited by Russell Jones. The long version, pièce de résistance of the first publication mentioned, originally formed part of an investigation devoted to the Malay literature on this saint and to the Arabic and Persian sources from which the Malay version derived. It was submitted as a doctoral thesis to the University of London as early as 1969. The Malay part, in an adapted form, was not published until 1985. This edition of the Hikayat Sultan Ibrahim ibn Adham begins with a short Preface and a lengthy introductory chapter (51 pp.) offering a brief survey of the beginnings and the development of Malay literature; data on Ibrahim ibn Adham; a description of the manuscripts of both versions and their interrelationship; a discussion of the date, origin and author- ship of the Malay text; and material on the hero of the legend in Malay and other Indonesian languages, and in the languages of India and Central Asia. Next come the Malay text, on odd-numbered pages, together with an English translation with textual notes on the pages facing these (pp. 52-175); notes on spelling (pp. 176-181), and detailed notes on various subjects of the Malay text (pp. 182-212); in addition there are 6 Appendices, among them a note on the Arabic citations in the Malay text (pp. 215-273). Finally there are some Tables, a con- cordance of page numbers of the Malay manuscripts, a sketch map of the Indonesian and Malaysian regions, a Bibliography (pp. 275-285), and an Index (pp. 287-332). It will be clear from the above that the author has gone into great detail in his research. The reason is that he hopes that this publication will attract the interest of readers outside the specialist Malay field (Preface, p. viii). In his survey of Malay literature the author points out the difficulties of writing a History of Malay Literature along the same lines as we are

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 592 Boekbesprekingen accustomed to in the West. This is due to the undatability of the manu- scripts and the fact that almost without exception the texts are anony- mous. To a certain extent he deplores the widespread use of Arabic titles (i.e. the use of Arabic words or combinations of Arabic words not accepted as loan-words in Malay) for texts in Malay, inasmuch as it makes these works appear more forbidding than they really are to students of Malay with no knowledge of Arabic (Introductory Chapter, p. 7). Be that as it may, his own work under review here makes it abundantly clear that a student of Malay (classical) literature of this kind must have a good working knowledge of Arabic. The author has introduced a new term, 'Traditional Malay Literature' (p. 5 of the Introductory Chapter), for what is usually termed Classical Malay Literature (Dutch: Klassiek Maleis). As the latter term indeed is not very satisfactory, one can accept his term 'Traditional Malay Liter- ature' (as opposed to Modern Malay Literature), provided that it is taken to include not only Hikayat Literature (as the author does) but also the so-called Kitab Literature and poetry in older Malay. The Hikayat Sultan Ibrahim ibn Adham is a charming story with an undisguised Islamic flavour, being interspersed with ethical precepts, exhortations and admonitions to lead a pious life addressed by the author or narrator to his audience or readers. As such, within the large body of Islamic Malay Literature, this text belongs to the category of edifying and moralizing works. Both its structure and style are now outdated, and in this respect the term 'Traditional Malay Literature' is well-chosen. lts spirit, however, is still very much alive in its own modern form to-day. The Malay of the text contains various archaic elements (e.g., some per- and beper- forms; words like pemberi in the sense of 'gift') which make it possible to date the text in or around the early seventeenth century. The editor has greatly facilitated the study of this text for his readers, firstly by his translation and secondly by the detailed notes and annota- tions which accompany the text. It is an excellent piece of work and a good example of how a classical Malay text can be edited. One might ask if the editor has not gone into more detail than was strictly necessary. However, the user can only be grateful for what is offered him, and lay aside what he does not need. This reviewer will confine himself to only a very few critical remarks: with regard to the mandala in the Malay text (note 33, p. 191), the editor is undoubtedly correct in assuming that the original word must have been manzil, 'stopping-place' (Arabic for Malay perhentian), and there- fore should not have hesitated to substitute manzil for this clear copyist's error and relegate mandala to the notes, instead of the other way round. Then, the transcription of Maula in 'Ya Rabbi! Ya Sayidi! Ya Maula!' is dubious: in view of the -i suffixed to Rabb and Sayid, one would expect Ya Maulaya. Fatimah al-Zuhra in the text on p. 106 and in note 49 on p. 194 should read Fatima al-Zahra instead (the English translation on the opposite page has the correct form). Another point worth mentioning is the discussion in note 1 (p. 183) of the puzzling opening formula of so many Malay classical tales, wa bihi

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 593 nastacïn bi'lldhi cala. The author very guardedly ventures a possible solution (which this reviewer considers unlikely) but at the same time goes on to say that a solution will probably necessitate further study of the earliest Malay texts and their immediate Persian or Arabic (or Indian) sources - a statement one can only agree with. This is not the place to go into the matter - to this reviewer it is clear that after cala something is missing, perhaps only a few words, but in any case rhyming with the -In of nastacïn, e.g., 'umür al-dunya wa'l-shayatïn, i.e., 'we implore the assistance of God to protect us from worldly concerns and the spirits of evil'„or something to that effect. But where are we to find it? As for the Index, this reviewer would have arranged it in a different way. The second book differs not only in size (75 pages vs. 332 pages for the edition of the long version), it also has a different purpose. This booklet contains the short version of the Malay text, both Jawi and Romanized, together with an English translation, preceded by a brief Foreword giving some information on the hero of the story, Ibrahim ibn Adham, and on the various Malay versions; in addition there is a short note on the Jawi script, with a Table of the Jawi Malay alphabet showing the various forms of the letters depending on their position in the word (initial, medial or fïnal) and their Romanized modern Malay equivalents. Furthermore, there is a map showing the world of Ibrahim ibn Adham. The Romanization has been done with great accuracy. So far only two lapses have come to my notice: for ketahui (p. 40, 1.11 from below) one should read ketahuan, and for pekerjaan (p. 34, 1. 20) pekerjaannya. This reviewer would have transcribed berumbai-rumbaikan instead of berambai-rambaikan (p. 44, 1. 7 from below). In one case only, a different punctuation might be suggested, namely instead of... Sultan Ibrahim berjalan itu, dari pada suatu perhentian datang kepada suatu perhentiannya beberapa lama. Maka sampailah baginda . . . (p. 30, lines 2/3): ... datang kepada suatu perhentiannya. Beberapa lama maka sampailah baginda . . . The Malay text shows several peculiarities which, as in the case of the long version, suggest that it must be fairly old, perhaps dating from the early seventeenth century. However tempting this may be, this is not the place to go in details. Various points could be raised concerning the translation, but here this would go too far, and moreover it would bore the reader. But if one exception is allowed: segala in older Malay should not be rendered by 'all' (as, for instance, on p. 19, 1. 18 from below, where segala alim dan salih is translated as: 'all the learned and pious people'), for primarily, if not exclusively, it is an indicator of the plural and is sometimes followed by the duplicated noun. Therefore Makota Segala Raja2 is the correct Malay translation of Taju 'l-Salatïn (The Crown of Kings). To quote the editor, the reprint of the Jawi facsimile (of the 1846 edition by Lenting) is 'offered for the delectation of students beginning their reading practice with the script. For the convenience of those who are working on their own, we have added a Romanized transcription in

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 594 Boekbesprekingen modern orthography'. Though of course such a Jawi text is very helpful indeed for familiarizing oneself with the printed Jawi characters, reading the handwritten variety of Jawi is a different matter from reading printed Jawi, and requires some additional training. On the other hand, tran- scriptions such as tersenyum, where the Jawi text has the (old-fashioned) spelling tersennyum, may be confusing in particular for students working on their own. The table of the Jawi script is neatly produced but mirabile dictu lacks the ta' marbüta, so that students will be puzzled as soon as they try to decipher the fifth letter of the first word (hikayat) of the Jawi title. The notes to the text have been kept down to a bare minimum. A few remarks may suffice here. Although in older Malay (or 'traditional Malay', to use the term suggested by the author) sebagai sometimes does mean 'continuously', 'constantly', this meaning is not found in Wilkin- son's dictionary, for instance, but is in Klinkert's: 'steeds', 'aldoor'. Also interesting is the word masalla (note 4), of which the editor says: '(a loanword from Arabic, rare in Malay) a cloak worn for prayer, it can also mean prayer mat'. This is not quite apt. The word is originally Arabic, musalla, meaning 'place of prayer'; in Persian it has the same meaning, and some other ones besides, e.g., 'prayer rug'. It is in this sense of 'prayer carpet', 'praying-mat' that the word has been borrowed in Malay in the forms musalla, musala, masala; in modern usage we find tikar masala = tikar sembahyang. That masalla could mean 'a cloak worn for prayer' seems strange. This reviewer has the uneasy feeling that the editor may have allowed himself to be misled by the Dutch 'bidkleedje' found in Klinkert's Nieuw Maleisch-Nederlandsch Woordenboek met Arabisch Karakter, under masalla'. The book is well produced, with a charming cover illustration (in colour) of Ibrahim ibn Adham. It is taken from a Persian manuscript preserved in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Summarizing, we may say that with these two editions, the last word has been said at least for the time being about this Malay hikayat.

Harry Theirlynck, Van Maria tot Rosy: Over Antilliaanse literatuur, Antillen Working Papers 11, Caraïbische Afde- ling, Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volken- kunde, Leiden, 1986, 107 pp. WIM RUTGERS

Genoemd boek is een - lichte - bewerking van Harry Theirlyncks doctoraalscriptie aan de K.U.N, in november 1984. Theirlynck be- handelt de debuten van vijf auteurs voor volwassenen en twee jeugd- boekenauteurs. Zo komt hij tot een analyse, vanuit een literair-socio- logische benadering, van drie debuutromans van vóór 1969, de datum waarop op Curacao een sociale revolutie plaatsvond en die Theirlynck daarom hanteert als scharnier: Cola Debrot, Mijn zuster de negerin,

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1935; Tip Marugg, Weekendpelgrimage, 1957; Boeli van Leeuwen, De rots der struikeling, 1959. Daarna worden twee romans van na dertig mei 1969 geanalyseerd: Frank Martinus Arion, Dubbelspel, 1973; en E. A. de Jongh, De boog, 1981. De besproken jeugdboeken zijn: Diana Le- bacs, Sherry, 1971, en Suikerriet Rosy, 1983; en Sonia Garmers, Or- kaan, 1977, en Orkaan en Mayra, 1980. Twee keer maakt Theirlynck onderweg een tussenbalans op en aan het slot plaatst hij de besproken werken in een Europese en Caraïbische literaire traditie. De analyses van de afzonderlijke literaire werken vind ik geslaagd, want over het algemeen zeer verhelderend. Bovendien vind ik het positief dat de jeugdliteratuur een vanzelfsprekend onderdeel van de totale literatuur uitmaakt. Niet altijd ben ik het met Theirlyncks interpretatie eens, maar dat hoeft ook niet, want dat soort tegenspraken is nuttig voor een voort- gaande discussie. Wat ik wel een ernstig bezwaar vind is de door Their- lynck gehanteerde beperking, waardoor hij zijn in algemene formule- ringen gestelde conclusies niet waar kan maken. Dat hij Debrots debuut De Mapen niet bespreekt maar de eerste 'Antilliaanse' roman wel, kan ik begrijpen. Hij had Edward de Jonghs derde werk, De boog, echter beslist moeten vervangen door het debuut, Fata Morgana; dan zou hij tot heel andere conclusies gekomen zijn wat deze auteur betreft. Het moei- lijk bereikbaar zijn van een boek mag geen argument zijn voor een al of niet betrekken ervan in een wetenschappelijke analyse. Nu Theirlynck zich zo beperkt heeft tot debuten, blijft het leeuwendeel van voor 'dertig mei' onbesproken. Omdat hij van de jeugdboeken wèl meer opneemt, komt hij daar tot conclusies die niet gegolden zouden hebben als hij ook daar systematisch zich tot de debuten beperkt had. De slotzin: 'De Nederlandstalige Antilliaanse literatuur is met "Sui- kerriet Rosy" thuis gekomen', hangt dan ook volledig in de lucht. Wanneer hij van de overige auteurs het latere werk ook besproken had, was er misschien een heel andere conclusie tevoorschijn gekomen, te meer daar hij eerst koste wat kost heeft willen aantonen dat Sherry schatplichtig zou zijn aan Dubbelspel omdat de jeugdliteratuur achter zou lopen op de literatuur voor volwassenen. Vooral in de algemene beschouwingen t.a.v. de Antilliaanse litera- tuur schiet Theirlynck ernstig tekort, omdat hij op onevenwichtig en te gering materiaal steunt. Zijn analyse is in opbouw en conclusies sterk geïnspireerd door Jos de Roo, Antilliaans literair logboek, 1980, zonder dat Theirlynck dat voldoende erkent. Trouwens, in de behandeling van de secundaire literatuur heb ik geheel geen systeem kunnen ontdekken. De belangrijkste scripties van Pablo Walter over Boeli van Leeuwen en van Ronny Severing over Cola Debrot verzwijgt hij: de artikelen in het Antilliaanse Kristofen de weekendbijlage Napa van het dagblad Amigoe die over zijn onderwerp gaan noemt hij evenmin. Hij beperkt zich nagenoeg tot Nederlandse bronnen — een kwalijke zaak als je de Antilli- aanse literatuur wilt bestuderen. Een scriptie schrijven is één, deze ook publiceren is iets anders. Ik ben bang dat het door Theirlynck diverse keren opgeworpen balletje, dat critici Antilliaans werk 'coloris causa' (te) gunstig bespreken, naar hem zelf teruggekaatst moet worden.

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John R. Clammer (editor), 'Studies in Chinese Folk Reli- gion in Singapore and Malaysia', Contributions to Southeast Asian Ethnography no. 2, Singapore, August 1983, 178 pp. C. SALMON

This special issue on Chinese folk religion contains six articles of varying length, all but one of which are devoted to Singapore. These are followed by a postscript aimed at providing an overview of Chinese religious studies today. Two studies deal with Chinese spirit mediumship. The first, by Ju Shi Huey (pp. 3-48), is devoted to what may be called a new 'school' of mediumship, which was started some fifteen years ago in Singapore by a former superintendent in a plywood factory. Unlike the tangki, or 'traditional medium', who has to wait until the god or shen deigns to possess him, he claims that he has acquired his art through a process of conscious learning and cultivation and that he has the power to invoke the deity whenever he wants. Judging from the rites and ceremonies performed by him, the ways he helps his clients, and his worship of some deities, his art appears to be merely a variant form of Chinese spirit mediumship. However, there may be a difference in the sense that the founder of this school has trained followers, who are operating branches and who along with him constitute a kind of informal sect. It is worth mentioning here that similar attempts to upgrade the status of the medium have also been observed in Jakarta (Wandelt 1985), although in this latter case the links between the different branches have not been clearly analysed. The second study, by Cecilia Ng Siew Hua, is focused on the Sam Poh Neo Neo Keramat, a Baba Chinese temple in Singapore to which a medium is attached. What is interesting here is that the temple was founded some sixty years ago by a woman medium whose family were Malaccan Baba Chinese. The people visiting the temple are mostly non-literate Chinese-speaking from the lower economie stratum. The deities are three spirits or keramat bearing Malay names, about whom very little is known, as well as five other shen whose names are Chinese. The ritual procedures differed with each spirit medium. Actually, the Malay influence is diminishing, and the religious system is apparently undergoing a resinification process. This is the conclusion reached by the author after a comparison of the practices observed in the 1950s, de- scribed elsewhere, with those of the present medium attached to the temple under study. This may well be true, but it is to be regretted that nothing is said about the background of the present medium - we do not even know whether he is able to speak Malay or not1 - while the same is true for his clients. In her further discussion of the location of the religious system as delineated in her study, the author expresses the idea that there is no syncretism but only borrowing of Malay elements and incorporation of these into an essentially Chinese religious system. On this point a comparison with other spirit mediums operating for other Baba Chinese, if any, would have been enlightening.2 Two articles deal with divination. The one by Choong Ket Che (pp. 49-97) presents the life-story of Datuk Tham, a fortune teller bom in Hong Kong in 1916, in a family in which suan ming, or 'fortune telling',

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 597 has been a family trade for generations. It tells of how he came to Southeast Asia in the early 1940's and improved his art by studying successively Siamese and Malay techniques of divination, and how finally, in the early 1950's, he settled down in Singapore, where he has been practising up to now. In the afternoons he operates in a small stall close to the Hindu Temple in South Bridge Road, and in the evenings in a rented 'office' (called suan ming guan in Chinese) located in the Gay World Amusement Park. During his day practice he treats mostly lower- status, ill-educated women, whereas at nights he has a more varied clientèle, ranging from regular clients and occasional patrons to 'fun seekers', who may spend more money than the women. The author then describes the different divination techniques used by Datuk Tham, as well as the relevant rituals, and concludes with a discussion of the psycho-social functions of the fortune teller, especially in giving con- fidence, guidance and hope to his clients. Perhaps these functions could have been further investigated by meansof an analysisof afewdialogues between the fortune teller and his clients, or even through an interview of the practitioner. The second article which is related to divination focuses on automatic writing in Singapore (pp. 146-160). lts author, Ruth-Inge Heinze, first provides a historical survey of automatic writing in China as reflected in the literature, and then describes the process as practised in the Singapore Branch of the World Red Swastika Society, founded in China (Shandong Province) in 1916. Although moderniza- tion has changed the face of Singapore, it appears that local Chinese still seek 'divine' guidance, since automatic writing is still practised in at least three other temples. A short note on Confucianism as a folk-religion, or Confucius as incorporated into the large pantheon of Chinese deities and worshipped as an educational shen, ends the series of articles on Singa- pore. The sixth case-study, by Raymond L. M. Lee and S. E. Ackerman (pp. 132-145), deals with a new religious movement started in a middle-class suburb of Kuala Lumpur, which has been the scène of various flourishing religious movements in recent years. This particular one, called 'Five Realizations Society', was originated by Koon, a garrulous, English- educated Chinese in his forties who was employed as a teacher at a local school. Koon believes that he is an enforcer of divine laws who has been sent to earth on a mission to deliver all the Chinese°residing in West Malaysia from their polytheism. He managed to gain converts from among various circles, but finally came into conflict with some of the members and, after a revamp of the hierarchical arrangements in the movement, an unexpected end was put to Koon's activities when he was arrested by the police for illegal assembly. This religious movement, although rather briefly described, is quite interesting in that on the one hand it condemns Chinese polytheistic practices while on the other it revives new forms exorcism of evil spirits and healing-performances. This range of studies provides a good insight into the various forms of Chinese religious practice in Singapore, which, in spite of moderniza- tion, still continue unabated. What is worth noting is the fact that, notwithstanding the claims about secularization and the attempts of the government to upgrade the educational level and the economie status of

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 598 Boekbesprekingen the lower classes, traditional mental attitudes are not eradicated. The need for religion is still there, and the only changes seem to be in the forms assumed by these practices under force of the changing social and political circumstances in Singapore. It is to be hoped that further comparative studies will be carried out in other Southeast Asian coun- tries, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, in order for us to be better able to appraise the relations between modernization and religious practices. The only study of a religious movement outside Singapore in this issue is enough to show that a traditional religious attitude may still emerge even if the person concerned has received an English education.

NOTES

1 According to Elliot 1955, p. 114, the paragraph devoted to 'A Sino-Malay Cult', the consultations were carried out in Malay. 2 The study by Ingo Wandelt and Hwie-Ing Harsono (Wandelt 1985), which is devoted to a Peranakan Chinese medium who also relies on a local, in this case Sundanese, Saint to communicate with Chinese deities, provides elements for a comparison of practices in different Peranakan Chinese communities.

PUBLICATIONS USED

Elliot, Alan J. A., 1955, Chinese Spint-Medium Cults in Singapore, London: The London School of Economics and Political Science. Wandelt, Ingo, 1985, Wihara Kencana - Zur chinesischen Heilkunde in Jakarta, unter Mitarbeit bei der Feldforschung und Texttranskription von Hwie-Ing Harsono, Kölner ethnographische Studiën Bd. 10, Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag, 155 pp., 1 plate.

Ingo Wandelt, Wihara Kencana - Zur chinesischen Heil- kunde in Jakarta, unter Mitarbeit bei der Feldforschung und Texttranskription von Hwie-Ing Harsono [The Wihara Kencana and Chinese therapeutics in Jakarta, with the coop'eration of Hwie-Ing Harsono for the fieldwork and text transcriptions], Kölner ethographische Studiën Bd. 10, Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag, 1985, 155 pp., 1 plate. C SALMON

This is an interesting study of Chinese spirit mediumship as observed within the Peranakan Chinese community of Jakarta in the early 1980's. Although the choice of the Wihara Kencana seems fortuitous, the result of the investigation is nevertheless very fruitful. With the help of Mrs. Harsono, the author was introduced to Mr. Thio Teng Sin, a therapist who has practised since 1976 in a little-known temple of Senin, one of the busiest and most populous districts of Jakarta. Mr. Thio proved most cooperative. Firstly, he allowed the two researchers to attend consulta- tions at his home and ceremonies at the temple; secondly he granted

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 599 a long interview (in Indonesian), followed by another one with his assistant. The study comprises thirteen chapters, which may more conveniently be regrouped into five parts: the first contains the transcription and German translation of the two interviews (pp. 11-53); the second is devoted to an analysis of the texts, aimed at reconstructing the mental world in which the healer develops (pp. 54-8); the third deals with the Wihara Kencana and the various ceremonies held here under the direc- tion of the therapist (pp. 86-109); the fourth concerns the clients, their problems, and the way in which the therapist classifies their diseases and cures them, and provides in conclusion an overviewof the healingsystem (pp. 110-120); the fifth and last part contains an attempt to compare this healer with those described for countries such as China, Taiwan, Singa- pore and West Java (pp. 120-141). Looking at this study from a methodological viewpoint, we observe that the author has done much to relate his own research to the various existing studies (mostly in English) on spirit mediumship among the Chinese at home and abroad - the most complete one being that written by Alan J. A. Elliot, entitled Chinese Spirit-Medium Cults in Singapore (London, 1955). He also proved innovative in his extensive reliance on long interviews in order to reconstruct the healer's system of beliefs. Worth mentioning here is the fact that the healer denies any similari- ties between his art and that of the medium ( tangki), arguing that in his relationship to the spirits he does not need to go through the possession and trance process. He also pretends that he has acquired his art through conscious learning and cultivation under the guidance of two spirits, who are given the special position of orang suci or 'holy men' in his pantheon, and who are also able to help him communicate with the 'holy spirits' or roh suci. However, from what he says about the way he was induced to become a healer - after an orang suci appeared to him at night -, about the trembling he suffers each time the orang suci enters into relation with him, and about the way he solves his clients' problems through the use of occult power, these appear to constitute elements implying that his art does not really differ from that of the ordinary medium. The fact that Mr. Thio wants to differentiate himself from a medium is significant. It is important to note here that a similar attitude exists among some mediums in Singapore (cf. Ju Shi Huei 1983). The desire to 'upgrade' their status among these mediums on both sides of the Straits may be connected with their personal background: the one in Singapore was working as a 'superintendent in a well-established ply- wood factory' when he decided to start his mystic practice, while Mr. Thio was employed as an administrator with a private firm in Jakarta. This raises the question of possible changes in the practice of spirit mediumship as the average educational level within the various Chinese communities improves. It is regrettable that the authors did not do more research on spirit- medium cults in West Java on this point. It would have been quite enlightening to study the practices of the other mediums in Jakarta, some of whom are also operating in temples, and more especially to

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 600 Boekbesprekingen investigate the practices found in Cileungsi, the place where Mr. Thio acquired his knowledge. It is also to be regretted that the authors did not use the information to be found in our study on Chinese temples in Jakarta (Salmon and Lombard 1980). They would have found useful historical notes on Cileungsi medium cults here (pp. 136-40), as well as on the Wihara Kencana, which seems to be the same as the Wihara Dhana Jaya, which was founded around 1885 (pp. 169-170). These historical facts would have enabled the authors to better appraise the therapist's explanation concerning the temple and the deities. They would also have found a clue there as to the history of the mysterious orang suci by name of Raden Surya Kencana, whose cult is found in three other Chinese temples in Jakarta as well as in Tangerang and Cileungsi (p. 330). Finally, looking at spirit mediumship in terms of integration, it would have been interesting to reflect on the circumstance thaLtwo inter- mediaries who allow the medium to communicate with the Chinese spirits are Sundanes deities or spirits, on the same level as Qu Yuan (a deified loyal minister who lived BC 332-295), who is allegedly at the root of the Dragon-boat Festival. It is very strange, incidentally, that all the names of Chinese deities are given in the Hokkien dialect, except that of Qu Yuan, which follows the Mandarin pronunciation.

PUBLICATIONS USED

Ju Shi Huei, 1983, 'Chinese Spirit-mediums in Singapore; An Ethnographic Study', Contributions to Southeast Asian Ethnography no. 2, August, pp. 16ff. Salmon, G., and D. Lombard, 1980, Les Chinois de Jakarta; Temples et viecollective, , Editions de la Maison des Sciences de 1'Homme, études insulindiennes-archipel 1, Paris.

De Fraters van Zwijsen, 100 jaar fraters op de Nederlandse Antillen, Zutphen: De Walburg Pers, 1986, 191 pp. MATHIEU SCHOFFELEERS

De Fraters van Tilburg - officieel bekend als Congregatie van O.L. Vrouw, Moeder van Barmhartigheid, of ook wel Fraters van Zwijsen, naar hun stichter, Monseigneur Zwijsen — hebben een enorme invloed uitgeoefend op de ontwikkeling van het onderwijs op Curacao en Bo- naire. Zoals de huidige gouverneur, dr. R. A. Romer,.schrijft in zijn bijdrage aan dit boek: 'Voor de ontwikkeling, die de Curacaose samen- leving na de vestiging van de Shell zou doormaken hebben de fraters met hun werk het fundament gelegd. Curacaose jongemannen . . . hebben in de jaren van de grote expansie van onze economie van de toenemende vraag naar o.a. administratief geschoold personeel kunnen gebruik maken dankzij het onderwijs en de vorming die ze op de scholen van de fraters hebben genoten' (p. 171).

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Het boek illustreert Romers oordeel op boeiende wijze met histo- rische foto's, fraaie pentekeningen, korte informatieve beschrijvingen en heldere statistieken. Het is daardoor voor de fraters en de velen, die bij hun werk betrokken zijn geweest, ongetwijfeld een gewaardeerd gedenkboek geworden. Dat was ook de opzet, die de samenstellers voor ogen stond, en het is als zodanig dat het dient beoordeeld te worden. Niettemin herinnert hetzelfde boek er ons aan dat er ook behoefte bestaat aan een wetenschappelijke studie, die de rol van de fraters belicht niet alleen met betrekking tot onderwijs en opvoeding, maar ook met betrekking tot de ontwikkeling van wat Romer noemt een katholiek 'kerkelijk regime' op Curacao. Een van de karakteristieken van de daar missionerende fraters en zusters is dat deze in meerderheid van Bra- bantse afkomst waren. Brabant begon honderd jaar geleden letterlijk vol te slibben met kloosters en het is dan ook niet verwonderlijk dat zich juist vanuit deze provincie een grote missie-activiteit ontplooide. Dit leidde vrijwel automatisch tot het bewust en onbewust reproduceren van het Zuidnederlandse model, volgens welk de kerk geleidelijk vrijwel alle sectoren van de samenleving onder haar controle brengt. Op Curacao gebeurde iets dergelijks, zij het met enkele opvallende verschillen. Een daarvan is dat de kerk er niet in geslaagd is een eigen politieke partij aan de macht te brengen. Een ander verschil is dat het de Curacaose kerk niet gelukt is voldoende eigen priesters en kloosterlingen op te leiden en daardoor zelf-reproducerend te worden. Het kerkelijk personeel komt in meerderheid nog steeds uit het buitenland en naar het zich laat aanzien zal daarin voorshands geen verandering komen. Een derde trek van de Curacaose kerk is dat ze als kerk vrijwel geen binding meer heeft met het intellectuele leven op het eiland. Waarom? De vraag wordt weliswaar meerdere malen gesteld in het boek, maar eigenlijk nauwe- lijks beantwoord. Ook zou de lezer graag meer achtergrondinformatie willen hebben over de taalstrijd, die lange tijd de verhoudingen tussen fraters en paters verzuurd heeft en waaraan ook enige malen gerefereerd wordt. Maar nogmaals: het boek was er niet voor bedoeld en wat er nu ligt is in zijn genre een fraai stukje vakwerk.

Jules de Palm, Kinderen van de fraters, Amsterdam: De Bezige Bij, 1986, 199 pp. MATHIEU SCHOFFELEERS Kinderen van de fraters is een verslag van de tien jaar (1929-1939), dat de schrijver op Curacao bij de Fraters van Tilburg school heeft gegaan. Dat het boek verscheen in hetzelfde jaar dat deze congregatie haar eeuwfeest vierde zal wel geen toeval zijn, al wordt dit nergens uitdrukke- lijk vermeld. Het is een boeiend boek, niet alleen vanwege zijn onmis- kenbare literaire kwaliteiten, maar ook omdat het een van de weinige documenten is, die iets duidelijk maken over de aard van het koloniaal onderwijs op de Antillen en over de reacties die het opriep bij degenen die deze vorm van onderwijs moesten ondergaan.

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H. von Saher, Emanuel Rodenburg, of wat er op het eiland Bali geschiedde toen de eerste Nederlanders daar in 1597 voet aan wal zetten. De Walburg Pers, Zutphen, 1986, 104 pp., 13 ills. and map. HENK SCHULTE NORDHOLT

This book is a collection of extracts from earlier published sources on the first Dutch voyage to the Indies, in the course of which the island of Bali was also visited, in February 1597. It offers by no means a complete account, for it is concentrated on one particular man, Emanuel Roden- burg, who left his ship in order to stay in Bali till Jury 1601. It is this 'decision' of Rodenburg's that inspired the author to compile this book. After a short introduction on the sources used (Ch. 1), the voyage to the East, with some of the conflicts and problems involved, is briefly described (Ch. 2); this is followed by a brief account of Rodenburg's return to Holland (Ch. 3). Then, in Ch. 4, a virtually complete account is given of the interesting first encounter between the Dutch and the Balinese in February 1597. The book ends with additional information on the Rodenburg family (Ch. 5) and some concluding remarks (Ch. 6). Despite the fact that we now have a compilation of accounts of the first documented Dutch contact with Bali, the book does not replace earlier source publications such as volumes VII (1915), XXV (1925) and XXXII (1929) of the Van Linschoten series edited by G. P. Rouf- faer and J. W. Yzerman, for it is incomplete. Parts of the original accounts have been left out. Van Saher's main purpose has been to answer the intriguing question of why Rodenburg decided to stay in Bali. In this respect his conclusions are disappointing, for he repeats the well-known romantic view that Rodenburg feil in love with 'a Balinese woman' and did not return to his ship for that reason. This is nothing more than a serious anachronism. If one reads the published accounts carefully, one will find a different answer. Firstly, the king of Bali showed great interest in European guns and rifles (pp. 69,70, 76). Secondly, a group of foreigners was kept in the king's palace (pp. 70, 73-74), who formed part of the king's 'collection' of living pusaka. They also acted as interpreters and provided the king with information about the world abroad. Rodenburg was likewise a foreigner, and he had shown himself very skilful at handling the rifle presented to the king, with which the Balinese were unfamiliar (p. 79). So it is more realistic to suppose that Rodenburg was added to the king's 'collection' of foreigners, rather than suggesting a 20th-century 'chercher Ia femme' motive (p. 101). It was not Rodenburg who decided to stay, it was the king who decided to keep him. The fact aside that the author's main conclusion is unacceptable, this book offers a very pleasant description of the first cross-cultural con- versations between Dutch seamen and members of the Balinese elite. It is to be regretted that Rodenburg never published any account of his Balinese years after his return to Holland in 1601. Instead he became an anonymous clerk in Amsterdam, never went to sea again and kept silent about his Balinese adventure. In doing so, he deprived the histo- rian of a fair chance to write a book about him.

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W. Ph. Coolhaas f (ed.), Generale Missiven van Gouver- neurs-Generaal en Raden aan Heren XVII der Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VIII: 1725-1729, Rijks Ge- schiedkundige Publicatiën, Grote Serie 193, 's-Gravenhage, 1985, 275 pp. G. J. SCHUTTE

When in 1979 his health forced the octogenarian Professor Coolhaas to terminate his editorial work on the Generale Missiven, he had seen seven volumes through the press and had moreover prepared part of volume VIII (which was published as a separate and comparatively slim volume four years after his death in April 1981). It covers the short term of office of Governor-General Matthaeus de Haan, who was appointed as such in 1725, after nearly 50 years of service to the Company. These Generale Missiven confirm the claims made by Godée Molsbergen (Geschiedenis van Nederlandsen Indië, III, 1939, p. 110) about the bad relations among top officials of the VOC in Batavia. De Haan was occasionally outvoted in the Council of the Indies, where he and Director-General Huysmans regularly accused each other of misconduct. The Generale Missiven, of course, not only provide glimpses of dissen- sions among their authors. Their main importance lies in the survey they give of Company affairs as a whole and many related subjects. Trade and shipping, commercial and political activities, and financial results domi- nate their pages for obvious reasons. But they also provide valuable information on the relations of the VOC with European and Asian counterparts and competitors and about the economie, social and po- litical situations in the many regions of Asia where the Company had its factories and contacts. This is what makes the Generale Missiven such a rich guide, not only to the history of European and Asian relations, but also to the internal history of Asia. In his introduction to this volume, Coolhaas' successor as editor, Dr. J. van Goor, gives an outline of the decision-making process which preceded the official commission to edit the Generale Missiven. He also points out the most difficult aspect of the editorial task: the selection of those parts which were to be included in this edition. Coolhaas estimated the total of the Generale Missiven to be 130,000 handwritten folio pages. He aimed at editing about one sixteenth of them in 10 large volumes, omitting all the parts that had been published already, and condensing the rather lengthy enumerations of sneer facts. No-one who has read through the pages edited by Coolhaas will ever blame him for having been too lax in summarizing the verbose reports of the Batavian officials. In this volume, for example, the 85 pages of the first missive of De Haan and associates have been reduced to less than five and a half pages of print, annotations included. Nevertheless, eight volumes were needed to cover the period 1610-1729. Though Batavian verbosity increased during the eighteenth century, this is not to say that the value of the Generale Missiven as a source for Asian history dimin- ished. The contrary may be true, as there are fewer source publications for this period than for the earlier years of the VOC. At the same time, the Company's interference in certain areas intensified. All this leads to

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 604 Boekbesprekingen the conclusion that a continuation of Coolhaas' magnum opus is im- perative. The publication of this volume seems to be a declaration of good intent in that respect. Hopefully it will soon be followed by the most fitting tribute to Coolhaas' 30 years of dedicated editorial activity and contribution to Dutch colonial and Asian history: the appearance of volume nine.

Jeff Siegel, Language contact in aplantation environment. A sociolinguistic history of Fiji, Cambridge: Cambridge Uni- versity Press, 1987, xiv + 305 pp. [Studies in the social and cultural foundations of language 5.] H. STEINHAUER The recent military coup in Fiji, and especially its racist character, came as a shock to most distant observers: only few people had been fully aware of the heterogeneous and multiracial character of Fijian society. The way this society had developed was even less generally known. Jeff Siegel's highly readable study on Fiji's sociolinguistic history gives an excellent account of this development in passing. As the title reveals, it concentrates on the linguistic consequences of the contacts among people of various linguistic backgrounds, which were the result of European expansion in the area since the beginning of the 19th century. The linguistic consequences of such contacts have become the subject of a special branch of sociolinguistics, viz. Pidgin and Creole studies. The scope of these studies, however, tends to be limited by two circumstances. The recent fashion in linguistics has demanded an em- phasis on universal grammatical phenomena, while according to the linguistic theory which dominated the professional journals in the 1960s and 70s the study of English would provide a sufficient factual basis for the detection of such universal phenomena. This Europacentric ap- proach in linguistics probably acted as a catalyst for generalizations in the field of Pidgin and Creole studies solely on the basis of European- based Pidgins and Creoles. The other circumstance is that Pidgin and Creole studies came to be conducted by linguists, and although Pidgins and Creoles differ from other language varieties by the fact that their origins can be located in historie times, their genesis and subsequent development were hardly ever studied in historical terms. Siegel's study distinguishes itself by its detailed historical account of the development of the Fijian linguistic situation. It is further out- standing for the fact that the language varieties described, which arose out of contact situations created by Europeans, were not European- based. The language varieties discussed in detail in this connection are: Plantation Pidgin Fijian and Plantation Pidgin Hindustani, and their

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 605 current offsprings, Current Pidgin Fijian and Current Pidgin Hindustani. It is impossible to do justice to the multitude of topics and aspects discussed by Siegel in support of his conclusions. The most diverse sources (archives, memoirs, reports, travelogues, newspapers and scien- tific studies, as well as oral histories recorded in interviews with older informants) have been used to reconstruct the history of language and language contact in the Fijian archipelago during the last IV2 centuries. Salient features of the resultant language varieties are compared with the 'contributing' languages in order to identify and explain apparent linguistic developments. Siegel's method and choice of subjects enable him to give definite answers to a series of theoretical questions which are currently still debated in Pidgin and Creole studies, viz.: - it is not necessarily the language of the European colonial power which becomes the Pidginized language in a plantation situation; - although the evidenee from Fiji's Pidgins, whose lexicons are not derived from European languages, does not confirm current theories of Pidgin development, the apparent tendencies towards morpholo- gical simplification do confirm the theories of Pidgin structure; - caution seems to be necessary in ascribing certain features of Fiji's two Pidgins which these have in common with other Pidgins to universal tendencies as long as diffusion through contact cannot be excluded; - Siegel clearly shows that it is impossible to ascribe the origin of these languages to either 'Foreigner Talk' or 'Broken Language'; the evid- enee from the Fijian Pidgins strongly supports a compromise theory of Pidginization in which both Foreigner Talk and Broken Language play apart; - the Fijian evidenee furthermore lends support to the so-called tertiary hybridization theory, positing that contact between superstrate and substrate speakers will result in a 'jargon' (qualified by a number of salient though not consistently used conventions), but that stabiliza- tion will only occur when the jargon comes to be used in a multilingual contact situation; - finally, the sociolinguistic history of Fiji clearly shows that Pidgins may continue to exist for more than a century without developing into a Creole or even an expanded Pidgin. Siegel's study is not only relevant for Pidgin and Creole studies, however. It also presents detailed data on two koine which have deve- loped in Fiji, viz. Wai, which developed out of particular North Malaitan dialects spoken by plantation labourers from that area and their off- spring, and which is now subject to language attrition, and Fiji Hindu- stani, which developed among the Fijian Indians. In connection with this, Siegel makes some interesting observations on Koineization theory, about which he has published before. The admirable typography of Siegel's book and the many illustrations (maps, tables and pictures) match the transparency of his style. The only fiaw which can be pointed out is that the items included in the tables and the maps do not always completely correspond with the text of the book in terms of spelling and number. But this is a minor flaw: it nowhere detracts from the lucidity of Siegel's argurr.erüation.

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My conclusion is that the book constitutes compulsory reading for anyone interested in sociolinguistics, in the history of plantation so- cieties in general, or in Fijian history in particular.

L. E. Visser and C. L. Voorhoeve, Sahu-Indonesian-English Dictionary and Sahu Grammar Sketch, Verhandelingen van het KITLV 126, Dordrecht: Foris Publications, 1987, xiv+258 pp. H. STEINHAUER Since the relative boom in linguistic studies on the area in the 1890s and the first decades of this century, North and surrounding islands had sunk into scholarly oblivion for nearly 50 years. Only quite recently did the study of North Halmahera languages receive new im- pulses, mainly within the framework of the Dutch-Indonesian 'Halma- hera Research Project'. Visser's and Voorhoeve's Dictionary and Grammar is one of the results of this project. It is based on the Pa'disua dialect, which with its ± 4,000 speakers is the major Sahu dialect still extant today. However, the language is approaching extinction, since the younger generations are shifting to North Moluccan Malay and Indo- nesian, also in every-day communication. Only the generations of about 1945 and before speak Sahu as it is described by Visser and Voorhoeve. As the title reveals, the book contains a grammar and a dictionary. The grammar, although qualified as 'only a sketch', is in fact fairly elaborate. It discusses the setting, dialectal variation, phonology (in- cluding phonotactics), morphological processes, the various word classes (in separate chapters: verbs, nouns, pronouns, noun qualifiers, and quantifiers), and syntax. The exposition of all the facts is lucid and systematic, and honest where the data were insufficient to allow of any definite conclusions. The lucidity is not seriously hampered by the succinctness with which some phenomena are discussed. As regards the phonology and phonotactics, examples could have been given of clusters of identical vowels, whose existence is mentioned on p. 18; additionally, their realization could have been indicated vis-a- vis the sequence vowel + glottal stop + identical vowel, e.g. /ii/ [i:] vs. /i'i/ [i9i, ii]. The archiphonemical status of written i and u (after a vowel, but not preceding one, in which case the oppositions [i ~ y] and [u ~ w] are neutralized) requires the additional information that they do count as syllables in connection with the rule given on p. 19 for preferred stress patterns. On p. 17 it is said that in connected speech, word-final vowels may be dropped if the vowel in the preceding syllable is the same and unstressed. In the examples throughout the book and in the entries and sub-entries of the dictionary, forms with and without such an echo vowel are in-

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 607 cluded indiscriminately. The main entries TOGUM 'to stop' and OROMO 'to eat', for instance, list the derivatives DODOGUMU 'to finish' and SIOROM 'to feed'. The fact that no subtraction is mentioned in the chapter on morphophonological proce.sses and that 'addition . . . is restricted to prefixing' (p. 22), implies that the absence vs. presence of the echo vowel has no morphological function. However, examples such as orom si\ 'eat please' (pp. 27, 162) and ino orom 'come and eat' (p. 32) suggest that the absence of the echo vowel is an additional indication of the imperative. The data furthermore suggest that the echo vowel as a phoneme has a 'heavy' status: /la9oro/ [l'a9oro, l'a9or] 'to itch' vs. /la9oi7 [l'a9or] 'kind of sea worm'. It should be added that the dictionary also contains examples of echo vowels immediately after a stressed syllable, e.g. cum 'to prick, to point at', sijum 'to point at, to show', ma jujumu 'pointer' (which according to the stress rule given have root stress: [sij'um, juj'umu]). As regards the morphological processes, the two instances of modifi- cation of p to w (pa'dusu 'to call out in answer to someone yelling in the distance; to echo', wa'dusu 'to answer when called'; palene 'to climb (on, into)', walene 'waxing (moon)') could have been mentioned as excep- tions alongside the few instances of modification of t to 'd. Productive — and presumably productive - derivational processes are dealt with in detail in the chapters on the various word classes. The existence of an unproductive pattern such as tatangamo 'quarrelsome person' (from ngamo 'angry, to quarrel') is only apparent from the dictionary. On the whole, the grammatical description is fact-orientated. An exception is the morphophonological analysis of the transitive verb, in which distinctions for number are made systematically for the 2nd- person subject in all combinations with object markers, whereas these distinctions are never overtly marked; likewise, gender and number are systematically distinguished for third-person subjects, although these are formally differentiated only in a few combinations. This specific part of the description therefore seems to be rather inspired by those North Halmahera languages which have less syncretism in their verbal inflec- tion. The dictionary, which contains well over two thousand main entries, gives for each lexeme which is not followed by a cross-reference at least one Indonesian and one English translation. For about one third of the lexical items a North-Moluccan Malay form (marked M) is added to the Indonesian gloss. Thus the book becomes the most elaborate source, not only of Sahu, but also of this particular variety of Malay. A typical entry without further derivatives and examples is, for instance: TUU'U juling, M mata skeleng / cross-eyed'. Sometimes, the English translation is indispensable for disambiguating the Indonesian gloss, e.g. in the case of 'BALO ... 2. penyakit janda yang kawin kembali / illness of a widow inflicted on her by the spiteful spirit of her husband when she remarries'. Especially in the case of lexical items pertaining to culture-bound notions and objects, the English explanations tend to be more elaborate than the Indonesian (and North-Moluccan Malay) translations; com- pare, for instance: 'BABANGANA sisa hutan rimba di antara kebun- kebun / patch of primary forest left between gardens because it is the

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 608 Boekbesprekingen dweiling place of the spirits of the forest'; and 'BARU 1 baruk / fibrous, fungus-Iike black substance from under the fibres ... of the sugar palm. It is dried and used as tinder when making fire by rubbing a piece of glass or porcelain against the coarse surface of a piece of bamboo'. This encyclopedie kind of ethnographical information greatly adds to the value of the book. Incidentally, I have not found baruk in any of the current Indonesian/Malay dictionaries. In this connection it should be added that some of the Indonesian translations create the impression of being local (?) rather than Standard (e.g. menjatuh and mengeliling instead oijatuh 'to fall' and berkeliling 'to go round'). The dictionary section of the book concludes with two highly practical finder lists: English-Sahu and Indonesian-Sahu. To summarize, one may say that the book, being the result of the auspicious partnership of the anthropologist Visser and the linguist Voorhoeve, constitutes a welcome contribution to 'salvaging linguistics' as well as to 'salvaging anthropology'. My positive evaluation of the contents of the book is nevertheless tempered by its technical presenta- tion. The colourful and promising cover is by no means representative for the typographical quality and lay-out of the remainder. lts short- comings in this respect in fact limit the usefulness of the book. Judging by the numerous printing errors, they must have hampered the reading and correction of the proofs as well. In particular, the diacritic sign for stress on syllables appears to be absent where it should be indicated according to the formulation on p. 19. One must assume that technical limitations in producing such diacritic signs are the main cause of the striking inconsistency in their use. On the whole, the editorial motto seems to have been 'limitation and economy before quality', with as a conse- quence a systematic disregard for transparency of presentation of the data. The most irritating results of this disregard are, in the grammar chapters, the multifarious, inconsistent and sometimes even indistin- guishable transitions from word-for-word glosses of sample sentences to running translations of these; and, in the dictionary part, the maximal filling-up of lines and indiscriminate abbreviation and word division. Even Sahu words in examples and sub-entries are broken off, in spite of the fact that a hyphen between Sahu words is indicative of a new Sahu (sub-)entry, while within Sahu words it indicates a morpheme boundary. The Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology has established a high Standard of dictionary-making with its previous lexicographical publications. It is to be hoped that the Sahu dictionary does not usher in a new era of inferior standards. The Sahu community, the authors of the book, and, last but not least, its potential users deserve, and hence should have received, more consideration.

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H. A. J. Klooster, Indonesiërs schrijven hun geschiedenis: De ontwikkeling van de Indonesische geschiedbeoefening in theorie en praktijk, 1900-1980, Verhandelingen KITLV 113, Dordrecht/Cinnaminson: Foris Publications, 1985, Bibl., Index, 264 pp. TAUFIK ABDULLAH Indonesian Institute for Sciences

In spite of its rather pedantic title - what is so strange about Indonesians writing their history, anyway? - the book rightly points out that 'in the search for national identity the vision of the past plays an important role'. This is, of course, a common phenomenon in so-called Third World countries that have just liberated themselves from the colonial yoke. In Indonesia, as the book clearly suggests, the attempt to for- mulate a national vision of the past implies not only the decolonization of history but also the demystification of regional conceptions of history. The book is not the first study of the development of modern Indone- sian. historiography. It is, however, definitely the most comprehensive and exhaustive study to date. After deliberating on the role of history in the process of nation-formation and the search for a national identity, the book proceeds with a description of the early attempts of the nation- alists to write a general history of Indonesia. The first problem to be encountered here did not so much concern the historical validity of the chains of events as the proper attitude towards the past. It was in this period, for example, that Sukarno put forward his historical trilogy of 'the glorious past', 'the dark present' and 'the promising future'. In a similar ideological vein, though more academically oriented, Yamin proposed his nationalistic historical periodization - ranging from pre- historie time through the national and international periods to the age of the Proclamation. It is clear that for Yamin the Proclamation of Indone- sian Independence was the culmination of history. This renowned poet, lawyer and politician was also among the first historical thinkers to introducé the concept of the 'Indonesia-centric' approach to Indonesian history. Other nationalist historical theoreticians and practitioners came forward with other ideas on 'proper' historical attitudes and perspec- tives. This independent search culminated in the First Seminar on Na- tional History, held in Yogyakarta in 1957. But this search soon came to a rather abrupt end with the advance of the Guided Democracy regime. However, despite the predominantly revolutionary approach in the teaching of history that was nurtured by this regime, the trend towards academie historical writing also began to take shape in this period. This trend reached its maturity with the publication of Sartono Kartodirdjo's thesis on the 19th-century revolt in Banten (1966). In addition to describing the development of Indonesian historio- graphy and historical thinking, Mr. Klooster discusses the changing position of history in the primary and secondary school curriculums and the continuing debate on the periodization in Indonesian history. The author's decision to include historical novels and elementary school textbooks in his observations, while at the same time excluding contem- porary history written by political scientists, or 'classical' intellectual

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 610 Boekbesprekingen history written by philologists, is debatable, but his exclusive use of materials available at the KITLV Iibrary and his failure to ever set foot in Indonesia have certainly not been advantageous to his study. In the first place, the author is unable to see the reality behind the facade of the book-covers. Indonesians historians know only too well the difference between this facade and the reality behind it. Secondly, and more importantly, the author fails to properly delineate the continuing debate about history-writing and history-theorizing with the divergent 'history communities' which are based on certain notions of historical fairness. He also forgets to look at the continuing controversy about history- writing with the existing predominant, ideological orientation. Historiography is not simply a way of describing past events, but also a discourse. As such it signifies the sense of relevance and importance of social order. The failure to touch upon these critical aspects in the development of the modern historiography of Indonesia is, perhaps, due to the author's intellectual remoteness from the social realities of the people whose historical writings he is investigating. Consequently this book, exhaustive and important though it is, suffers from weakness of imagination and theoretical perception. If An Introduction to Indonesian Historiography (edited by Soedjat- moko et al., 1964) has given us an excellent exposé of theoretical and methodological problems in dealing with the history of Indonesia, the book reviewed here shows how much this has been realized in both theoretical and empirical studies by Indonesian historians. Therefore, despite the above reservations, the book is a real contribution to our knowledge of historiography in Third World countries.

Jan Breman, Control of Land and Labour in ColonialJava: A Case Study of Agrarian Crisis and Reform in the Region of Ceribon during the First Decades of the 20th Century, Ver- handelingen of the Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology, Leiden, No. 101, Dordrecht: Foris Publi- cations, 1983. xi + 159 pp. MAARTEN VAN DER WEE

This study, which is primarily based on archive documents, deals with a remarkable land reform programme implemented by the Dutch colonial regime in the eastern part of the Ceribon Residency during the late 19 lOs and early 1920s. The reform's guiding principle was rehabilitation of the peasant economy in what was defined as a 'problem area'. This was to be achieved by abolishing periodical redistributions of shares in communal land; by fixing a land floor and compelling submarginal

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 611 cultivators to hand over their property rights to more deserving neigh- bours; by redeeming the debts of insolvent peasants; by restricting the scope for land-lease and credit arrangements with non-peasant entre- preneurs; and so on. These policies represented a concentrated effort to end the cumu- lative pauperization of the peasantry, a trend that had been amply demonstrated in official reports dating from the early 20th century. As Breman convincingly shows, the underdevelopment of the peasant economy harked back to the beginning of the preceding century, when the colonial state introduced the forced cultivation of export crops on the paddy fields of the village population. In order to maximize the number of families liable to corvée labour, the communalization of land owner- ship had been dictated by the authorities. Although this colonial innova- tion by no means succeeded in bringing about a radical levelling of village society, it did achieve a substantial extension of the group of co-owners. The success of the system of 'coerced cash erop production' (as Immanuel Wallerstein might define it) was heavily dependent upon the disciplinary role of local headmen, who, as junior partners in exploi- tation, enjoyed generous remunerations in the form of commissions, extensive shares of fields out of the village acreage, and free labour. All this led to an increasing pressure on the agrarian subsistenee resources and the working-power of the peasantry. In the course of the 19th and in the early 2Oth century, when coerced cash erop cultivation under government control slowly gave way to the 'free' labour regime of private capital, the deterioration of the peasant economy accelerated. Rapid population growth resulted in a progressive fragmentation of peasant holdings, over against which the desa elite managed to consolidate its land control. The tightening of the land-tax screw and the conversion of labour levies into monetized dues on the one hand, and the pressure emanating from an unholy alliance of sugar-mill owners, local officials and desa notables on the other, forced the peasants to surrender a large proportion of their sawah to the thriving agribusiness in exchange for a paltry money-rent. Many cultivators became indebted to 'desa capitalists' or middlemen and were subse- quently compelled to surrender parts of their harvests to them in ad- vance, if not to give them the actual control of their remaining fields. The ranks of the (quasi-)landless, who chiefly sold their labour power to the sugar barons against ever-declining wages, swelled. The colonial regime's strategy of 'betting on the strong' among the Ceribon peasantry was hardly an adequate answer to the mounting problems of pauperization and proletarianization. It only aggravated the conditions of the rural majority by pushing dispossessed peasants onto an already glutted labour market. Moreover, its primary objective - the creation of a viable, independent and politically docile middle class—was never achieved, 'because of the priority given to sugar interests and of the leniency shown to the desa capitalists'. The acreage rented out to sugar estates increased even further, while the proprietary control of local elites, whose chief economie orientation was of a purely rentier kind, remained unimpaired. Population growth and the subdivision of family plots counteracted any tendency toward consolidation of com-

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access 612 Boekbesprekingen munal shares which the land reform should have stimulated. During the Depression of the 1930s, when the sugar estates cancelled land-leasing contracts on a large scale and severely restricted employment opportuni- ties, the rural majority fared even wórse. Indissolubly enchained to factor and product markets, it had to cope with falling rice prices and income from land rental and wage-labour, while its expenditures did not shrink proportionally, or even rose (taxes and rates). This budget crisis, exacerbated by erop failures, drove the peasant once more into the arms of indigenous or Chinese money-lenders cum land-leasers, who skilfully evaded the administrative obstacles in their way. Some contemporary observers also noted a marked decline in cooperative and solidary arrangements between rich and poor in village society during this period. Breman has presented more than 'just' an admirable case-study of rural underdevelopment and abortive land reform. He demonstrates that he is eminently capable of extracting information from long-ignored documents by means of theoretically informed questions and is acutely aware of the wider sociological and political implications of his findings. Readers interested in debates on agrarian involution, peasant differen- tiation and the limits of agrarian policy implementation will find con- siderable food for thought here. Although seriously querying many facets of the Geertzian thesis, Breman firmly keeps his distance from those critics who, conversely, claim that a process of capitalist differen- tiation had already manifested itself in the womb of colonial village society. In fact, he is more of an 'anti-anti-involutionist', to paraphrase Joel Kahn - and rightly so. The final chapter puts the rise and fall of the Ceribon experiment into the context of the continuing dispute between the champions of peasant capitalism and the advocates of a more po- pulist development strategy within the colonial establishment. Breman ends by suggesting, somewhat prematurely I feel, that 'peripheral capi- talism' has ultimately established itself in the Javanese countryside under the tutelage of the Suharto regime, which cherishes its own authoritarian version of the 'betting on the strong' approach. Breman defends his main theses successfully, and, by strongly fo- cusing on the role of village elites and the hardly collusive liaison between sugar interests and Dutch officials, he illuminates a power constellation whose existence has often been assumed rather than de- monstrated. There are some minor drawbacks to this study. In the introductory section Breman stresses the relevance of the concept of a colonial mode of production in the context of 19th-century Java. I have some serious doubts about the author's view on that score: in my opinion, the combination and asymmetrical interdependence of petty subsistence agriculture on the one hand, and sugar cultivation and processing on the other, represent an almost classical instance of articu- lation of modes of production. In fact, he does not really try to demon- strate the usefulness of this elusive notion in his analyses, or, for that matter, of. the concept of peripheral capitalism. At the very end of his discourse Breman advocates a radical development strategy, based on some form of collective land ownership and production. In this decade of 'diminishing expectations', disillusionment with socialist projects tout court, and utilitarian 'social engineering' (at least on our side of the

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access Boekbesprekingen 613 globe), such a stand deserves more space and elaboration. In addition, there are some unnecessary repetitiöns in the text that tend to slow down the argument. Finally, the very heterogeneous nature of the last chapter reveals a less than adequate organization of points. Each is well-taken, but in some instances it would have been better if they had been developed earlier in this excellent study.

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OTHER PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED Barnard, Alan, and Anthony Good, 1985, Research Practices in the Study ofKinship, London: Academie Press Inc. Ltd. The Brunei Museum Journal, Vol. 6 No. 1, Brunei: The Brunei Museum, 1985. The section on History and Ethnography comprises the following con- tributions: 'Notes on Bornean Camphor Imported into China', by Han Wai Toon. 'Myth and Legend in Brunei History', by Robert Nicholl. The Prahus of the Sulu Zone', by Jim Warren. 'Aganduru Moriz' Account of the Magellan Expedition at Brunei', by John S. Carrol. 'Brunei, and the Kota Batu Lands (1903-1917)', by A. V. M. Horton. 'Kalupis: A Delicacy of Brunei', by Allen R. Maxwell. 'The Craft of the Silversmith in Brunei', by Pg. Hj. Ismail bin Pg. Ibrahim. 'Omen Birds: Their Influence on the Life of the Dusuns, with Special Reference to the Merimbun Dusuns', by Bantong bin Antaran. There is also a review by Robert Nicholl of Jim Ave, Victor King and Joke de Witt, West Kalimantan: A Bibliography, Dordrecht: Foris Publications. Charras, Muriel, 1982, 'De la forêt maléfique a 1'herbe divine; La trans- migration en Indonesië: Les Balinais a Sulawesi', in: Etudes Insul- indiennes I Archipel 5, Paris: Association Archipel. Crosby, Alfred W., 1986, Ecological Imperialism. The Biological Ex- pansionofEurope, 900-1900, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Douglas, Mary (ed.), 1987, Constructive Drinking; Perspectives on Drink from Anthropology, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Dundes, A., L. Honko, M. Kuusi, and A. B. Rooth, 1986, Estnische Tiermarchen; Typen- und Variantverzeichnis, Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, FF Communications No. 237. Gellner, Ernest, 1987, Culture, Identity and Politics, Cambridge: Cam- bridge University Press Goody, Jack, 1987, The Interface between the Written and the Oral, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Holland, Dorothy, and Naomi Quinn, 1987, Cultural Models in Lan- guage and Thought, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Islam, Sirajul, 1985, Bengal Land Tenure; The Origin and Growth of Inlermediate Interest in the 19th Century, Rotterdam: CASP. Jongeneel, J. A. B., and Eeuwout Klootwijk, 1986, Faculteiten der Godgeleerdheid, Theologische Hogescholen en de Derde Wereld, Lei- den/Utrecht: Interuniversitair Instituut voor Missiologie en Oecume- nica, IIMO Research Pamphlet No. 18.

Molenaar, H. A., z.j., 1985, Odinns Gift; Betekenis en werking van de Skandinavische mythologie, Meppel: Krips Repro.

Olson, David R., Nancy Torrance, and Angela Hildyard (eds), 1985, Literacy, Language and Learning. The Nature and Consequences of Reading and Writing, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Rubenstein, C, 1985, The Honey Tree Song. Poems and Chants of Sarawak Dayaks, Ohio: Ohio University Press. Savage, Victor R., 1984, Western Impressions of Nature'and Landscape in Southeast Asia, Singapore: Singapore University Press. Schulte Nordholt, H., 1986, Bali: Colonial Conceptions and Political Change 1700-1940, from Shifting Hierarchies to 'Fixed Order', Rotter- dam: CASP. Schulte Nordholt, N. G., 1987, State-Citizen Relations in Suharto's Indonesia: Kawula-Gusti, Rotterdam: CASP. Smet, P. A. G. M. de, 1985, Ritual Enemas and Snuffs in the Americas, Dordrecht: Foris Publications. Tuinder, N. den, 1985, Bevolkingsgroei in koloniaal Noord-India 1881- 1941; Een poging tot een 'labour demand' interpretatie, Rotterdam: CASP.

Weinstein, Neil D., 1987, Taking Care; Understandingand Encouraging Self-Protective Behavior, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Wildhaber, R., 1985, Der Altersvers des Wechselbalges und die übrigen Altersverse, Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, FF Communica- tions No. 235. Wylie, Jonathan, 1987, The Faroe Islands; Interpretations of History, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky.

Downloaded from Brill.com10/11/2021 09:22:42AM via free access KONINKLIJK INSTITUUT VOOR TAAL-, LAND- EN VOLKENKUNDE RECENT PUBLICATIONS: Indonesische Herdrukken BABAD TANAH DJAWI De prozaversie van Ngabéhi Kertapradja voor het eerst uitgegeven door J. J. Meinsma en getranscribeerd door W. L. Olthof Tweede herziene druk verzorgd en ingeleid door J. J. Ras 1987, X + 362 pp ISBN 90.6765.219.9 ƒ 60.— Members' price ƒ 36.— BABAD TANAH DJAWI Javaanse Rijkskroniek W. L. Olthofs vertaling van de prozaversie van J. J. Meinsma lopende tot het jaar 1721 Tweede herziene druk verzorgd en ingeleid door J. J. Ras 1987, LXV + 416 pp ISBN 90.6765.218.0 ƒ80.— Members' price '....ƒ 48.— The Babad Tanah Djawi contains the history of the Javanese realm of Mataram (1578-1677) and its successor, Kartasura (1677-1721). It is an extremely valuable source for the history and the historical view of these Javanese court centres. This photo- graphic reproduction of the transliteration and translation by W. L. Olthof of 1941 is provided with references in the margin to corresponding passages in the 'Major Babad' of 1836 for the benefit of future philological research. The relation of this text to the 'Major Babad', as well as its structure, history and function are discussed in a lengthy introduction by J. J. Ras, professor of Javanese at the University of Leiden. The volume further includes several maps and illustrations, and the Index by A. Teeuw (1941). KARTINI BRIEVEN AAN MEVROUW R. M. ABENDANON-MANDRI en haar echtgenoot met andere documenten Bezorgd door F. G. P. Jaquet Kartini (1879-1904) became famous as a champion of the emancipation of women in Indonesia after the posthumous publication of a selection of her letters to various persons by J. H. Abendanon under the title Door duisternis tot licht in 1911. In the present volume the letters written by Kartini to her chief confidant in the Netherlands, Ms. Abendanon-Mandri, which were recently donated to the Royal Institute of Lin- guistics and Anthropology, are printed in full. Of the 108 letters and postcards presented here, only 53 were previously published by Abendanon, and then mostly only in part. The book further contains 42 letters by others, most of them by Kartini's sister Roekmini. The whole collection sheds light more especially on the day-to-day life of Kartini and her family. The publication will make a number of corrections of and additions to the existing literature on Kartini necessary. 1987, XXV + 313 pp ISBN 90.6765.225.3 ƒ 35.— Members' price ƒ 21.— Caribbean Series 7 INGRID KOULEN and GERT OOSTINDIE with PETER VERTON and ROSEMARIJN HOEFTE THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES AND ARUBA: A RESEARCH GUIDE The two tiny Caribbean States of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba form a highly interesting subject for social science research, characterized as they are by dependence, minuteness and heterogeneity. This book attemps to survey past and stimulate future relevant research. After an introduction to the islands and a survey of the present state of research and of existing research centres, there follows an extensive biblio- graphical essay. In the final chapter recommendations for future research are made. A list of 550 titles completes the book. The two main authors at the time of writing were affiliated with the KITLV's Caribbean Department. 1987, VIII + 164 pp. .... ISBN 90.6765.231.8 ƒ25.— Members' price ƒ 15.—

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