Old Papuan Manuscripts: a General Review

Old Papuan manuscripts: A general review

T. Pudjiastuti Department of Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia

ABSTRACT: Papua is one of the easternmost regions of the Republic of Indonesia. Islamic culture started to invade Papua in the 17th century through three pathways, namely the Sultanate of Tidore, Seram, and Raja Ampat. Written culture in Papua began since then. Thus, traces of the Islamic culture in the form of handwritten old manuscripts can be found in West Papua and the Raja Empat Islands. The major challenge is to find the exact number of such manuscripts and the genre of the texts. The objective of this research was to record, preserve, and inform about the existence of the texts and to explore about the content. The characteristic of the research is codicology with the manuscript as the object. Previous research has recorded and digitalized manuscripts and the properties of the aforementioned three cultures. It is known from the perspective of the context of the texts that the majority of the Papuan manuscripts contain Islamic teachings. The materials used are European paper and local paper called koba-koba leaves. The letters commonly found in the manuscripts are Arabic, Lontara, and Jawi in Arabic, Makassar, and Malay languages.

1 INTRODUCTION

Hand-written old manuscripts are a type of heritage that the Indonesian ancestors have passed on to the future. As a cultural property, old manuscripts are artifacts that explicitly present some inscriptions. According to Molen (1985), scripts play a very important role in the history of mankind, our daily life, science and knowledge, power, politics, and so on. Civilizations without and with inscription basically differ. From the perspective of cultural heritage, ancient manuscripts are authentic evidence of the advancement of a certain com- munity. Papua is one of the ethnic groups in Indonesia with a cultural heritage in the form of inscription. This is not surprising because there is evidence that Papua has had a written culture since the arrival of Islam in the 17th century. On the basis on this matter, the research questions are: (1) where are the Papuan manuscripts located today? (2) how many are there? and (3) what is the genre of the texts? The main objective of this study was to inform the society that the Papuan people have long been familiar with written culture, proven by their manuscripts. The other purpose was to preserve the heritage of the Papuan people from being extinct (due to damage) or sold. Furthermore, this study holds scientific interest of informing the manuscript data to scientists, which facilitate their studies based on each knowledge field. This research is codicological with the manuscripts as the object of study. Therefore, all Papuan manuscripts involved in this research have been studied using the codicology approach. Every manuscript has been described and studied, and a detailed note has been taken, includ- ing its cover, size, genre, illumination (if available), and other aspects. Then, every page of the manuscripts is digitized (their picture is taken) to be kept in manuscript CDs.

2 PAPUAN ISLAMIZATION

According to Muridan (2013), Islam came to Papua during the expansion of the Sultanate of Tidore under the leadership of Sultan Nuku. However, according to some sources in Papua,

497 Islam came through other ways too, such as Seram, Banda, and the Hadramaut (the Arab peninsula). Islamic leaders and petuanan (kings) in Papua contend that Islam spread along the coastal areas from Sorong and Fak-Fak. With regard to the issues of Islamization in Papua, the following three things need to be explained: (1) the issue of the figures who brought Islam to Papua; (2) the route that Islam had taken to enter Papua; and (3) the heritage of Islam in Papua. The figures responsible for bringing and spreading Islam in Papua can be divided into two groups. The first group includes those believed to have a line of descent to the Prophet Muhammad SAW, known as the sayyid. The second group includes those of Arab descent, known as the shaykh. During the Islamic proselytism period, both the sayyid and the syakh married the locals and reproduced Arab-Papua and Arab-Malay descendants. The descendants of the Islamic proselytism in Papua are recognized by their surnames, namely Al-Hamid, Al-Katiri, Assegaf, Said bin Agil, Bafadal, and Kabiran. Islam is believed to have entered Papua through three routes, namely the Sultanate of Tidore, Raja Ampat, and the Archipelago of Seram-Banda. 1. The Tidore Route. From the stories told by their ancestors, Papuans believe that the Sul- tanate of Tidore had been present in Papua long before the arrival of colonists and the Christian missionaries in the hinterland of Papua. In fact, the Christian missionaries came into Papua escorted by some people from the network of Tidore Sultanate. Accord- ing to Andaya (1993), the Papuans associated the Tidore Sultanate with Islam. This was illustrated through an event in 1705 when the Jogugu (Prime Minister), the sea captain Salawati, and Waigeo of the Raja Empat Islands received the Sultan of Tidore’s envoys. Everyone present in the event said “Amen” when the Sultan of Tidore’s envoy finished reading the Sultan’s letter. In other words, Papuans respected the Sultan of Tidore similarly to Allah, despite the fact that only his letter was present. 2. The Raja Ampat Route. According to experts, the Archipelago of Raja Ampat was ruled by four kings (petuanan), namely King Salawati, King Waigeo, King Misool, and King Waigama. According to some resources from Raja Ampat, Islam arrived in Papua through Salawati, brought into, and proselytized by Islamic proselytizers from Hadramaut who came for the purposes of trading, seeking better sources of livelihood, or avoiding the social and political dynamics in their homeland. 3. The Seram-Banda Route. According to most of the resource persons from Sorong and Fak-Fak, Islam entered Papua through people from Seram-Banda, who came to Papua and settled there, and spread along the coastal areas, such as Sorong, Fak-Fak, and the Raja Empat Islands. While spreading Islam, some of them married the locals, eventually reproducing descendants of mixed origins of Maluku–Papua.

3 RESEARCH RESULTS

Find traces of the Islamic culture that had been recorded in the written tradition of Papua is a challenging task due to the following reasons: 1. The absence of figures who still recognize and keep the written tradition of their ancestors. 2. The influence of the social and political dynamics of the colonial era that has made the owners of the manuscripts unwilling to surrender their collection of manuscripts to strangers. 3. The confines of customs and fear and assumptions that the old manuscripts that they have are “sacred heritage” that is not to be read by ordinary people or is not to be taken out from its storage anytime. Fortunately, in some enclaves assumed to have been strongly associated with the history of Islam in the Land of Papua, resource persons could still be found, willing to provide information regarding the legacy of the written tradition of Papua. As a result, a number of

498 ancient Papuan manuscripts and historical objects that have been stored by people have been successfully recorded. A total of 89 old manuscripts and three historical objects have been recovered through research conducted in 2013 and 2014 in Sorong, Fak-Fak, Kokas, Misol, Waisai, Salawati, Patipi, and Patimburak. The three objects are one dagger with an inscription in Arabic written in gold ink, one piece of talisman flag with an Arabic inscription on it, and one ceramic plate with Arabic scripts. The manuscripts and historical objects are held by 23 manuscript owners. The following are brief information about the 89 old manuscripts and the three historical objects, their owners, and the number of manuscripts in their collection. The 89 old Papuan manuscripts recovered were written in Arabic, Jawi (Arab-Malay), and Lontara (Bugis-Makassar script) scripts using the languages of Arabic, Malay, and Bugis-Makassar. The material used to write the text varies, namely European paper (Churchill, 1935; Heawood, 1950), lined paper, plain paper, dluwang or Javanese paper (Pudjiastuti, 1997), and the material used for writing the traditional Papuan manuscript is called koba-koba leaves. Koba-koba leaves are obtained from red fruit trees (Latin: Pandanus Conoideus). The tree is of the family pandanus (Latin: Pandanaceae), which usually grows in huddle in Papua. It can grow up to 3 m. The following is the information about how the koba-koba leaves are utilized as a surface to write: the leaves are cut into the desired size and dried in sunlight. Then, they are flattened and the surface is smoothened with kuwuk (sea snail shell). Finally, they are used as a surface to write a text or manuscript. The Papuan texts consist of several genres, namely a history of some figures, prayers, language grammar, medicines, genealogy, tales, literature, legal treaties, and Islamic teachings, such as prayers, tauhid, zikir (dhikr), and the Koran. The following are the information about the owners and the number of manuscripts and historical objects: 1. Abdurrahman Kastella Abdurrahman Kastella from Ambon is the owner of Papuan manuscripts who lives in Sorong, Papua, for several decades. As a mosque imam, he has stored 10 old manuscripts that he inherited from his late grandfather. These manuscripts are mostly handwritten and partly in the form of lithographs (stone prints), which include Risalah Hukum Jimak (Jimak Legal Treaties), Kitab Mujarobat (The Book of Useful Medicines), Kisah Nabi Muhammad SAW (Tales of the Prophet Muhammad SAW), Doa Tawasul (Tawasul Prayers), Zikir (Dhikr), Kitab Nikah (the Book of Marriage), Maulud, and Kumpulan Doa (collection of Prayers). 2. Jafar Bugis Jafar Bugis is a Bugis-Makassar descent who lives in Sorong, Papua. In addition to his posi- tion as a mosque imam, he is a trader. He has three old manuscripts, two of which were written in Arabic and Lontara scripts and Arabic and Bugis-Makassar languages, respectively, and the third manuscript was written using three scripts, namely Arabic, Lontara, and Jawi in Arabic, Bugis-Makassar, and Malay languages. They are Kitab Bagan Zikir (Dhikr Chart Book), Kitab Zikir (the Book of Dhikr and Prayer), and Kitab Kumpulan Doa (the book of collection of prayers). 3. Iman Latuconsina Iman Latuconsina is a Papuan of Ambonese descent. He has lived in Sorong, Papua, for a long time. As a mosque imam, he only has one old manuscript in the form of a horizontal roll (rotulus), whose content is about Khutbah Jum’at (Friday sermons). 4. Muhammad Bafadal Muhammad Bafadal is a Papuan of Arab descent. His great grandfather came to Papua from Hadramaut in the 17th century to proselytize Islamic religion and conduct trading simultaneously. As the imam of the mosque in Doom Island, he has only two old handwritten manuscripts in Arabic script and Arabic language. They are Kitab Tasawuf (the Book of Tasawuf) and Kitab Masalah Agama Islam (the Book of Islamic Religion Issues).

499 5. Ma’bud Wadjo Ma’bud Wadjo is of Makassar origin who moved to Sorong, Papua, and has seven old manuscripts, which he borrowed from his uncle. They are Khatmal al Kajah, Maulid Barzanji, Wirid, Tashrifan (Arabic grammar), Rahasia Shalat (the Secrets of Shalat), Ibadah (Wor- ship), and Doa (Prayer). 6. Dra. Nursia Salim, S. H. Nursia Salim is a judge at the religious court of the city of Sorong. She has one manuscript that she borrowed from her late uncle, which is Doa dan Zikir (Prayer and Dhikr). 7. Hajj Abdurrahman al-Hamid (“Mister Teacher”) Abdurahaman al-Hamid, a Papuan of Arab descent, is from the Island of Misool at the Raja Empat Islands who lives in Sorong. In addition to his role as the mosque Imam, he is an English teacher and hence known as “Tuan Guru” (Mister Teacher). He borrowed the ancient handwritten manuscripts from his family living in the Island of Misool. He has five manuscripts in total, which are Kitab Ajaran Islam (the Book of Islamic Teachings), Ilmu Siri dan Doa (the Science of Siri and Prayer), Doa dan Maulid (Prayer and Maulid), Wirid Abdullah Asy Syatari (the Wird of Abdullah Asy Syatari), and Catatan Kepemilikan (Notes on Ownership). 8. Mohammad Nasib Baria Mohammad Nasib Baria is a Papuan of Ambonese descent who lives in Sorong. He borrowed the following five manuscripts from his family: Doa Kanz al-‘Arsy (Prayer of Kanz al-‘Arsy), Kumpulan Doa (Collection of Prayer), Kumpulan Doa Mustajab (Effective Prayers), Doa Istigfar Rajab (Rajab Istighfar Prayer), and Doa (Prayer). 9. Haji Azis Haji Aziz is a Papuan of Bugis descent who lives in Sorong. He has three manuscripts written in Arabic, Jawi, and Lontara alphabets in Arabic, Malay, and Bugis-Makasar languages, namely Kitab Pengetahuan Agama (Religious Knowledge Book), Kitab Ahlak (Book on Morality), and Kumpulan Doa (Prayer Collection). 10. Thalib Salim Thalib Salim is Nursia Salim’s younger brother who lives in Sorong. Thalib Salim is the Chairman of the MUI (Council of Indonesian Ulema) of Sorong branch. The three manuscripts that he has are his family’s property. They are Kumpulan Doa (Prayer Collection), Bagan Shalat dan Doa (Chart of Shalat and Prayer), and Tahlil. 11. Ahmad Iba bin Ismail Iba Ahmad Iba bin Ismail Iba is an indigenous Papuan. He is a petuanan (raja) of the Island of Patipi at the Raja Empat Islands. Despite being the King of Patipi, he resides in Sorong. The ancient manuscripts in his collection are borrowed from his father and there are 11 of them, namely Juz ‘Amma, six Quran, Khutbah Idul Adha (Eid al-Adha Sermon), Akidah dan Kutbah Idul Adha (Faith and Eid al-Adha Sermon), Zikir (Dhikr), and Doa (Prayers). 12. Ali Iha Ali Iha is of the Mollucan-Papuan descent who lives in Fak-Fak. He borrowed four manuscripts from his family. They are Doa (Prayer), Maulid (Maulid), Keutamaan Doa (the Virtue of Prayer), and Kumpulan Doa (Prayer Collection). 13. Abdillah At-Tamimi Abdillah At-Tamimi is a Papuan who is a descendant of the Arab syaikh. He currently lives in Fak-Fak as a trader as well as a religious teacher. The four manuscripts that he has are borrowed from his ancestors. They are: Silsilah dan Doa (Genealogy and Prayer), Kumpulan Doa (Prayer Collection), Kitab Fikih: Tata Cara Memandikan Mayat (the Book of Fiqh: Procedures of Bathing Corpses), and Doa Haykal (Haykal Prayers). 14. Mohammad Taher Arfan Mohammad Taher Arfan is not an indigenous Papuan. His ancestors moved from Tidore to the Doom Island. He has one manuscript, whose condition is very bad. The paper has been consumed by the ink, making it difficult to read. The sheets have stuck between one and another so much that they can no longer be released. The title of the manuscript is Catatan Desa Salawati dan Doa (Notes on Salawati Village and Prayer). In addition, he also has one

500 piece of a talisman flag with the Arabic script in Arabic language written on it. Furthermore, he has one dagger on which the Arabic script in Arabic language was written in gold ink. 15. Ali Umbalat Ali Umbalat is an indigenous Papuan from Misool Island at the Raja Empat Islands, who now lives in Sorong. He obtained two manuscripts from his family, namely Kitab Hidayah As-Salikin and Kumpulan Hikayat Nabi (Collections of Prophet’s Tales). 16. Husen Umbalat Husen Umbalat is Ali Umbalat’s younger brother. He lives in Misool Island at the Raja Empat Islands. His collection of eight old manuscripts is borrowed from his family, namely: Kumpulan Masalah Agama (A Collection of Religious Issues), Kutbah Id, Kutbah Jumat (Eid Sermons, Friday Sermons), and five manuscripts concerning Kutbah Idul Fitri (Eid Al-Fitr Sermons). 17. Musa bin H. Husen Salim Musa bin Haji Husen Salim lives in Saonek Island, the capital of the Raja Empat Islands. He is an indigenous Papuan, and the son of Saonek’s mosque Imam, Husen Salim. The manuscript that he has is the only manuscript that could be saved from the “manuscript burial” event conducted by the local people of Saonek due to fear of keeping manuscripts that are considered hieratic. The title of the manuscript is Kumpulan Doa Tarawih (A Collection of Tarawih Prayer). 18. Jaelani Kuda Jaelani Kuda is of a mixed Arab–Papua descent. He currently lives in Patimburak and Kokas in Fak-Fak district. His family is the traditional guardian and Imam of the Patimburak mosque that is located in Kokas district. The old manuscripts in his collection are borrowed from his family. Apart from the manuscripts, he keeps an old ceramic plate decorated with Arabic inscription in Arabic language. He actually has many manuscripts, but most of them are in bad condition, and only six of them are still readable, namely Khifayatul Quran, Adabul Quran, Tauhid, Akidah, Shalawat, and Nazam Barzanji. 19. Iksan Kuda Iksan Kuda is the elder brother of Jaelani Kuda who also lives in Kokas district. He has only one old manuscript, namely al Quran (the Koran). 20. Muhammad Ali Fuad Muhammad Ali Fuad is of Arab–Papua descent and lives in Kokas district. As the imam of Kokas mosque, he has four old manuscripts, namely Irsyadul Iman, Hikayat Nur Muhammad (Tales of Nur Muhammad), and Kitab Mikraj Nabi (the Book of the Prophet’s Ascension). 21. Ibrahim Sagara Ibrahim Sagara is of Arab–Papua descent. He lives in Patipi Island at the Raja Empat Islands. As the imam of the mosque in Patipi Island, he has four manuscripts of lithographed (stone print) Koran. 22. Saleh Barweri Saleh Barweri is of Arab–Papua descent. He lives in Kokas district. He has only one manuscript entitled Hikayat Nabi Bercukur (Tales of How the Prophet Shaved).

4 CONCLUSION

On the basis of the above description, it can be concluded that the people of Papua have been advanced and more civilized and had possessed a written culture long before the invasion of colonialists. From the perspective of resource persons and the heritage of Islamic culture in the form of old manuscripts and historical objects found in Sorong, Fak-Fak, and the Raja Ampat Islands, we can conclude that the majority of the Papuan manuscripts are concerned with Islamic issues. According to Andaya, the Papuan people associated the Sultanate of Tidore with Islam and hence they responded by saying “Amin” when the letter of the Sultan of Tidore was read

501 to the public in the 1705 event. Apparently, the expression “Amin”, which was uttered by the Jogugu, the sea captain of Waigeo, and Salawati at that time, was not aimed at respecting the Sultan of Tidore similarly to the uttering of the name of Allah in the Koran; however, it was most probably because of the fact that the final part of the letter was a prayer. From the perspective of the script and language used in the old manuscripts that were written in Arabic, Jawi, and Lontara scripts in Arabic, Bugis-Makassar, and Malay languages, it can be estimated that the Islamic culture invaded Papua not merely because of the expansion of the Sultanate of Tidore, Ambon, and Seram, but also because of the expansion of Bugis- Makassar. The names of the manuscript owners, such as At Tamimi, Bafadlal, and others, show that they are the descendants of the sayyid or syaikh from the past who came to Papua to spread Islam. The author believes that this study will be critical for scientists interested in conducting research in eastern Indonesia, especially for those who want to know about the history, culture, and the characteristics of the Papuan society in the past. Furthermore, this study will help complete the mapping of the Nusantara manuscripts throughout Indonesia.

REFERENCES

Andaya, L.Y. (1993) The World of Maluku: Eastern Indonesia in the Early Modern Period. Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press. Churchill, W.A. (1935) Watermarks in Paper in Holland, England, France, etc. in the XVII Centuries and Their Interconnection. Amsterdam, Menno Hertzberger. Heawood, E. (1950) Watermarks: Mainly of the 17Th and 18th Centuries. Hilversum, The Paper Publi- cations Society. Muridan, W. (2013) Pemberontakan Nuku: Persekutuan Lintas Budaya di Maluku—Papua sekitar 1780– 1810 (Nuku Rebellion: Cross Cultural Fellowship in Maluku-Papua around 1780–1810). Jakarta, Komunitas Bambu. Pudjiastuti, T. (2006) Kertas Tradisional (Traditional Papers). In: Pudjiastuti, T. & Kartika, G.D. Naskah dan Studi Naskah (Manuscript and Manuscript Studies). Bogor, Academia. van der Molen, W. (1985) Sejarah Perkembangan Aksara Jawa in Aksara dan Ramalan Nasib dalam Kebudayaan Jawa (History of the Development of Javanese Script in Javanese Literature and Proph- ecy). Translated by Soedarsono, Retna Astuti and I. W. Pantja Sunjata. Yogyakarta, Proyek Peneli- tian dan Pengkajian Kebudayaan Nusantara (Javanologi) Direktorat Jendral dan Kebudayaan.

502