Overcoming Adversity and Challenging Ethnocentric Perceptions: An Ethnographic Case Study of Traditional Malay Boat Making in Terengganu
Main Article Content
Abstract
This article examines the fate of Malay traditional boats and their craftsmen in the face of adversity in the new millennium. The Malays have a rich history of boatmaking, dating back to the days of the imperial Han dynasty when Malay, Indonesian and Indian ships dominated the trade between India and China. Among these were the Malay ships, which were recognised as enormous, ocean-going boats that won the Chinese adoration. During the Han period, Chinese warships adopted the ingenious sail-making method of Malay seafarers. However, as time passed and technology took hold, Malay boat building, like many other forms of traditional knowledge and expertise, declined. According to this study, Malay boat making represents a rich storehouse of unique Malay cultural practises. Paradoxically, existing scholarship on the subject often adopts a Westerncentric ethnocentric perspective, marginalising the craft and its craftsmen while imposing foreign worldviews upon them. This unintentional epistemological adversity, to some extent, poses a significant threat to the preservation of this endangered local Malay craft and the invaluable cultural heritage it represents. Through an ethnographic case study, this research aims to challenge ethnocentric perceptions, particularly Western by examining the construction techniques, cultural perspectives and unique elements of traditional Malay boat making in Terengganu. By comprehending and documenting this invaluable cultural heritage amid adversity, we contribute to the preservation and appreciation of Malay craftsmanship and indigenous knowledge.
Article Details
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Abdul Mutalib Embong, Juhari Sham Jusoh, Juliani Hussein and Razita Mohammad. 2016. Tracing the Malays in the Malay land. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 219: 235−240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.011
Booth, K. 2014. Strategy and ethnocentrism (Routledge revivals). Oxon/New York: Routledge.
Buchanan, I. 2018. A dictionary of critical theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780198794790.001.0001
Coatalen, P.J. 1982. The decorated boats of Kelantan: An essay on symbolism. Pulau Pinang, Malaysia: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia for School of Social Sciences.
Creswell, J.W. 2021. Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Hawkins, J.M. 2014. Kamus dwibahasa Oxford Fajar: Bahasa Inggeris-bahasa Malaysia, bahasa Malaysia-bahasa Inggeris. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford Fajar Sdn. Bhd.
Ismail Ali. 2009. The culture of outrigger boat in the Malay Archipelago: A maritime perspective. TAWARIKH 1(1): 57–70.
Md Salleh Yaapar. 2019. Malay navigation and maritime trade: A journey through anthropology and history. IIUM Journal of Religion and Civilisational Studies 2(1): 73−81.
Mohd Rohaizat Abdul Wahab and Zuliskandar Ramli. 2020. The Malay traditional boat: Defending Malay heritage objects in Kelantan, east coast of the Malaysian Peninsula. Journal of Maritime Archaeology 15(1): 57−68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-019-09247-8
Mohd Rohaizat Abdul Wahab, Zuliskandar Ramli, Nurul Norain Akhemal Ismail, Nuratikah Abu Bakar and Wan Nor Shamimi Wan Azhar. 2018. Symbolism in traditional Malay boat crafting in the East Coast. Planning Malaysia Journal 16(1). https://doi.org/10.21837/pmjournal.v16.i5.432
Mohd Rohaizat Abdul Wahab, Zuliskandar Ramli, Ros Mahwati Ahmad Zakaria and Mohammad Anis Abdul Samad. 2017. Analysis decorating design on “Perahu buatan Barat”, the Malay traditional boat by using frieze pattern. In AIP conference proceedings, 1795(1). Melville, NY: AIP Publishing LLC. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4972173
Mohd Yusof Abdullah. 2015. Bicara dunia Melayu: Tradisi pelayaran Melayu. Paper presented at the Bicara Dunia Melayu, Tradisi Pelayaran Melayu. Jabatan Muzium Malaysia, 29 October.
MyMetro. 2020. Kini tinggal tiga orang sahaja. 19 November. Retrieved from https://www.hmetro.com.my/utama/2020/11/643376/kini-tinggal-tiga-orang-sahaja (accessed 10 January 2023).
Nik Hassan Shuhaimi Nik Abdul Rahman, Othman Yatim, Mohamad Zain Musa and Zuliskandar Ramli. 2013. Malay woodcarving as decoration on traditional boats in Peninsula Malaysia. The Social Sciences 8(2): 100−105.
Pisol Maidin. 2003. Tukang timbal membina perahu: Tradisi dan inovasi. Sari 21: 39−56.
Prince, M., Davies, M.A., Cleveland, M. and Palihawadana, D. 2016. Here, there and everywhere: A study of consumer centrism. International Marketing Review 33(5): 715−754. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-06-2014-0205
Salam, A. and Osozawa, K. 2008. Technological adaptation in the transformation of traditional boats in the Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi. Japanese Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 46(2): 200−227.
Shaffer, L.N. 1996. Maritime Southeast Asia to 1500. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Sheppard, M. 1963. Bangau: Decorative guards for sails and spars on Malay fishing boats. Kuala Lumpur: Museums Department, Federation of Malaya.
Smyth, H.W. 1901. Malay boats and boat building in the Malay Peninsula. RSA Journal 50: 570.
Spivak, G.C. 2012. An aesthetic education in the era of globalization. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674257931
Syed Iskandar Ariffin. 2001. Order in traditional Malay house form. Oxford: Oxford Brookes University.
Woodfin, R. 2014. Introducing Marxism: A graphic guide. London: Icon Books Ltd