“A Real Seafaring People”: Evocations of Sailing in Malay Literature

Abstract

The people in the city-states of the pre-colonial Malay-speaking world of Southeast Asia are often described as seafaring and maritime in their habits. This was often remarked by Western observers, until sails gave way to steam in maritime transport. Many such terms were glossed in early Malay dictionaries and lists of Malay nautical terms were often appended to more general works. No study of this specialized vocabulary was however produced so far. This essay is a first attempt at understanding its meaning, usage and context in so-called classical Malay literature, as well as in pantuns and proverbs. It explores the explicit references to sailing practices, showing the pragmatic, matter-of-fact relationship the Malays entertained with seafaring activities, and how these left a strong impression in their language. The essay also notes the absence in Malay literature of pathos or of any form of romanticism that is at the basis of most Western maritime literature when the dramatic confrontation of men with the seas is at stake. It also remarks upon the changes in Malay identity that occurred when maritime orientations were forsaken in colonial times.