Malay Navigation and Maritime Trade: A Journey Through Anthropology and History
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/ijrcs.v2i1.61Keywords:
Navigation, Maritime, Malay/Melayu, Malacca, Srivijaya, China, India.Abstract
This paper attempts to explore the history of the Malay navigation and maritime trade which started during the third century. The goal of this paper is to identify the significant yet relatively not widely-known contribution of the Malays during ancient times in the history of navigation and maritime trade. This research is very important because it provides an insight into the trading mechanisms, ship construction, and maritime navigational skills of the Malays, which have been documented in ancient Chinese literary works. This paper focuses on the Malays, Malay navigation, and Malay maritime trade in ancient times. The method used for this research is secondary analysis of existing historical and anthropological data and sources. This study discovered that the Malays during ancient times possessed sophisticated navigational skills, were skilled at constructing large ships, and travelled and traded with countries as far away as the Middle East and Africa.
References
References
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Ahmad, K. (Ed.). (1997). Hikayat Hang Tuah. Kuala Lumpur: Yayasan Karyawan dan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Ahmad, M. T., & Zain, Z. M. (1988). Rekonstruksi dan Cabang-cabang Bahasa Melayu Induk. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Andaya, L. Y. (2001). Aceh’s Contribution to Standards of Malayness. Archipel. 61, 29-68.
Collins, J. T. (1998). Malay, world language of the ages: A sketch of its history. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Cortesao, A. (Ed.). (1967). Suma Orientalis of Tomé Pires. London: Hakluyt Society. http://www. thepirateking.com/ships/ship_types.htm.
Cox, M. P., Nelson, M. G., Tumonggor, M. K., Ricaut, FX., & Sudoyo, H. (2012). A Small Cohort of Island Southeast Asian Women Founded Madagascar. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 279, 2761-2768.
Curaming, R. A. (2011). Filipinos as Malay: Historicising an Identity. In M. Mohamad & S. M. K. Aljunied (Eds.), Melayu: The Politics, Poetics, and Paradoxes of Malayness. Singapore: NUS Press.
Elegant, S. (1999, June 10). [Review]. Far Eastern Economic Review.
Embree, A. T., & Gluck, C. (2015). Asia in Western and World History: A Guide for Teaching. Routledge.
General notes on maritime commerce and shipping in the early centuries CE. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2017, from https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/weilue/appendices.html#f
Halimi, A. J. (2006). Perdagangan dan Perkapalan Melayu di Selat Melaka Abad ke 14 hingga Abad ke-18. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Heejung, K. (2015). Kunlun and Kunlun Slaves as Buddhists in the Eyes of the Tang Chinese. Kemanusiaan. 22 (1), 27–52.
Huan, Y. (2004, September). The Peoples of the West (J. E. Hill, Trans.). Retrieved October 14, 2017, from https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/weilue/weilue.html
Ishak, M. A. (2007). The Malay Civilisation. Kuala Lumpur: Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia.
Ishak, M. A. (2009). Tamadun Alam Melayu. Kuala Lumpur: Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia.
I-Tsing. (2006). A record of the Buddhist religion as practised in India and the Malay Archipelago (A.D. 671-695). (Takakusu, Trans.). New Delhi: Cosmo Publication.
Khaw, N. R. (2017, June 1). Misteri Kerajaan Melayu Kedah Tua. Retrieved October 14, 2017, from http://www.utusan.com.my/rencana/utama/misteri-kerajaan-melayu-kedah-tua-1.488162#ixzz51coDkPQZ
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Ludher, S. (2015). They Came to Malaya. Bloomington: XLibris Corporation.
Manguin, P. (1980). The Southeast Asian Ships: A Historical Approach. Journal of Southeast Asia. XI (2), 266-276.
Manguin, P. (1993). Trading Ships of the South China Sea. Shipbuilding Techniques and Their Role in the History of the Development of Asian Trade Networks. Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient. 36 (3), 253-280.
Middleton, R. (2015, September 02). Malaysia: Archaeologists find ancient shipwrecks that could rewrite Southeast Asian history. Retrieved August 10, 2016, from https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/malaysia-archaeologists-find-ancient-shipwrecks-that-could-rewrite-southeast-asian-history-1518076
Munoz, P. M. (2006). Early Kingdoms of the Indonesian Archipelago and the Malay Peninsula. Singapore: Didier Muller.
Musa, H., Rodi, R. C., & Muhammad, S. J. N. (2014). Sejarah Ringkas Warisan Perkapalan Tradisional Melayu. International Journal of the Malay World and Civilisation (Iman). 2 (3), 31 – 42.
Oppenheimer, S. (1998). Eden in the East: The Drowned Continent of Southeast Asia. London: Wiedenfeld & Nicolson.
Reid, A. (1988). Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-1680: Volume One: The Lands below the Winds. New Haven & London: Yale University Press.
Salazar, Z. (1998). The Malayan connection: Ang Pilipinas sa dunia Melayu. Manila: Palimbangan ng Lahi.
Santos, A. (2011). Atlantis: The Lost Continent Finally Found. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Shaffer, L. N. (1996). Maritime Southeast Asia to 1500. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Sulaiman, Z., Teh, W. H. W., & Rahman, N. H. S. N. A. (2016). Sejarah Tamadun Alam Melayu, Jilid 1: Asal Usul Melayu, Induknya di Benua Sunda. Tanjung Malim: Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.
Wang, G. (1968). Nanhai Trade: The early history of Chinese trade in the South China Sea. Singapore: Times Academic Press.
Wheatley, P. (1961). The Golden Khersonese. Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press.
Wolters, O. W. (1967). Early Indonesian Commerce: A study of the Origins of Srivijaya. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Xing (裴铏), P. (2013, September 28). Tales of the Marvelous: The Kunlun Slave (L. Jue (刘珏) & T. Roney, Trans.). Retrieved July 10, 2016, from https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2013/09/tales-of-the-marvelous-part-1-the-kunlun-slave/
Yaapar, M. S. (1977). A Comparative Study of Malaysian and Philippines Folk Literature (Master’s thesis). Department of English and Comparative Literature, University of the Philippines, Quezon City.
Yaapar, M. S. (2005, June). Contesting Malayness: The quest for the elusive Melayu. IIAS Newsletter, 37, 26.
References for Pictures
Andriantefinanahary, & Yanariak. (1997). Madagascar and the future of the Nusantrian world. Retrieved June 14, 2019, from http://www.lemurdolls.com/manusa.htm
Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum. (2013, December 10). [An artist’s impression of trade activities in Lembah Bujang during ancient times.]. Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2013/12/10/candi-lembah-bujang destroying-history/
Joo, L. (2006, August 8). Kedah001.jpg [Digital image]. Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kedah001.jpg
Kapal Jung (Jawa) [Online image]. (2016, November 28). Retrieved June 10, 2019, from http://sejarahseorangpelautsmp.blogspot.com/2016/11/techno-nenek-moyang-kita adalah-seorang.html
Monleón, R. (2018, June 26). Iranun lanong warship by Rafael Monleón (1890) [Digital image]. Retrieved June 14, 2019, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iranun_lanong_warship_by_Rafael_Monle n_(1890).jpg
Musa, H., Rodi, R. C., & Muhammad, S. J. N. (2014). Sejarah Ringkas Warisan Perkapalan Tradisional Melayu. International Journal of the Malay World and Civilisation (Iman). 2 (3), 31 – 42.
Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang [Online image]. (2008, October 30). Retrieved June 10, 2019, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zhigongtu_full.jpg
Shu, M. (2017, October 16). The Silk Road: Political Economy of Trade Routes. Lecture presented in Waseda University. Retrieved June 10, 2019, from http://www.f.waseda.jp/min.shu/teaching/EastAsia/EastAsia-week2.pdf
Srivijaya Empire [Online image]. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2019, from https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/indonesia/images/map-srivijaya 1000.jpg
Wacananusantara.org. (2015, July 18). Arkeologi dan Pengenalan Prasejarah Perahu Nusantara [Digital image]. Retrieved June 10, 2019, from https://wacananusantara.wordpress.com/tag/prasejarah/
Abdul Kadir, M. A., & Mohd, Z. A. (2016). Hubungan Kecendekiawanan Terawal Melayu-China. In N. Zainun & N. R. Khaw (Eds.), Hubungan Politik dan Sosiobudaya China-Dunia Melayu Hingga Kurun ke-15 Masihi. Pulau Pinang: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Ahmad, K. (Ed.). (1997). Hikayat Hang Tuah. Kuala Lumpur: Yayasan Karyawan dan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Ahmad, M. T., & Zain, Z. M. (1988). Rekonstruksi dan Cabang-cabang Bahasa Melayu Induk. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Andaya, L. Y. (2001). Aceh’s Contribution to Standards of Malayness. Archipel. 61, 29-68.
Collins, J. T. (1998). Malay, world language of the ages: A sketch of its history. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Cortesao, A. (Ed.). (1967). Suma Orientalis of Tomé Pires. London: Hakluyt Society. http://www. thepirateking.com/ships/ship_types.htm.
Cox, M. P., Nelson, M. G., Tumonggor, M. K., Ricaut, FX., & Sudoyo, H. (2012). A Small Cohort of Island Southeast Asian Women Founded Madagascar. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 279, 2761-2768.
Curaming, R. A. (2011). Filipinos as Malay: Historicising an Identity. In M. Mohamad & S. M. K. Aljunied (Eds.), Melayu: The Politics, Poetics, and Paradoxes of Malayness. Singapore: NUS Press.
Elegant, S. (1999, June 10). [Review]. Far Eastern Economic Review.
Embree, A. T., & Gluck, C. (2015). Asia in Western and World History: A Guide for Teaching. Routledge.
General notes on maritime commerce and shipping in the early centuries CE. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2017, from https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/weilue/appendices.html#f
Halimi, A. J. (2006). Perdagangan dan Perkapalan Melayu di Selat Melaka Abad ke 14 hingga Abad ke-18. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Heejung, K. (2015). Kunlun and Kunlun Slaves as Buddhists in the Eyes of the Tang Chinese. Kemanusiaan. 22 (1), 27–52.
Huan, Y. (2004, September). The Peoples of the West (J. E. Hill, Trans.). Retrieved October 14, 2017, from https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/weilue/weilue.html
Ishak, M. A. (2007). The Malay Civilisation. Kuala Lumpur: Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia.
Ishak, M. A. (2009). Tamadun Alam Melayu. Kuala Lumpur: Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia.
I-Tsing. (2006). A record of the Buddhist religion as practised in India and the Malay Archipelago (A.D. 671-695). (Takakusu, Trans.). New Delhi: Cosmo Publication.
Khaw, N. R. (2017, June 1). Misteri Kerajaan Melayu Kedah Tua. Retrieved October 14, 2017, from http://www.utusan.com.my/rencana/utama/misteri-kerajaan-melayu-kedah-tua-1.488162#ixzz51coDkPQZ
Ling, L. H. (2016, February 03). SciMy Interview: Professor Dato’ Dr. Mokhtar Saidin. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from http://magazine.scientificmalaysian.com/life-as-a-scientist/scimy-interview-professor-dato-dr-mokhtar-saidin/
Ludher, S. (2015). They Came to Malaya. Bloomington: XLibris Corporation.
Manguin, P. (1980). The Southeast Asian Ships: A Historical Approach. Journal of Southeast Asia. XI (2), 266-276.
Manguin, P. (1993). Trading Ships of the South China Sea. Shipbuilding Techniques and Their Role in the History of the Development of Asian Trade Networks. Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient. 36 (3), 253-280.
Middleton, R. (2015, September 02). Malaysia: Archaeologists find ancient shipwrecks that could rewrite Southeast Asian history. Retrieved August 10, 2016, from https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/malaysia-archaeologists-find-ancient-shipwrecks-that-could-rewrite-southeast-asian-history-1518076
Munoz, P. M. (2006). Early Kingdoms of the Indonesian Archipelago and the Malay Peninsula. Singapore: Didier Muller.
Musa, H., Rodi, R. C., & Muhammad, S. J. N. (2014). Sejarah Ringkas Warisan Perkapalan Tradisional Melayu. International Journal of the Malay World and Civilisation (Iman). 2 (3), 31 – 42.
Oppenheimer, S. (1998). Eden in the East: The Drowned Continent of Southeast Asia. London: Wiedenfeld & Nicolson.
Reid, A. (1988). Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-1680: Volume One: The Lands below the Winds. New Haven & London: Yale University Press.
Salazar, Z. (1998). The Malayan connection: Ang Pilipinas sa dunia Melayu. Manila: Palimbangan ng Lahi.
Santos, A. (2011). Atlantis: The Lost Continent Finally Found. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Shaffer, L. N. (1996). Maritime Southeast Asia to 1500. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Sulaiman, Z., Teh, W. H. W., & Rahman, N. H. S. N. A. (2016). Sejarah Tamadun Alam Melayu, Jilid 1: Asal Usul Melayu, Induknya di Benua Sunda. Tanjung Malim: Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.
Wang, G. (1968). Nanhai Trade: The early history of Chinese trade in the South China Sea. Singapore: Times Academic Press.
Wheatley, P. (1961). The Golden Khersonese. Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press.
Wolters, O. W. (1967). Early Indonesian Commerce: A study of the Origins of Srivijaya. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Xing (裴铏), P. (2013, September 28). Tales of the Marvelous: The Kunlun Slave (L. Jue (刘珏) & T. Roney, Trans.). Retrieved July 10, 2016, from https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2013/09/tales-of-the-marvelous-part-1-the-kunlun-slave/
Yaapar, M. S. (1977). A Comparative Study of Malaysian and Philippines Folk Literature (Master’s thesis). Department of English and Comparative Literature, University of the Philippines, Quezon City.
Yaapar, M. S. (2005, June). Contesting Malayness: The quest for the elusive Melayu. IIAS Newsletter, 37, 26.
References for Pictures
Andriantefinanahary, & Yanariak. (1997). Madagascar and the future of the Nusantrian world. Retrieved June 14, 2019, from http://www.lemurdolls.com/manusa.htm
Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum. (2013, December 10). [An artist’s impression of trade activities in Lembah Bujang during ancient times.]. Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2013/12/10/candi-lembah-bujang destroying-history/
Joo, L. (2006, August 8). Kedah001.jpg [Digital image]. Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kedah001.jpg
Kapal Jung (Jawa) [Online image]. (2016, November 28). Retrieved June 10, 2019, from http://sejarahseorangpelautsmp.blogspot.com/2016/11/techno-nenek-moyang-kita adalah-seorang.html
Monleón, R. (2018, June 26). Iranun lanong warship by Rafael Monleón (1890) [Digital image]. Retrieved June 14, 2019, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iranun_lanong_warship_by_Rafael_Monle n_(1890).jpg
Musa, H., Rodi, R. C., & Muhammad, S. J. N. (2014). Sejarah Ringkas Warisan Perkapalan Tradisional Melayu. International Journal of the Malay World and Civilisation (Iman). 2 (3), 31 – 42.
Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang [Online image]. (2008, October 30). Retrieved June 10, 2019, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zhigongtu_full.jpg
Shu, M. (2017, October 16). The Silk Road: Political Economy of Trade Routes. Lecture presented in Waseda University. Retrieved June 10, 2019, from http://www.f.waseda.jp/min.shu/teaching/EastAsia/EastAsia-week2.pdf
Srivijaya Empire [Online image]. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2019, from https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/indonesia/images/map-srivijaya 1000.jpg
Wacananusantara.org. (2015, July 18). Arkeologi dan Pengenalan Prasejarah Perahu Nusantara [Digital image]. Retrieved June 10, 2019, from https://wacananusantara.wordpress.com/tag/prasejarah/
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Published
2019-06-24
How to Cite
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. https://doi.org/10.31436/ijrcs.v2i1.61
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