Magic and Divination in Malay Illustrated Manuscripts

377 Pages·125.057 MB·English

by  Farouk Yahya

Magic and Divination in Malay Illustrated Manuscripts
Arts and Archaeology of the
Islamic World
Edited by
Marcus Milwright (University of Victoria)
Mariam Rosser-Owen (Victoria and Albert Museum)
Lorenz Korn (University of Bamberg)
VOLUME 6
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/aaiw
Magic and Divination in Malay
Illustrated Manuscripts
By
Farouk Yahya
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Front cover illustration: Rotating Nāga. Probably Kelantan, 1894. pnm ms 1957 (cat. 47), fol. 5r. Courtesy of
Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia (photo by the author).
Back cover illustration: Jin Pengikat Diri Hulubalang Tugal Setabang Alas. Kelantan or Patani, between
1838–87. Nik Mohamed collection (cat. 23), side A, second opening. Courtesy of Nik Mohamed Nik
Mohd. Salleh.
This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering
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issn 2213-3844
isbn 978-90-04-30164-1 (hardback)
isbn 978-90-04-30172-6 (e-book)
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In loving memory of Ismail Ibrahim
∵

Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgements x
Notes to the Reader xiii
List of Figures and Tables xvi
Maps xxviii
PART 1
Introduction and Background
1 Introduction: Malay Magic and Divination Manuscripts 3
Malay Magic and Divination Manuscripts 4
Importance of the Art 11
2 Malay Magic and Divination 23
The Malay Spirit World 23
Magic and Divination 24
Magicians and Shamans 26
Tools of the Magician 28
Islamic Attitudes towards the Practice of Magic 29
PART 2
The Manuscripts
3 Early Manuscripts and European Collecting Activities 39
Manuscripts during the Srivijaya Period (Seventh to Thirteenth Centuries) 39
Magic and Divination Manuscripts from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth
Centuries 40
Later European Collecting Activities and Scholarship 49
4 Material and Format 55
European Paper and Watermarks 55
The Folding-Book Format 59
Binding and Covers 60
Colophons, Seals and Other Documentary Evidence 64
Inks and Colours 67
5 The Contents: Texts and Images 74
Relationship between Text and Image 74
Some Issues Regarding the Sources of the Contents 79
Titles, Opening Statements and Arrangement of the Texts 84
viii contents
Magical Rites 86
Divinatory Techniques 95
6 The Art: Iconography, Style and Illumination 156
General Remarks on the Illustrations and Diagrams 156
Anthropomorphic Beings 158
Animals 176
Buildings 192
Talismanic Designs 194
Illumination and Decorative Elements 207
Chinese and Western Influences and the Impact of Printing and Photography 216
7 Production, Patronage and Consumption 233
Professional Magicians 233
Female Magicians 238
The Religious Milieu and Pondok Schools 242
Royal Patrons and State Magicians 246
Commissions by European Colonial Collectors 252
Printed Books on Magic and Divination during the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries 255
Magic and Divination Manuscripts and Books during the Late Twentieth and Early
Twenty-First Centuries 263
8 Conclusion 267
Appendix: Catalogue 271
Glossary 296
Bibliography 307
Index 332
Preface
This book is a study of the images that are found in The research undertaken has found that despite
Malay magic and divination manuscripts from the an earlier view that there is a lack of a Malay paint-
late eighteenth to the early twentieth century. ing tradition, the magic and divination manu-
These images – which include illustrations, sym- scripts provide a rich variety of imagery, including
bols, diagrams, charts and tables – are very impor- the survival of pre-Islamic iconography that has
tant for our understanding of Malay art, but yet much in common with other cultures in the region.
have been little studied. This book thus aims to This provides an insight into how pre-Islamic and
identify the imagery contained in the manu- Islamic elements have not only co-existed but also
scripts, trace their sources and place them within fed on one another. At the same time, the transmis-
the Malay as well as a broader Asian artistic and sion of foreign ideas into Malay culture involved a
cultural context. At the same time it looks at the degree of indigenisation, where we find for exam-
texts within the manuscripts, which not only pro- ple symbols deriving from the Islamic tradition
vides an understanding of the images but also being used in non-Islamic rituals, and conversely
sheds light on the exchange of knowledge with indigenous traditions being transplanted into prac-
other cultures. tices that derive from the Islamic world.
Acknowledgements
This book is the result of many years’ work and Aswandi Syahri and Dato’ Nik Mohamed Nik
I could not have done it without the help and sup- Mohd. Salleh for granting me access to their
port of others along the way. private collections, and to Aliff Redzwan for pro-
Firstly I am thankful to the following institu- viding the images from the latter’s collection.
tions and their staff for facilitating my research Special thanks are due to Jan van der Putten and
and granting access to their manuscripts collec- Liyana Taha at the Centre for the Study of
tions that form the core of my book, as well as Manuscript Cultures, Universität Hamburg for
helping with the necessary images. At the Balai the images that were digitised under the British
Maklumat Kebudayaan Melayu I would like to Library Endangered Archives Programme (eap),
thank Raja Malik Raja Hamzah; at the Dewan eap153: “Riau Manuscripts: The Gateway to the
Bahasa dan Pustaka I would like to thank the Malay Intellectual World”. The following have also
Director-General Datuk Dr. Haji Awang bin Sariyan kindly helped with additional images and to whom
and the staff at the institute especially those in the I would like to say thanks: the British Library, par-
Pusat Dokumentasi Melayu, particularly Kamariah ticularly Jana Igunma; Cambridge University
Abu Samah and Mohd. Hiezam Hashim; at the Library, particularly Grant Young; the Horniman
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia I would like to Museum, particularly Fiona Kerlogue and Adrian
thank the Director Syed Mohamad Albukhary, and Murphy; the Hull History Centre, particularly Judy
current and former staff including Azenita Burg and Nicola Herbert; Leiden University
Abdullah, Heba Nayel Barakat, Assim Zuhair Library, particularly John A.N. Frankhuizen and
Mahmood Qisho, Nurul Iman Rusli and Ros Lam Ngo; the National Library of Sweden, particu-
Mahwati Ahmad Zakaria; at the Perpustakaan larly Gözde Duzer; the Perpustakaan Nasional
Negara Malaysia I would like to thank the Director Republik Indonesia, particularly Bambang Herna-
Hajah Nafisah Ahmad, former Director Dato’ wan; and the Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig, par-
Raslin Abu Bakar, and the team at the Pusat ticularly Susanne Dietel. In addition the magicians
Manuskrip Melayu particularly Faizal Hilmie and healers whom I had interviewed have pro-
Yusof and the former head Datin Siti Mariani S.M. vided much valuable information, and to them I
Omar; at the Royal Asiatic Society I would like to am very grateful.
thank the Director Alison Ohta and current and I would also like to express my deepest gratitude
former librarians Kathy Lazenbatt, Alice McEwan, to the Barakat Trust and The Islamic Manus cript
Helen Porter and Edward Weech; at soas I would Association (tima) for their generous financial
like to thank the archivists Joanne Anthony, support for this publication.
Winifred Assan, Ed Hood, Joanne Ichimura, Lance Throughout my research I have gained valuable
Martin, Sujan Nandanwar and the rest of the team advice and insight from numerous scholars. I am
at the Archives & Special Collections of the soas indebted to all of them, but most of all I would like
Library, John Hollingworth at the Brunei Gallery as to give my utmost thanks to Anna Contadini for
well as Glenn Ratcliffe for the photography; at the her expert help and guidance throughout my
University of Malaya I would like to thank Nor research and in the writing of this book. I have
Edzan Nasir and Mohd. Faizal Hamzah at the Main learned a great deal from her, for which I would
Library of the university as well as current and for- always be grateful. Special thanks are also due to
mer staff at the Perpustakaan Peringatan Za’ba, Annabel Teh Gallop for sharing her wide knowl-
particularly Zaila Idris. I am also very grateful to edge and for her constant encouragement. I would