Often dubbed as one of 19th-century masterpieces, this work was first published in 1817. The author was Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), English Lieutenant-governor in Indonesia during 1811-1816. Surely it’s a very familiar name for us in Singapore.
In 1965, Oxford University Press in England republished the book in two volumes, and then again in 1978. Several libraries in Indonesia have been keeping some copies, but they’re barely touched, because of language difficulty. Indeed, it is a bit disappointing that it took almost 200 years to get a very important work such as this to be translated.
In 1817, a critic said that The History of Sumatra (1811) by William Marsden was better than this work. Whether it was true or not, today readers will be able to compare the two works, because they have been both translated by Penerbit Komunitas Bambu. However, Raffles provided more sources for his writing. For months he did some actual researches in many places in Java and Bali, while Marsden only used references written in Portuguese.
In this work, Raffles described his awe at Javanese exoticness. Assisted by many experts, he managed to translate many sources, such as Bharatayuda and Babad Tanah Jawa.
He said, he was never certain of where the name “Java” was originated. It was obscured. Some claimed that it came from the word “Jawa-wut”, a type of rice species, which was the local staple food at that time.
He also admired the fertility of the land, which he claimed to be caused by the existence of numerous mountains. About the local dwellers, he said that in European views, women looked weather-beaten, especially the elder ones — unlike the men.
Unlike the Dutch government, Raffles approached Javanese with more positive attitude. He thought Javanese people were “easy going and courteous, shy, gentle, but they were slow in movement.”
The men normally only had a wife. But many higher officers, such as chief, had more than one. A king could have up to ten.
The majority of foreigners in Java were Chinese. In early 1800s, there were about 100,000 Chinese. Most of them lived in Batavia, Semarang and Surabaya. The rest dwelled in smaller regencies.
Raffles also noted that the structure of society in Java was very simple and the people were less demanding. They made their livings by creating handcrafts, such as garments, rugs, carvings, and many more. There was hardly any capital needed for the business, and specialized professions were rare. Thus, manufacturers had little chance to survive.
On the other hand, Javanese owned special terms to address their workers, such as blacksmith, carpenter, papersmith, and tailor. To describe those workers, he provided the pictures of tools they used, including hoe, saw, sickle, crowbar and many selections of krises.
The work also mentions the intrigues which surrounded the history of Javanese royalties. It depicts how King of Mataram, Amangkurat II stabbed Trunojoyo to death before his officials.
Raffles was a keen author. He often wrote at night, mostly in Cisarua, between his tasks as an official. When he returned to London, he was determined to continue writing. He took not less than 30 tons of writing materials with him, and for months they were held by the customs.
But it was not all futile. His masterpiece keeps his name alive.
Now, any of you knows where to get the copy here in Singapore?
