MEMORY OF THE WORLD REGISTER
Mak Yong: The Icon of the Intangible Malay World
(Indonesia)
Ref N° 2008-44
PART A – ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
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SUMMARY
The Malay traditional performance, Mak Yong, is still found in very small numbers in parts of
Nara Yala (South Thailand), Kelantan (Malaysia), and Batam and Bintan islands in Indonesia.
This performance which originates from the Malay people of what is now Nara Yala, South
Thailand (former Patani) consists of classic repertoire of Malay performance; it is a unique
combination of dance, music, singing, slapstick, and theatre. The movements are classical
Malay and not to be found in any other Malay theatrical tradition today. The stories concern
Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses and the way they should operate in the State and with
their people, especially their retainers, and show a surprisingly democratic outlook. The
performances are rural and the players are ordinary village people who have never received any
formal training. The performances have a semi-sacral and social, as well as entertainment
function deemed necessary in order to safeguard the balance between people in society and their
surrounding nature; a balance essential to the livelihood of the people.
Documentary materials on this Malay performance consist of the 17th and 18th century
manuscripts, audio visual materials (VCD/DVD), and film footage. The living performance
(intangible heritage/oral traditions) and documentary materials (tangible heritage) interact in the
continuation of the art. Mak Yong is the icon of Malay culture and Malay culture is continued in
Mak Yong.
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DETAILS OF THE NOMINATOR
2.1
Name
The Indonesian National Committee of the Memory of the World Program
2.2
Relationship to the documentary heritage nominated
The National committee of Indonesia has decided that Mak Yong should be nominated for
inclusion in the MOW Register as a joint nomination with Malaysia. Mak Yong is to be
considered as rare, in danger of becoming extinct, and highly valuable for the continuation of
old-Malay traditional performance practices. It contains parts of dances, music, singing, and
dialog and their interconnectedness needed for an understanding of dances and theatrical
traditions in the past and for a continuation thereof in the future. It is also a performance
tradition that sheds light on the interrelationships of dance and theatre performances in
Southeast Asia as a whole and shows the fragility of intangible and tangible culture in changing
political constellations.
2.3
Contact persons
Dr. Pudentia MPSS, M.Hum
Dr. Mukhlis PaEni
Dr. Dick van der Meij
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2.4
Contact details (include address, phone, fax, email)
1. Dr. Pudentia MPSS, M.Hum
Faculty of Humanities, University of Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
Email: pudentia@makara.cso.ui.ac.id
atl_lisan@yahoo.com
Phone & Faks: +62-21-8312603, 8607071
Hp.: +62 (0) 8161845851
2. Dr. Mukhlis PaEni
Department of Culture and Tourism Republic of Indonesia
Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur
Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia
Telp./Faks: +62-21-3862181
3. Dr. Dick van der Meij
Oral Traditions Association (Asosiasi Tradisi Lisan/ATL)
Jalan Menteng Wadas Timur No. 8
Jakarta Selatan 12970, Indonesia
Email: atl_lisan@yahoo.com
Dickvdm2005@yahoo.com
Telp./Faks: +62-21-8312603
Hp. +62 (0)81 897464305
3. IDENTITY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE DOCUMENTARY HERITAGE
3.1
Name and identification details of the items being nominated
Name: Mak Yong; Malay Traditional Performance of Kepulauan Riau Province (Batam and
Bintan Islands), Indonesia.
Custodian:
1. Oral Traditions Association (ATL)
Jalan Menteng Wadas Timur no. 8, Jakarta 12970, Indonesia
Phone/Faks: +62-218312603
Email: atl_lisan@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.atlindonesia.blogspot.com
2. Mak Yong Groups in the Batam and Bintan Islands
c.o. Pemerintah Daerah Kepulauan Riau (Regional Government Kepulauan
Riau, Tanjung Pinang, Sumatera
3.2
Description
3.2.1 Description and History of the Mak Yong Performance
Mak Yong is first mentioned in the Hikayat Patani dating back to the 18th century as a
performance at the Nara Yala, Patani court (Teeuw and Wyatt, 1970). During the 19 th century it
found its way from Southern Thailand to Kelantan in Eastern Malaysia and subsequently
through Tanjung Kurau (present-day Singapore) to the islands in Indonesia which at the time
was part of the Riau, Lingga, Johor Kingdom, the Malay Sultanate par excellence.
Different from Mak Yong as found in Kelantan, which does not make use of any masks, Mak
Yong from Batam dan Bintan do use masks like in Nara Yala, the area of origin, for a number
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of retainers such as the personal servants of the Raja (King, or his son) and Putri (Queen or her
daughter), criminals, demons and spirits. In the last century, Mak Yong was not only an
everyday performance, but was also used as a ritual for the reigning king. Mak Yong was
moreover also performed to cure very sick people. This practice is no longer found in Indonesia.
The last persons to enact this were Tuk Atan in Bintan and Pak Basri in Batam, both of whom
have died three years ago. Mak Yong is however still performed starting and ending with a
ritual. The mantras that were usually uttered by the two people mentioned above have been
passed down to their descendents. The performers of Mak Yong in Batam and Bintan at present
form the third generation. Mak Yong in Batam and Bintan has existed for about 150 years and is
at present in danger of becoming extinct if no urgent documentation and training of performers
is done.
The inherited tradition of the Mak Yong was transmitted through performance. Mak Yong is
therefore highly dependent on the performers as well as the audience who at the same time act
as the main supporters of Mak Yong’s existence. Apart from oral transmission, there are seven
manuscripts containing the outlines of the stories which are elaborated upon during the
performances. These manuscripts are written in an adapted form of Arabic script and date back
to the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. They were copied in 1970 by Tuk Atan and the
copies were used for the training of his family and close friends. However, manuscripts
detailing the dances, music, and songs, and how a performance was to be enacted do not exist.
The performers therefore have to learn by watching performances. Other aids for the
transmission of the tradition are audio cassettes from the Rekaman Radio Republik Indonesia
(RRI) from the 1980s and VCD/DVD recordings made during the 1990s. Finally there is a
documentary that has been made in order to specifically show details of the Mak Yong
performance. While not being ideal, the documentary and manuscripts are useful aids in the
process of the transmission of this old Malay tradition. Since oral traditions like the Mak Yong
have proved to be a source of the building of the identity of the Malays, this tradition and the
people who are involved in its transmission and performance should be safeguarded.
3.2.2 Contents of the Mak Yong Performance
Mak Yong performances are enacted in the evening, starting around 8 p.m. and last
until midnight. A performance is opened by an Earth Opening Ritual (Upacara buka
Tanah) and is closed by an Earth Closing Ritual (Upacara tutup Tanah) led by a
bomoh/priest. The key role is the king or a prince and his male retainer (awang
pengasuh), or the queen or a princess and her female retainer (inang pengasuh). These
characters carry the story. Different from other theatrical performances, however,
during Mak Yong a story is never performed in its entirety. This being so, the audience
is able to understand the performance. The main thing is that during a performance,
music, singing, dance and dialog are combined to attract the interest of the audience.
Full stories are kept in the minds of the people and in the manuscripts mentioned above.
The main idea provided by the performances is the shared recollection of Malay’s
glorious past.
The Mak Yong repertoire is about court life and the problems faced by the king and the
nobles. The language used in the dialogs is not ordinary Malay but a Malay specific to
the performances. Many of the vocabulary used in the dialogs is old Malay. The music,
songs and dances are also typically classic Malay and form the sources of present-day
Malay art creations. If the Mak Yong is not preserved, a valuable source of the Malay
art repertoire will be lost.
Bibliography
Cuisinier, Jeanne.1931. Dances Magiques de Kelantan. Paris: Institut d’ethnologie.
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Ghulam-Sarwar, Yousof. 1976. The Kelantan “Mak Yong” Dane Theatre: A Study of
Performance Structure. Michigan: University Microfilm International.
1982. “Mak Yong: The Ancient Malay Dance-Theatre,”Asian Studies, vol 20.
1992. Panggung Semar: Aspect of traditional Malay Theatre. Petaling Jaya: Tempo
Publising.
Malm, William P. 1974. “Music in Kelantan, Malaysia and Some of Its Cultural Implication”,
Studies in Malaysia Oral and Musical Traditions (ed. William P. Malm). Michigan:
The University of Michigan.
Pudentia MPSS. 2007. Hakikat Kelisanan dalam Teater Tradisi Melayu Mak Yong. Depok:
Fakultas Ilmu Pengetahuan Budaya Universitas Indonesia.
Salleh, siti Hawa Haji. 1992. Hikayat Patani. Selongor: Dewan Bahasa dan Sastra.
Sheppard, Mubin. 1960. The Magic Kite and Other Ma’Yong Stories. Kuala Lumpur:
Federal Publications.
1983. Taman Saujana: Dance, Drama, Music and Magic in Malay Long and Not- So
Long Ago. Selangor: International Bode Service.
Suki, Herani Khairani B.T.E. Ismail dan Ayup Ismail. 1978. Mak Yong dan Wayang Kulit
(Kumpulan Essei). Kuala Lumpur: kementerian Kebudayaan Belia dan Sukan.
Teeuw, A dan D.K.Wyatt. 1970. Hikatat Patani. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
4. JUSTIFICATION FOR INCLUSION/ ASSESSMENT AGAINST CRITERIA
4.1
Authenticity
The Mak Yong is first mentioned by Peter Floris in the Hikayat Patani (edition Teeuw and
Wyatt, 1970) as an oral tribute he witnessed while he was visiting the Patani Kingdom in South
Thailand in the early seventeenth century (Suki, 1978:2, Sheppard, 1972: 58; Ghulam-Sarwar,
1982:108; and Sastrosuwondho, 1985:16). From this region, that culturally belongs to the Malay
family, the Mak Yong spread to Kelantan (present-day Malaysia) about two hundred years ago.
In Kelantan no masks are used, however, as in Patani (Sheppard, 1972:134). During the heydays
of the Malay Kingdom, the Kelantan Mak Yong found its way to Indonesia to Batam and Bintan
in the Riau Archipelago (Pudentia, 2000:5-7). In Batam and Bintan the Mak Yong has existed
for 150 years in the form of an oral tribute. It was highly dependent on the availability and
capabilities of the performers and the audience who together formed the Mak Yong community.
Tuk Atan, the most senior, second generation Mak Yong performer from Batam and Bintan was
able to copy several stories which had been written down by his predecessors in various
manuscripts. The story sources he copied were the “Sejarah Riau” (Riau History, 1778), “Cetera
Kisah Raja Megat Muda”, Cetera Raja Tumenggung Er Wangsa di Bukit Kuripan”, “Cetera
Raja Perak Seton”, “Cetera Badruzzaman”, and “Cetera Raja Johansyah Nyaya”, which do not
give any indication of the time they were written.
4.2 World significance, uniqueness and irreplaceability
The performance of Mak Yong shows that relationships between leaders, their people and the
surrounding nature have always been complex and show remarkable fluidity. The Mak Yong
performance shows that relationship between leaders and their subjects was in essence one of
reciprocity. One could not exist without the other. The relations as shown in this pre-Islamic
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performance tradition reveal that notions of a certain degree of equality between leaders and
subject in relation to the surrounding nature were crucial for the maintenance of both which has
been continued under Islam. The Malay world shows therefore an old tendency leading to the
acceptability of in essence democratic notions. The Mak Yong is the only classical Malay
performance showing this.
4.3 Criteria of (a) time (b) place (c) people (d) subject and theme (e) form and style
a) time
Pre-Islamic times in the Malay world saw an increasing growth of indigenous states and
populations having to cope with a hostile natural surroundings and hostile human
infringements from Asia and the Western world alike. The interconnectedness of Malay
culture over national and ethnic borders attests to the culturally shared backgrounds of
these peoples, which is still highly relevant today.
b) place
Mak Yong is a South East Asian classical performance still extant in Thailand,
Malaysia, and Indonesia. The divide between human occupied territory and the
surrounding natural world was one of a precarious equilibrium. Human territories could
be easily reclaimed by nature which in itself was in constant danger of being taken over
by humans. This delicate balance had to be maintained, among others by the Mak Yong
performance which, as an integral and irreplaceable part of it, necessitates certain rituals
ensuring that balance is maintained and the rituals enacted in Mak Yong are unique to
this tradition. This balance between human territory and the natural surroundings has
become increasingly challenged and ancient notions about this balance are highly
relevant in the modern Malay world.
c) people
Many Malay people subsisted on agriculture. The delicate balance between human
activities and the integrity of the soil had to be nurtured and maintained. The Mak Yong
is an intangible example of how the maintenance of this integrity was ensured.
d) subject and theme
The performances portray highly stylized and abstracted relations between the people
and those in power in a context of fictional reality. The relations are shown to be fluid
and portray examples for the spectators to emulate. As such, Mak Yong is a remnant of
traditional classical Malay power relations, which have not deeply changed over time
and are still basically one of reciprocity between rulers and ruled. The ruled had the
right to criticize the rulers which in the performance is done by the wise servant
characters, who have an important role in advising the kings and queens.
e) form and style
The dance movements and musical accompaniment of the dancers are a unique
combination only found in this particular part of the Malay world. Especially the use of
the two stringed viola (rebab) is unique in this part of the Malay world.
4.4 Rarity, integrity, threat and management that relate to this nomination
In the modern world with its many modern ways of entertainment, rural dances and theatre
performances are becoming increasingly rare. The Mak Yong is in grave danger as the number
of performers is extremely limited, it is only found in a handful of places and the people
remembering the exact way of how to perform are very old and in danger of dying out in the
next few years. Combined efforts of the world, and of local and regional governments are
urgently required to ensure its continuation in the future.
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5
LEGAL INFORMATION
5.1.
Owner of the documentary heritage and Mak Yong groups
The Republic of Indonesia
5.2 Custodian of the documentary heritage
Oral Traditions Association (Asosiasi Tradisi Lisan/ATL) and the Regional Government of
Kepulauan Riau (Pemerintah Daerah Kepulauan Riau): see details in 3.1
5.3 Legal Status:
a) Category of ownership
Government and Private property
b) Accessibility
There are three Mak Yong groups, one in Batam (desa Pulan Panjang), and two in
Bintan (desa Keke dan desa Mantang Arang); performance stories are kept by mr. Satar,
Tuk Atan’s son and at the premises of the Oral Traditions Association in Jakarta;
documentation in the form of audio and visual recordings are preserved at ATL. All
documentation of the Mak Yong in the community and at the Oral Traditions
Association’s office are openly accessible to the public.
c) Copyright status
The performances are in the public domain, the recordings and manuscripts copyrights
are owned by the Oral Traditions Association and Indonesian Government institutions.
d) Responsible administration
Oral Traditions Association on behalf of the Indonesian Government.
6 MANAGEMENT PLANS
The national and local governments have acknowledged their concern about the continuation of
the Mak Yong. The Indonesian Department of Culture and Tourism has started efforts to ensure
that the Mak Yong does not become extinct. It does so by having recordings of performances
made, and ensures that financial assistance is provided for costumes, musical instruments etc.
7. CONSULTATION
a) Owner
The Republic of Indonesia
b) Custodian
Oral Traditions Association and the Mak Yong Groups in the Batam and Bintan Islands
c/o Regional Government of the Riau Archipelago, Tanjung Pinang.
c) National Committee
The Indonesian Memory of the World Committee comprises experts, scholars, and officials
from the government agencies concerned with the safeguarding of the national documentary
heritage
d) Chairman Memory of The World Asia Pacific National Committee
Ray Edmondson
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PART B - SUBSIDIARY INFORMATION
8 ASSESSMENT OF RISK
The Mak Yong is threatened by virtually all aspects of modernization including: novel ways of
understanding the nature of humanity and the natural environment; modern economic and social
realities causing little time to be left to devote to Mak Yong; discontinuities between
generations; modern film, radio, email, sms, and other entertainment; and a general outlook
away from traditions.
9. ASSESSMENT OF PRESERVATION
The Indonesian Government has started a program aimed to ensure that the Mak Yong tradition
does not die out. It has requested the help of the Oral Traditions Association to make a program
for the continuous recording of the tradition and to make a plan with the regional office of the
Department of Culture and Tourism to aid the groups to continue their performances and to help
attracting new people and young students with an interest to develop the tradition further. A
program to help the economic situation of the performers is being carried out to enable them to
continue their tradition without a threat to their economic well-being.
The recordings are kept in conditions ensuring that they will be preserved in the best possible
way. They are at the Oral Traditions Association and the PUSKAT offices in Yogyakarta.
9.1. Dissemination
Dissemination is conducted through publications, research, transcription, description and
workshops and seminars on performances practices. The Mak Yong performance is also part of
the university curriculum for students of oral traditions in Indonesia.
PART C - LODGMENT
This nomination is lodged by
Dr. Pudentia MPSS
Chairperson of the Oral Traditions Association
Indonesian National Memory of the World Committee
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