The Shallow Seas
Authors: Dawn Farnham
A T
ALE OF
T
WO
T
OWNS:
S
INGAPORE AND
B
ATAVIA
{ T
HE
S
TRAITS
Q
UARTET,
V
OL.
2 }
D
AWN
F
ARNHAM
Contents
Glossary
Alus
: Javanese word meaning “graceful and refined”.
Ang moh
: A racial epithet that originates from Hokkien (Min Nan) and is used to refer to white people in Malaysia and Singapore. Literally meaning “red-haired”, the term implies that the person referred to is a devil, a concept explicitly used in the Cantonese term
gweilo
(“foreign devil”).
Armenia:
Landlocked, mountainous country between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea surrounding Mount Ararat. In 301, it became the first country in the world to adopt Christianity. Located between Europe and Asia, Armenia was invaded countless times and its people spread all over the earth. Part of the Soviet Union until its collapse, it is now an independent country.
Boreh
:
A fragrant yellow paste made from spices and used as an unguent.
Borobodor:
Ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in central Java.
Brieswijk
:
The place of breezes.
Bugis:
The people of southern Sulawesi. They are still outstanding shipbuilders, sailors and navigators who have traded legitimately in the region for thousands of years. When the colonial powers displaced traditional trading relations of the region, the Bugis turned to piracy and slave trading.
Claddagh ring:
Traditional Irish ring, given in friendship or worn as a wedding ring. The design and customs associated with it originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the city of Galway. The Claddagh's distinctive design features two hands clasping a heart, usually surmounted by a crown. The elements of this symbol are often said to correspond to the qualities of love (the heart), friendship (the hands), and loyalty (the crown). The way that a Claddagh ring is worn on the hand is usually intended to convey the wearer's availability, or lack thereof. Traditionally, if the ring is on the right hand with the heart facing outward and away from the body, this indicates that the person wearing the ring is not in any serious relationship: “their heart is open”. When worn on the right hand but with the heart facing inward, this indicates the person wearing the ring is in a relationship, or that “someone has captured their heart”. A Claddagh worn on the left hand ring finger, facing outward away from the body, generally indicates that the wearer is engaged. When worn on the left hand ring finger and facing inward toward the body, it generally means that the person wearing the ring is married.
Danjang desa
:
The spirit of the village.
Dukun
:
Medicine man, healer in Java.
Eling
:
Pronounced “ailing”, it means “remember”. When a person is overcome with sorrow or anger, the Javanese advise that it is necessary to
eling
, to regain self-control. Self-control is the highest Javanese value. In this context,
eling
refers to a high level of self-awareness that enables the individual to observe and control all movements of the self, both inner and outerâits actions, words, and thoughts.
Factories:
The name for trading stations where goods were imported, stored and exported for sale in Europe.
Gamelan
:
A
gamelan
is a musical ensemble of Indonesia typically featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings, and vocalists may also be included. The term refers more to the set of instruments than the players of those instruments. A
gamelan
as a set of instruments is a distinct entity, built and tuned to stay togetherâinstruments from different gamelan are not interchangeable. The word “
gamelan
” comes from the Javanese word “
gamel
”, meaning to strike or hammer, and the suffix “an”, which makes the root a collective noun.
Guanxi
:
A network of contacts which an individual can call upon when something needs to be done, and through which he or she can exert influence on behalf of another. In addition,
guanxi
can describe a state of general understanding between two people.
Isin
:
Isin
is a powerful concept in Javanese thought.
Isin
is what happens when you cannot bear what you are seeing and feeling, when you are watching but no longer controlling your reactions, when your energy mounts in a vain attempt to deny what is here.
Isin
in particular, together with all extreme emotions in general, produces imbalance; love, hate, euphoria, despair and fury are all subject to the “law of balance”.
Jamu
:
Traditional herbal medicine in Java.
Kajang Mats:
Mats made of the leaves of palm trees, used for roof coverings on boats and as seating.
Kala:
The Kala is a monster that devours itself, representing the relentless passage of time. It is usually shown without its lower jaw, which it has already eaten. Originally a Hindu god, it is often seen above windows and doors.
Kampong
:
Malay word for village.
Kapitan Cina
:
The leader of the Chinese community in colonial cities. The Kapitan and his Council ensured a good relationship between the European and Chinese members of the town, dealt with disputes and crime amongst the Chinese community, and registered births, marriages and deaths.
Kemiri
:
Candlenuts. The oil of mashed candlenuts made hair glossy and was said to keep grey hair at bay.
Kraton
:
Javanese word for royal palace.
Kris
:
The
kris
or
keris
is a distinctive, asymmetrical dagger indigenous to Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Southern Thailand and the southern Philippines. Both a weapon and spiritual object, the
kris
is often considered to have an essence or presence, with some blades possessing good luck and others possessing bad.
La seraille
:
The seraglio, the luxurious women's harem quarters in a Sultan's palace.
Laudanum:
An opium tincture, sometimes sweetened with sugar and also called wine of opium, used widely during the Victorian era.
Loro Kidul
:
Queen of the South Sea, a fierce goddess to whom all the kings of Java are still wed on ascending to power, their power and legitimacy being vested in her. Myth says she was the daughter of the last king of the Western Javanese Hindu Pajajaran kingdom, which was overthrown by the Muslim invasions.
Merang:
A dye made from the burnt stalks of rice to conceal greying hair. Used throughout tropical Asia for centuries, the soaked stalks form an inky liquid which foams like a shampoo and acts, in addition, as a cleansing agent and a tonic.
Mestizo
:
Spanish term meaning “to mix”, the term spread quickly and became generic and synonymous for “mixed race”.
Nyai
:
A native woman, consort, or concubine of a European man in the Dutch East Indies. The status and the fate of the
nyai
varied widely, depending entirely on the actions of the man. After Christian baptism, she could become his wife or he could legitimise her and her children as a secondary “wife”. Once legitimised and recognised in law, she was entitled to upkeep by the man and to inherit part of the man's estate. In theory, and often in fact, a legitimised native
nyai
could quickly pass from being a slave to being a wealthy widow of a Dutch official or merchant. On the other hand, many
nyai
could simply be abandoned and, up to 1782, if they were still slaves at the death of the man, both the
nyai
and her offspring could be separated and sold to other owners. After 1782, this practice was prohibited.
Pempek
:
Pempek
or
empek-empek
is a delicacy from Palembang which is made of fish and sago.
Pinisi
:
Double masted gaff-ketch rig boat built by the sailors of South Sulawesi. It was the ubiquitous commercial trading vessel of the Southeast Asian islands.
Prahu
:
Literally, the Malay word meaning boat. There are many types of
prahu
throughout the islands of the archipelago.
Prambanan:
Largest Hindu temple compound in Indonesia, located near Yogyakarta. Built in the 9th century, a temple to the glory of the Hindu gods, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.
Qi
:
Also commonly spelled
ch'i
, this is a fundamental concept of traditional Chinese culture.
Qi
is believed to be part of every living thing that exists, as a kind of “life force” or “spiritual energy”. It is frequently translated as “energy flow”, or literally as “air” or “breath”.
Revenue Farm:
A revenue farm is a franchise with a license to collect state revenue and with a monopoly right to practice a certain business. Such a monopoly was granted by the state government to a “farmer” for a limited period of time in a strictly defined location in a city, district or province. In return, the farmers/bidders had to pay the government in advance to be guaranteed monopoly status. In Java, the revenue farms were almost exclusively licensed to the Chinese and included monopolies on gambling establishments, liquor distribution, entertainment, transport, road toll gates, markets, money lending and opium.
Ronggeng
:
A type of social dance in which couples exchange poetic verses as they dance to the music of a violin or gong. By the 19th century,
ronggeng
dancers were popular entertainers, singers and dancers in Java, usually assumed also to be prostitutes.