Manuscript shed light on Buton history
Manuscript shed light on Buton history
Hasrul, The Jakarta Post/Kendari
"Inside this letter, I wish to express several hopes," states a
letter sent to the Netherlands government by Buton Sultan
Muhyiuddin Abdul Gafur a few centuries ago.
Excerpts of the letter have been translated by Buton historian
Suryadi, who is presenting a paper at the IX International
Symposium on Old Archipelagic Manuscripts being held in Buton
regency, Southeast Sulawesi.
His paper focuses on the historic manuscripts currently kept
in the library of Leiden University, the Netherlands. Most of the
manuscripts were written by Muhyiuddin, who ruled Buton between
1791 and 1799.
Among the manuscripts that greatly interested Suryadi were
five letters sent by the Buton Sultan to his fellow rulers across
the archipelago and to the Netherlands government.
The great number of manuscripts reflects the importance of the
Buton Sultanate in the past.
Suryadi, a researcher with Leiden University, said that more
extensive research on the manuscripts had to be carried out in
order to reveal the full story of Buton history, including
political intrigues inside the sultanate, regime changes,
economic activities, peace pacts, etc.
"These letters can serve as a key that allows people to find
out about the Buton Palace, especially the lives of the
aristocracy," he said.
According to Suryadi, his paper discusses five letters sent by
Sultan Muhyiuddin to the Netherlands government. The paper also
sets out the backgrounds to the five letters.
The paper is one of nine papers to be discussed during the
three-day international symposium, which started on Friday. Other
papers are by various international researchers, such as E.P.
Wieringa of Germany, Jen van der Puten, Singapore, Alexander K.
Ogloblia, Russia, Hiroko Yamaguci, Japan, Ding Choo Ming,
Malaysia, Awang Asbol bin Haji Mail, Brunei Darussalam, and Thai
Hyun, South Korea.
Participants from the United Kingdom, Australia and the United
States had also been set to participate in the symposium but
canceled their visits at the last minute.
Besides international researchers, the symposium committee has
also invited local participants to share their thoughts on the
old manuscripts being featured during the symposium. They are Edi
Ekadjati from Padjadjaran University in Bandung, Arsanti
Wulandari from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and Muhammad
Ali from Airlangga University in Surabaya.
Meanwhile, three speakers at the event come from Baubau town,
Buton regency, namely, E.A. Zaidi, a Buton cultural expert, La
Ode Siradjuddin Djarudju from Haluoleo University in Kendari, the
capital of Southeast Sulawesi, and La Ode Manafi of Unidayan
University, Baubau.
The symposium is not only being attended by experts from
overseas, but also by various local elements such as non-
governmental organization activists, politicians, local figures
and government officials.
"Besides throwing light on these old Indonesian manuscripts,
we expect that the symposium can shed light on Buton manuscripts
as well so that it can result in us gaining a more complete
picture of Buton history," said Ali Mazi, the governor of
Southeast Sulawesi.
The Buton Sultanate, which was at the height of its power
between the 13th and 17th centuries, was an important state in
what is today Indonesia. At its peak, Buton port was one of the
main trading hubs for the archipelagic kingdoms.