Nusantara (term) explained

Nusantara is the Indonesian name of Maritime Southeast Asia (or parts of it). It is an Old Javanese term that literally means "outer islands".[1] In Indonesia, it is generally taken to mean the Indonesian Archipelago.[2] Outside of Indonesia, the term has been adopted to refer the Malay Archipelago.[3]

The word Nusantara is taken from an oath by Gajah Mada in 1336, as written in the Old Javanese Pararaton.[4] Gajah Mada was a powerful military leader and prime minister of Majapahit credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory. Gajah Mada delivered an oath called Sumpah Palapa, in which he vowed not to eat any food containing spices until he had conquered all of Nusantara under the glory of Majapahit.

The concept of Nusantara as a unified region was not invented by Gajah Mada in 1336. The term Nusantara was first used by Kertanegara of Singhasari in Mula Malurung inscription dated 1255. Furthermore, in 1275, the term Cakravala Mandala Dvipantara was used by him to describe the aspiration of united Southeast Asian archipelago under Singhasari and marked the beginning of his efforts to achieve it. Dvipantara is a Sanskrit word for the "islands in between", making it a synonym to Nusantara as both dvipa and nusa mean "island".[5] [6] Kertanegara envisioned the union of Southeast Asian maritime kingdoms and polities under Singhasari as a bulwark against the rise of the expansionist Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China.[7]

In a wider sense, Nusantara in modern language usage includes Austronesian-related cultural and linguistic lands, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, East Timor and Taiwan, while excluding Papua New Guinea.[8] [9] [10]

Etymology

The term Nusantara derives from a combined two words of Austronesian and Sanskrit origin, the word nūsa (see also nusa) meaning "island" in Old Javanese, is ultimately derived from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word *nusa with the same meaning,[11] and the word antara is a Javanese loanword borrowed from Sanskrit अन्तरा (antarā) meaning "between" or "in the middle",[12] thus creating a compound word of nūsa (“island”) + antara (“interval, interspace; other, another, different”) and together it means " the outer islands" as mentioned in the 14th century Old Javanese manuscript Pararaton and Nagarakretagama.[13]

Ancient concepts

See main article: Territories of Majapahit.

Etymology

Nusantara is an Old Javanese word which appears in the Pararaton manuscript. In Javanese, Nusantara is derived and antara, 'between'. It means "outer islands" or "other islands" (in the sense of "islands beyond Java in between the Indian and Pacific Oceans"), referring to the islands outside of Java under hegemony of the Majapahit Empire. The term is commonly erroneously translated as "archipelago" in modern times.[14] Based on the Majapahit concept of state, the monarch had power over three areas:

  1. Negara Agung, or the Grand State — the core realm of the kingdom where Majapahit formed before becoming an empire. This included the capital city and the surrounding areas where the king effectively exercised his government: the area in and around royal capital of Trowulan, port of Canggu and sections of Brantas River valley near the capital, as well as the mountainous areas south and southeast of the capital, all the way to the Pananggungan and Arjuno-Welirang peaks. The Brantas river valley corridor, connecting the Majapahit Trowulan area to Canggu and the estuarine areas in Kahuripan (Sidoarjo) and Hujung Galuh (Surabaya), is also considered to be part of Negara Agung.
  2. Mancanegara, the areas surrounding Negara Agung — this traditionally referred to the Majapahit provinces of East and Central Java ruled by the Bhres (dukes), the king's close relatives. This included the rest of Java as well as Madura and Bali. These areas were directly influenced by Majapahit court culture and obliged to pay annual tributes; their rulers might have been directly related to, allied with, and/or intermarried with the Majapahit royal family. Majapahit officials and officers were stationed in these places to regulate their foreign trade activities and collect taxes, but beyond this mancanegara provinces enjoyed substantial autonomy in internal affairs. In later periods, overseas provinces which had adopted Javanese culture or possessed significant trading importance were also considered mancanegara. The ruler of these provinces was either a willing vassal of the Majapahit king or a regent appointed by the king to rule the region. These realms included Dharmasraya, Pagaruyung, Lampung and Palembang in Sumatra.
  3. Nusantara, areas which did not reflect Javanese culture, but were included as colonies which had to pay annual tribute. This included the vassal kingdoms and colonies in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, Maluku, New Guinea, and the Sulu Archipelago. These regions enjoyed substantial autonomy and internal freedom, and Majapahit officials and military officers were not necessarily stationed there; however, any challenges to Majapahit oversight might have drawn a severe response.

The word Nusantara was not only used by the Javanese and did not disappear after the fall of Majapahit. This word can be found in Malay Annals, a classic Malay literature written as early as 1612, but it remained known even in the 1808 manuscript:[15] [16]

Terlalu sekali besar kerajaan Baginda (Majapahit) pada zaman itu, segala seluruh Jawa semuanya dalam hukum Baginda, dan segala raja-raja Nusantarapun setengah sudah ta-luk kepada baginda.
Very big was the kingdom of Baginda (the king of Majapahit) at that time, all of Java was under Baginda's law, and half of the kings of the Nusantara archipelago were submissive to Baginda.[17]

Nusantara concept in the 20th century

In 1920, Ernest Francois Eugene Douwes Dekker (1879–1950), also known as Setiabudi, proposed Nusantara as a name for the independent country of Indonesia which did not contain any words etymologically related to the name of India or the Indies. This is the first instance of the term Nusantara appearing after it had been written into Pararaton manuscript.

The definition of Nusantara introduced by Setiabudi is different from the 14th-century definition of the term. During the Majapahit era, Nusantara described vassal areas that had been conquered. Setiabudi defined Nusantara as all the Indonesian regions from Sabang to Merauke.

Modern usage

Indonesia

Nowadays, in Indonesian, Nusantara is synonymous with either the Indonesian Archipelago or the national territory of Indonesia.[18] In this sense, the term Nusantara excludes Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, East Timor, and the Philippines. In 1967, it transformed into the concept of Wawasan Nusantara, or "archipelagic outlook," which regards the archipelagic realm of Indonesia (the islands and seas within/surrounding the country) as a single unity of several aspects, mainly socio-cultural, linguistic, political, economic, security-driven and defensive unity.[19]

Nusantara is also the name of the future capital of Indonesia.[20]

Outside Indonesia

In Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, the term is generally used to refer to the Malay Archipelago or the Malay realm (Malay: Alam Melayu) which includes those countries.

In a more scholarly manner without national borders, Nusantara in a modern language usage "refers to the sphere of influence of the Austronesian-related cultural and linguistic islands that comprise Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southernmost part of Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, East Timor and perhaps even Taiwan, but it does not involve the areas of Papua New Guinea."[8]

Nusantara studies

The Nusantara Society in Moscow conducts studies on the Nusantara region's history, culture, languages and politics.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Friend, T. . Indonesian Destinies . Harvard University Press . 2003 . 601 . 0-674-01137-6 . registration .
  2. Web site: Hasil Pencarian - KBBI Daring. kbbi.kemdikbud.go.id. 2018-07-20.
  3. Web site: Nusantara Malay to English Translation - Oxford Dictionaries. https://web.archive.org/web/20180720135947/https://ms.oxforddictionaries.com/translate/malay-english/nusantara. dead. 20 July 2018. Oxford Malay Living Dictionary. en-GB. 2018-07-20.
  4. Book: Mpu . Prapañca . Y. . Padmapuspita . Pararaton . 1966 . Taman Siswa.
  5. Web site: Kertanagara dan Nusantara . Historia . 18 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231022171837/https://historia.id/kuno/articles/kertanagara-dan-nusantara-P0pMO/page/3 . id . 2022-01-19. 22 October 2023 .
  6. Santiko . Hariani . May 2020 . Religious Life of King Kertanegara . KALPATARU, Majalah Arkeologi . 29 . 1 . 29–38 . 2024-04-20.
  7. Utomo . Bambang Budi . Majapahit dalam Lintas Pelayaran dan Perdagangan Nusantara . Berkala Arkeologi . Balai Arkeologi Yogyakarta . 29 . 2 . 2009-11-30 . 2548-7132 . 10.30883/jba.v29i2.375 . 1–14. 11 June 2024 . free .
  8. Evers . Hans-Dieter . 2016 . Nusantara: History of a Concept . Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society . 89 . 1 . 3–14 . 10.1353/ras.2016.0004. 163375995 .
  9. Mohd. Zariat Abdul Rani. 2005. Antara Islam dan Hinduisme di Alam Melayu: Beberapa catatan pengkaji barat. SARI: Jurnal Alam Dan Tamadun Melayu. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. 23. 67–82. 0127-2721. Seperkara lagi yang perlu dijelaskan ialah perbezaan istilah yang digunakan mereka bagi merujuk daerah yang mereka perkatakan. N. J. Krom (seterusnya Krom), misalnya, menggunakan istilah 'Nusantara', manakala Bernard H. M. Vlekke (seterusnya Vlekke) dan J.C. Van Leur (Van Leur) menamakan daerah kajian mereka sebagai "Indonesia". Meskipun terdapat perbezaan dari segi istilah, namun setelah diteliti adalah didapati cakupan perbincangan mereka rata-rata merujuk kepada daerah yang sama, iaitu daerah yang disebut oleh Al-Attas dalam syarahan pengukuhan beliau yang bertajuk Islam dalam Sejarah dan Kebudayaan Melayu (1972) sebagai "Kepulauan Melayu-Indonesia"..
  10. News: Berita Harian. Istilah Nusantara diguna tanpa semangat penyatuan Melayu. Hafizah Iszahanid. 11 October 2018. Konsep Nusantara dalam pemahaman warga Indonesia sangat berbeza dengan apa yang difahami rakyat Malaysia, bahkan hampir kesemua negara lain di Asia Tenggara termasuk Singapura...ketika kebanyakan penduduk Asia Tenggara merujuk Nusantara kepada wilayah Kepulauan Melayu atau negara di Asia Tenggara, penduduk Indonesia sebaliknya berpendapat Nusantara adalah Indonesia semata-mata..
  11. The word "nusa" in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.
  12. [Monier Williams]
  13. News: Widya Lestari Ningsih . 18 January 2022 . Sejarah Nama Nusantara. Kompas.com. 15 October 2023.
  14. Book: Bentley . Jerry H. . Bridenthal . Renate . Wigen . Kären . Gaynor . Jennifer L. . Seascapes: Maritime Histories, Littoral Cultures, and Transoceanic Exchanges . limited . 2007 . University of Hawaii Press . Maritime Ideologies and Ethnic Anomalies . 9780824830274 . 59–65.
  15. Ismail. Abdul Rahman Haji. 1998. Malay Annals. Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 9789679948134. 93.
  16. Book: Ahmad, A. Samad. 1979. Sulalatus Salatin (Sejarah Melayu). Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia. 43.
  17. Book: Nugroho, Irawan Djoko. 2009. Meluruskan Sejarah Majapahit. Ragam Media. 227.
  18. Web site: nusantara Indonesian to English Translation - Oxford Dictionaries. https://web.archive.org/web/20171225034901/https://id.oxforddictionaries.com/translate/indonesian-english/nusantara. dead. 25 December 2017. Oxford Indonesian Living Dictionary. en-GB. 2017-12-24.
  19. Book: Sovereignty and the Sea: How Indonesia Became an Archipelagic State. Butcher. John G.. Elson. R. E.. 2017-03-24. NUS Press. 9789814722216. en.
  20. Web site: Siregar. Kiki. Indonesia minister announces name of new national capital in eastern Kalimantan. CNA. 3 October 2022. 17 January 2022. 17 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220117065344/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-new-capital-name-nusantara-east-kalimantan-2440426. live.

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