"Patterned Splendour" Pages 48-19, Lesley S Pullen
There are three statues of Arca leluhur (ancestor figures) found in Java and Sumatra, which are depicted wearing tailored garments of a Javanese or Malay type of dress with a long-sleeved
jacket worn over a kain to the ankles.
The garments on the sculpture originate from Java and are carved with an overall pattern of a
daisy flower. The Sumatra arcā appears carved with a pattern that reflects a Persian-inspired motif. Both statues wear a jacket known as a baju or kebaya. Baju was initially derived from the Persian word bad ͡ ȝu and adopted into Malay.
On the other hand, the term kebaya is probably derived from the Arabic word kaba or abaya. The word kebaya originates from the Arabic habaya, meaning a long tunic open down the front.
In today’s Malay language, an upper body garment, whether with or without sleeves, is generally termed a baju; a word also used for a blouse, robe, tunic or coat. The term baju appears in Javanese texts from the early eleventh century and in Malay manuscripts from the late fourteenth century. Peter Lee adds the following footnote to a 1420 commentary from Ma Huan, a Chinese traveller who journeyed to Southeast Asia: “in Java women wore an upper garment, a short jacket with coloured cloth … a baju with a V-shaped opening and a wrapped skirt, a shoulder cloth or seléndang”
I hope this makes for interesting reading - it would be good to have any comments. Lesley Pullen.
"Patterned Splendour" Pages 48-19, Lesley S Pullen
There are three statues of Arca leluhur (ancestor figures) found in Java and Sumatra, which are depicted wearing tailored garments of a Javanese or Malay type of dress with a long-sleeved
jacket worn over a kain to the ankles.
The garments on the sculpture originate from Java and are carved with an overall pattern of a
daisy flower. The Sumatra arcā appears carved with a pattern that reflects a Persian-inspired motif. Both statues wear a jacket known as a baju or kebaya. Baju was initially derived from the Persian word bad ͡ ȝu and adopted into Malay.
On the other hand, the term kebaya is probably derived from the Arabic word kaba or abaya. The word kebaya originates from the Arabic habaya, meaning a long tunic open down the front.
In today’s Malay language, an upper body garment, whether with or without sleeves, is generally termed a baju; a word also used for a blouse, robe, tunic or coat. The term baju appears in Javanese texts from the early eleventh century and in Malay manuscripts from the late fourteenth century. Peter Lee adds the following footnote to a 1420 commentary from Ma Huan, a Chinese traveller who journeyed to Southeast Asia: “in Java women wore an upper garment, a short jacket with coloured cloth … a baju with a V-shaped opening and a wrapped skirt, a shoulder cloth or seléndang”
I hope this makes for interesting reading - it would be good to have any comments. Lesley Pullen.