Rowing ‘at home’ and ‘away’: sport, heritage and identity in the Malay world

ABSTRACT

This paper is grounded in a comparison of the cultural identifications that accompany Sambas Malays’ participation in rowing competitions ‘at home’ and ‘away’. Sambas Malays are Indonesian citizens from the regency of Sambas, who ethnically identify as Malay. There, rowing competitions provide the sociocultural infrastructure for developing local and translocal cultural identifications. Two related, yet distinguishable, cultural identifications are evident, each associated with a specific rowing infrastructure. When contests occur ‘at home’, rowing is steeped in local Sambas Malay culture and heritage. However, contests ‘away’, in areas loosely identified as ‘Malay’, generate identifications with a regionally based Malay culture and consociality. Utilizing a non-positivistic conceptualization of ‘border’, this paper considers the intersection of culture, politics, economy, geography and mobility in everyday bordering practices producing two overlapping cultural identifications.

KEYWORDS:

• Malay world
• sport and identity
• border
• rowing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. This is a minimal definition of a Malay world (see, for example, Mandel [2012]).

2. According to the Minister of Information, Communications and Culture, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim: ‘There is a need for silat to make a comeback because we don’t want to lose our identity and history. … Silat is also a martial art that develops character and discipline, promoting spiritual, physical and mental wellbeing.’ (New Straits Times, 29 March 2011, Main section, p.24).

3. See The Malaysian Insider, 20 September, 2015 (online) for a report on this rally.

4. This paper is based on fieldwork conducted in Indonesia in 2008 and 2009, with shorter trips in 2010 and 2015. Unless the individual is a prominent public figure, names of informants are concealed or given pseudonyms. Pak Erwin, Pak Yusri, Abang Junaidi, and Abang Idin are pseudonyms, as is Desa Tanjung Bunga.

5. Hang Tuah’s alleged oath is commonly cited by Malay activists and organizations in Indonesia and Malaysia, sometimes being written as ‘Tak Melayu [akan] hilang di bumi’.

6. In 2014, it was decided the festival would be biennial to ease the burden on participants, organizations and sponsors.

7. Their prize was a cow and IRD 2 million, around USD 2000.

8. A survey of the historiographical traditions of Malay studies also reveals a tendency to ignore/exclude West Kalimantan and Borneo (Collins 2004).

9. The Sarawak Regatta originated in 1872. Only one event, the 30-paddler bidar ‘Raja Sungai’ (King of the River), retains wooden rowboats.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council [Translocal Identities in the Malay world: [Grant Number DP077127];