Hikayat Negeri Johor

bibliography

text notes

list of words

Bibliography

title:		Hikayat Negeri Johor
edition:		Ismail Hussein (ed.), “‘Hikayat Negeri Johor’, A Nineteenth Century Bugis History relating events in Riau and Selangor”, in A History of Johore etc., MBRAS Reprints, no.6, Kuala Lumpur: MBRAS, 1979, pp.181-240.
manuscript:		Cod.Or. 1741(2), Leiden University Library.
dates:		text:  1810;    manuscript:  1849.
provenance:		text & manuscript:  Riau.
words:		13484 words.
references:		to the pages (1-36) and lines of the manuscript, as indicated in the printed edition.

 

Editorial notes and bibliography

Ismail Hussein remarks (pp.187-88):

“The title ‘Hikayat Negeri Johor’ is a misnomer, for the hikayat is not about the country or the rajas of Johor, but about the Bugis rajas in Riau; and the last part concerns the rajas of Bugis descent in Selangor. ... The title in manuscript D: ‘This is the history of the sultan in Teluk Ketapang’ is more appropriate ... for the person playing the main role in the hikayat is Raja Haji Marhum Teluk Ketapang.  Nevertheless attention is focussed not only on the wars between Raja Haji and the Dutch which ended in his own death, but also on his other activities: his wanderings, wars and relationships with other rajas in the Malay archipelago are also mentioned.  The ‘Hikayat Negeri Johor’ is a hikayat of Riau, because it traces the history of the expansion of Bugis power in Riau from the beginning until its decline when it finally succumbed to Dutch power.   The events concerning the Malay sultans of Johor are mentioned in the beginning only to provide the background to conditions in Johor ... at the time before the coming of the five Bugis rajas. ... When the Bugis rajas have gained power in Riau, attention is no longer given to Peninsular Johor.

“The last part of the Hikayat Negeri Johor is focussed upon events in Selangor, because when Riau had been conquered, the Bugis rajas still maintained their influence there.   It was as though Selangor carried on the glorious Bugis power now defunct in Riau.”

 

The edition mentions variant readings in three other manuscipts, namely

"Naskhah B":  Von de Wall 193, Perpustakaan Nasional RI, Jakarta;

"Naskhah C":  Cod.Or. 3322, Leiden University Library;

"Naskhah D":  Von de Wall 192, Perpustakaan Nasional RI, Jakarta.

However the MBRAS publication is apparently defective.  Some of the editor’s notes are missing.

 

The editor has made many emendments, adding material indicated [ ] from readings in the parallel texts.  In preparing the text for the MCP, acceptable readings found in Naskhah A have been restored in a few instances.

Ismail gives jawi readings for many proper names, and these have usually been noted.  However, a number do not present unusual jawi forms, and these have been passed over.

 

References:

R.O. Winstedt, Journal of the Malayan Branch, Royal Asiatic Society, 10.1 (1932): 164-201. — A jawi-script edition conflating two manuscripts with editorial changes by Winstedt.   Ismail deprecates the quality of this work.

 

Preparation

Added:  February 2008

The text was scanned in Canberra by the MCP using Recognita™ OCR, and its spelling occasionally modernised.