Traditional Malay black ink: An analysis of its recipes and characteristics
Historically, the use and produce of Malay traditional ink were closely associated with the palaces and pondoks (Islamic religious school) where the early Malay manuscripts were traced. These Malay manuscripts can be traced dated back to the 16th century and the fact that those manuscripts have...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/54424/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/54424/1/ICABE2016_ABSTRACT_RAJABI%20RAZAK.pdf |
| Summary: | Historically, the use and produce of Malay traditional ink were closely
associated with the palaces and pondoks (Islamic religious school) where the
early Malay manuscripts were traced. These Malay manuscripts can be traced
dated back to the 16th century and the fact that those manuscripts have
survived until today proves the durability and permanency of the traditional ink.
Unfortunately, the documentation and description of such an indigenous ink
making are scarce from the literature. Therefore, this work is dedicated to
uncovering the legacy of Malay traditional ink recipe through several
approaches, namely, analyse the recipe through historical literature and
inspecting the characteristics of ink’s and its behaviour on existing early
manuscript through microscopic analysis. The black ink was produced
traditionally using natural resources that were available within a particular
locality and applied on papers from foreign origin, either occidental or oriental.
Ingredients used are varied which consists three important elements; colouring
agent, adhesive and additives. The colouring agent determines the black ink’s
pigment. As for the adhesive, its function is to ensure that the ink adheres well
to the paper fibre, provide fluidity to the ink flow and improve the permanency
and durability of the ink. Finally, the additives were often added to complement
the roles of additives. Besides, they also serve to neutralize the odour of the
solution and to shorten the ink drying time. The Malay manuscripts were
examined under microscopic analyses revealed the characteristic qualities that
prove the stability and permenancy of this traditional ink have prolonged the
age of the manuscripts. |
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