A typical Rumah Melayu in Kampung Pulau Pisang, Kedah

The Rumah Melayu is indeed an architectural gem, blending its way through space and time in the Malay Archipelago. It survives the onslaught of modernism and modernity.  Putting it another way, the Malay house is modern. It is cosmopolitan. But it is us, “moderns”, pretentious, and parochial at best, that is unable to comprehend the abode’s architecture and the ensuing built-environment.

I am an afficionado of the Malay house. I marvel at these gems, dotting the trunk road along the west coast of the peninsular, often nestled in well-manicured compounds. In some of my earlier writings, I have advocated that the Malay house be gazetted as a national heritage; and that future planning and development in Malaysia, take into account the philosophy behind the abode. Perhaps a Rumah Melayu Council and a fund be establish to preserve and conserve its structure and aesthetics. Timber is central to this initiative.  

It has been argued that the architecture of the Malay house mitigates; or even regulates the natural environment – the tropical equatorial climate. The heat and humidity of the day, the coolness of the night, and the force of the monsoon rains make life easy and abundant.  And I am not only referring to the days of yore, but to contemporary times. The Malay house is timeless.

In the environment of the Malay house, trees are planted, for shades; something that local council authorities must think and implement. Nowadays, we cannot find trees giving continuous shades and protection from the sun. It seems that local authorities plant trees to meet their “KPIs” – the wrong trees at the wrong places.

The serambi (verandahs) create a sense of coolness capturing the breeze, porous partitions   allow cross-ventilation, with natural soft light filtering through the louvres and lattices. In my previous writings, I made reference to Malay houses as we drive toward the north – along areas like Kalumpang, Tapah, the stretch between Kuala Kangsar to Taiping (Padang Rengas, Bukit Gantang) also from Kuala Pilah to Tampin and Alor Gajah.  One also finds such structures in the Seberang Perai area along the trunk road to Alor Star.  Those worthy of saving are the many Rumah Melayu in Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang.

A book published in 2014 has become my constant guide for its brilliant verse narrative of  the world of the Malay house. Titled Rumah: An Ode to the Malay House, it is a tribute to culturalist and historian Tenas Effendy’s poems titled Rumah. Discovered by architect Dr Ken Yeang, Rumah provides, as Yeang put it “a vital and meaningful piece of writing” for a number of reasons.

First, it discusses the Malay house as a cultural artefact, and “reminds us of a traditional way of life that is rapidly disappearing.” We see glimpses of that past through P. Ramlee movies and Lat’s cartoons and lovely caricatures.  The Malay house radiates an ethos rooted in perennial values.  The second reason is the poem itself – articulating the significance of the Malay house as a cultural icon. And to underscore, as a national icon.

Tenas Effendy (1936-2015) is the nom-de-plume of Tengku Nasyaruddin Said Effendy, a culturalist, linguist, poet,  teacher, writer; and most of all an advocate and connoisseur of Malay arts.  He was the head of the Riau-Malay Adat Council. Tenas was based on Riau, known variably to us as the Johor-Riau-Lingga Sultanate; and the Riau Sultanate.

We have marginalised the Riau archipelago and its Sultanate, thinking that it is part of Indonesia. Also the area suffers from neglect being viewed a borderland area.  We view it geographically  and culturally, sitting “in between” but belonging to Indonesia. Riau is the cradle of modern Malay enlightenment. We lost that intellectual tradition and legacy.

The Riau-Malay house has organic origins, configured by the geopolitics of the area.  It can be argued that Riau, both the Kepulauan (archipelago) and the Daratan (mainland) are the homeland of the Malays. The traditional Riau-Malay house architecture evolves in tandem with its practitioners, cultural idea and social value of its people.

Traditional Riau Malay architecture is as varied as the customs, dialects and the pluralistic socio-cultural environment established there. Many descriptive terms are unique to the rantau. In the essay titled “The Traditional Riau-Malay House”: Menyelam Zaman Mengukir Pembaharuan” carried in Rumah, authors Abdurr-Razzaq Lubis and Raimy Che-Ross note that many of the terms and descriptions have no English equivalents.

One term commonly used by non-locals to describe a Riau-Malay house is Rumah Bumbung Melayu, or as the Chinese and Dutch once called it, Rumah Bubung Melayu. It is also known as Rumah Bekah Bubung or Rumah Rabung. The Malays prefer to call their abode Rumah Belah Bubung. This is a reference to its roof design where the bumbung is divided (bekah) and tilted upwards on its inner side to meet at a higher ridge (perabung or rabung) in the middle.

According to the authors, the steepness of a roof, its stylistic variations, and the placement and orientation of the house itself beneath it, have also produced other descriptive nomenclatures such as Rumah Lipat Pandan, Rumah Lipat Kajang, Rumah Atap Layar and Rumah Ampar Labu.  A house with a ridge set parallel to the main road in front of it is known as a Rumah Perabung Panjang; while a house with a ridge running perpendicular to the main road is called Rumah Perabung Melintang.

The height of a house and the relationship between its parts has inspired other derivations and the terms here are also used for Malay houses elsewhere in the peninsular. For example a house raised about one and a half to two and a half meters from the ground is styled Rumah Panggung. A house with a smaller side-house or annex placed slightly lower than its main structure is known as a Rumah Gajah Menyusu.

Tenas Effendy’s gurindam (a verse form, beautifully translated by Raimy Ché-Ross) describes the Riau-Malay house embodying all its complexities and intricacies.

Tempat berhimpun sanak saudara,

Tempat berunding cerdik-pandai,

Tenpat bercakap alim-ulama,

Tempat beradat keturunan

[a place where kinsfolk gather,

A place where the wise and sagacious confer,

A placed where the learned and pios chatter,

A place with Adat and Keturunan]

Another one is as follows:

Rumah ada adatnya,

Tepian ada bahasanya,

Jalan bersetabik

Cakap bersetina

Duduk berbatuh

Makan berkatan

[A house has its own customs and traditions,

A bathing place its polite observances

When walking, harmonise your greetings

When talking, clarify your meaning,

When sitting, coordinate your seating,

When eating, moderate your dining]

By extension, the Tanah Air itself is a house for all its inhabitants.  This is where

Rumah ada adatnya,

Selilup Bendul Tepi,

Selingkup Bendul Tengah

[Houses possess their own Adat,

Enfolding the Bendul Tepi,

Draping the Bendul Tengah]