The Story of Indonesian Manuscripts & the 'Jones' Man

A manuscript is any written document that is not printed or reproduced by other means, whether located domestically or abroad, that is at least 50 years old and has significant meaning for national culture, history, and science.” (Law No. 43 of 2007 Article 4). In Indonesia, there are three types of ancient manuscripts/scripts: 1. Islamic Manuscripts, which are manuscripts in Arabic language and script, 2. Jawi Manuscripts, which are texts written in Arabic script but in Malay language, with some additional diacritics to match the Malay accent, and 3. Pegon Manuscripts, which are texts written in Arabic script but using local languages such as Javanese, Sundanese, Bugis, Buton, Banjar, Acehnese, and others. (Hanum et al., 2023)

Ancient manuscripts can provide information about various aspects of life in the past, such as politics, economy, socio-culture, and so on. General information regarding this can certainly be found in the manuscripts for deeper study by anyone interested. These manuscripts are important not only academically but also touch on social and cultural dimensions. They represent identity, pride, and invaluable cultural heritage. Socio-culturally, ancient manuscripts contain teachings, advice, rules, and norms that served as guidelines for the lives of people at that time, much like sacred texts. When examined in the context of today’s society, ancient manuscripts contain values that are still relevant to current life, making it urgent and important for us today to uncover the contents within them. The remaining ancient manuscripts, besides serving as a form of cultural documentation, can also become objects of learning to extract moral messages and their contents. These values of goodness may be needed to address the problems and challenges of contemporary life.

Efforts to preserve and rescue ancient manuscripts, most of which are hundreds of years old, must be undertaken immediately so that the collection can be used for a long time. The physical condition of materials made from substances such as paper, lontar, bamboo, tree bark, and similar materials is certainly very fragile and will not last because they will deteriorate over time. Preservation can be carried out through the digitization of ancient manuscript collections. Digitization is the process of converting printed documents into digital documents. This digitization process can be applied to various forms of collections or library materials such as maps, ancient manuscripts, photographs, sculptures, audiovisual works, paintings, and so on (Mustofa, 2020)

All identified collections of ancient manuscripts will subsequently undergo the digitization process. This digitization must be carried out promptly because the physical condition of ancient manuscripts has become fragile and easily damaged when touched. The benefits of manuscript digitization include not only securing the physical manuscripts as written sources but also ensuring that the contents of the manuscripts are preserved so that related information can continue to be studied and utilized by future generations. Efforts to preserve both tangible and intangible aspects have been made and continue to be ongoing for future utilization. The processes of digitization, preservation, exhibition, discussion, and others serve as a means to connect the ancient manuscripts of the archipelago with current conditions. This form of preservation has been ongoing for a long time, but there are forms of media transfer and utilization that may still be rare in Indonesia. Film production based on the existence of manuscripts may not yet have been explored by our filmmakers.

For fans of films set against historical adventure and archaeology, anthropologists conducting field research related to ancient cultures, treasure hunting, or heirlooms may have made the film *Indiana Jones* series one of their favorite references. The story of an archaeologist professor in the first film *Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981) embarks on an adventure searching for pieces of history and archaeological finds based on prior manuscript research.

What is interesting and always characteristic of this film is Indiana Jones's adventure in pursuing pieces of history through manuscripts across various civilizations. “Ancient manuscripts” become the main gateway connecting each civilization and era throughout the film's storyline. Certainly, the scriptwriting for this film was not done haphazardly. The research conducted involved multidisciplinary experts to bring the story to life based on their expertise. Watching the film while learning history from past cultures, including interpreting the moral messages from each ancient manuscript studied.

Herein lies the effort of preservation through other media as an attempt to ground the values of ancient manuscript legacies within a cultural civilization. Film serves as a medium across generations where academics, whose expertise is unquestionable, are not only assisted but also actively involved in conveying inspiring stories, moral messages, advice, and untold narratives from these ancient manuscripts. The preservation process is not only physical but has also extended to the unseen values of a manuscript. Preservation efforts can continue and even involve viewers who are inspired and feel a sense of responsibility to preserve the values of a manuscript from a civilization's legacy.

Indonesia, as one of the great and possibly ancient civilizations, has a wealth of manuscripts or ancient texts that need to be inventoried. Our diverse culture, with its manuscript legacies, has great potential to be conveyed through the creation of historical fiction films. No longer solely through documentary films. Filmmakers should start presenting our rich and diverse cultural heritage. Communication with manuscript communities in the archipelago and philologists can create a synergy to begin showcasing engaging educational historical content that remains aware and not resistant to the development of the times and market tastes.

References

-          Hanum, Atiqa Nur Latifa. Antonius Totok Priyadi, Aliyah Nur'aini Hanum, Aji Ali Akbar. 2023. The Role of Libraries, Archives, and Museums in Preserving Ancient Manuscripts in West Kalimantan. Journal of Library and Information Science, Vol. 19 No. 1, June 2023. Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, and Faculty of Engineering, Tanjungpura University.

Mustofa. 2020. Digitization of Literary Works Collection of Balai Pustaka as an Effort in Service in the Era of Digital Natives. JPUA: Journal of Libraries of Airlangga University: Media Information and Communication in Librarianship