Rencong script

Rencong is any native writing system found in central and south Sumatra, including Kerinci, Bengkulu, Palembang and Lampung.[1] These scripts lasted until the 18th century, when the Dutch colonised Indonesia. These scripts were used to write manuscripts in native languages and in Malay, such as the Tanjung Tanah Code of Law. The Malay writing was gradually replaced by the Jawi script, a localized version of the Arabic script.

Rencong
Type
LanguagesBesemah, Lampung, Malay, Rejang, Serawai, and others
Time period
c. 13th–present
Parent systems
Proto-Sinaitic alphabet
Sister systems
Balinese
Batak
Baybayin scripts
Javanese
Lontara
Old Sundanese
Rejang
Detail of a Kerinci Rencong manuscript (KITLV Or. 239). The text reads (Voorhoeve's spelling): "haku manangis ma / njaru ka'u ka'u di / saru tijada da / tang [hitu hadik sa]", which is translated by Voorhoeve as: "I am weeping, calling you; though called, you do not come" (hitu adik sa- is the rest of 4th line

Rencong scripts were often written on tree bark, bamboo, horns and palmyra-palm leaves. Many of the Rencong scripts are also known as "Surat Ulu," or "upriver scripts," given their prevalence away from a coastline.

The term "Rencong" is often confused with "Rejang," which refers to a specific set of related scripts that were used to write various dialects of the Rejang language and for writing Malay in the region.

This map below shows the distribution of various Rencong scripts in South Sumatra:

Map showing distribution of Rencong scripts

See also
  • Rejang script
  • Kerinci script
  • Lampung script
  • Palembang script
  • List of languages of Indonesia

References
  1. Miller, Christopher. (2011). Indonesian and Philippine Scripts and extensions not yet encoded or proposed for encoding in Unicode as of version 6.0: A report for the Script Encoding Initiative.
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