His hunt for old manuscripts also led Ayung Notonegoro to the story of Kiai Banyuwangi’s fight for independence. In a note that he found in Pesantren Lateng, Ayung uncovered a story about Kiai Saleh Lateng.
By
ANGGER PUTRANTO
·5 minutes read
An ancient book splayed on a table was slowly opened. A pair of hands wrapped in gloves slowly thumbed each pegon letter inscribed on the pages. From these letters, Ayung Notonegoro (31) tries to uncover a story that might be useful for the future.
According to the Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language (KBBI), the term “Pegon” refers to Arabic letters used to write Javanese words, or Arabic words without diacritics. Pegon is also often called bare Arabic letters.
“Pegon means to deviate. Pegon letters then means letters which deviate from the standard. Pegon letters do not conform to the standard of the Hijaiyah letters since their writing is based on Javanese or Malay,” explained Ayung Notonegoro, the founder of Banyuwangi Pegon Community.
The birth of Banyuwangi Pegon Community occurred after Ayun was tasked by Banyuwangi branch office of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, with writing a history of NU in Banyuwangi. He still well remembered that the request came during Ramadhan back in 2016.
While conducting field research, Ayung felt there were numerous aspects that must be widely disseminated to the general public. Hence, after completing his task from NU, he continued his research on history.
Ayung founded the Pegon Community as a place for research, documentation and publication of the history of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) and NU in Banyuwangi. The name Pegon Community was inspired by the numerous manuscripts, records and old books written in Pegon letters that were used as a reference in his research project.
“We have done a lot of research on the legacy of kiai (Muslim scholars). For us, houses of elderly kiai as well as pesantren are extraordinary “banks of information”. Many consider these legacies as merely old relics, but for us they are an important source of information,” said Ayung, who is also the author of the book Islam Blambangan.
In pesantren, there is an old habit of writing down important information and tucking these writings on Kitab Kuning (a set of Islamic textbooks commonly used by traditional pesantren) or any books that were being studied at that time. These notes usually hold important information that has been little known.
Other than seeking these notes, the Pegon Community also collects ancient books and manuscripts. There are at least 50 ancient books that have been collected by the Pegon Community, most of which were manuscripts of the Quran, Fiqh and Tauhid, the book of Primbon and old verses that were used in pesantren.
When studying ancient manuscripts, Ayung and his colleagues must remain patient in translating Pegon letters into Indonesian in order to uncover the messages hidden in the old writings. Their patience is required as well when opening old manuscripts, most of which were fragile and easily damaged.
Not only research, the Pegon Community also does documentation of historical objects, including books of ulema, manuscripts written by ulema and members of pesantren, photos, greeting cards and even receipts found in ancient pesantren.
“We want to record the past. One day, the things that we collect might be useful to reconstruct the past. We gather the little details which many deem unimportant. All of this is to support efforts to construct the history,” said Ayung, who has previously served as an executive at the East Java branch of the NU University Student Community.
The Pegon Community has also published its research and documentation. The publications are often done through social media platforms and portal Alif.id. For Ayung, these publications aim to inform the public about the community’s preliminary hypothesis, which serves as a hook to prompt responses that may further enrich, correct or criticize his findings.
Findings
One of the most recent findings of the Pegon Community is a manuscript written by Tumenggung Pringgo Kusumo, the fifth regent of Banyuwangi, who held power from 1860 to 1880. This manuscript tells the history of the Blambangan Kingdom.
The manuscript that we found stores the thoughts of Tumenggung Pringgo Kusumo.
To date, many stories about the Blambangan Kingdom are mostly based on Babad (chronicle) Blambangan or Babad Tawang Alun, which were not written by a native of Banyuwangi, but rather by foreign executives that were the delegates of the Dutch East Indies.
“The manuscript that we found stores the thoughts of Tumenggung Pringgo Kusumo. However, there are two possibilities: either this is his authentic writing, or this is a copy of the authentic version,” said Ayung.
His hunt for old manuscripts also led Ayung to the story of Kiai Banyuwangi’s fight for independence. In a note that he found in Pesantren Lateng, Ayung uncovered a story about Kiai Saleh Lateng.
“From the notes that we gathered, it may be concluded that Kiai Saleh Lateng was an ideologue, an activist of resistance. During the colonial era, he already taught the public about equal rights before the law and anti-oppression,” said Ayung, who has also served as the deputy secretary of NU’s Banyuwangi branch.
During the colonial era, he already taught the public about equal rights before the law and anti-oppression.
In the notes he found, there was a piece of information that in 1917, Pesantren Lateng was burned down by the Dutch authorities. It is highly suspected that the burning was prompted by Kiai Saleh Laten’s refusal to become loyal to the Dutch.
In his studies on Pegon manuscripts, Ayung has also unveiled the history of Islam Nusantara (Islam of the Archipelago) and its traces in Banyuwangi. This is what the Pegon Community aims to further study and inform the public, particularly the youth in Banyuwangi.
Ayung Notonegoro
Born: Banyuwangi, July 25, 1990
Education: IAI Ibrahimiy Genteng Pendidikan Agama Islam (not graduated)
Awards:
· Nugrha Jasa Dharma Pustaloka from the National Library (2019) for conserving ancient manuscripts
· Awarded as an inspirational figure in Banyuwangi (2019)
Publications:
· Sejarah NU Banyuwangi (2016)
· The Authorized Biography of Masykur Ali: Jalan Pengabdian