Ideology Behind Malay Gravestone Artifacts

This research considers gravestone artifacts in the environment of Malay cultural communities. The use of gravestones as cemetery markers is proof that the user communities have been subject to acculturation. The use of gravestones by Malays is a legacy of Middle East culture. Gravestones are often used in a certain way to indicate the religion of the deceased. Moslems’ gravestones are usually inscribed with Arabic calligraphy. Malay gravestone artifacts are decorated with flora carvings, geometric ornaments, and Arabic calligraphy. Most of them are now stored at National Museum of North Sumatera Province, Malaysian National Museum, and library archive at Indonesian National Library. This article uses qualitative descriptions that involve collecting data concerning artifacts through interview, observation and literature studies. Data analysis is conducted using John Fiske’s Semiotic Theory, which explains visual artifacts through social codes at the levels of reality, representation and ideology. After reviewing gravestone artifacts in the Malay community environments, this study identified a relationship between social aspects and spirituality. If the deceased is a poor person, the gravestone will be simple. When the deceased is a member of the nobility, a successful trader, or a government official, the gravestone can be ornate. Therefore, gravestones have various manifestations when considered with regards to their origins, shapes, and cultural ideologies. Keywords: gravestone, cemetery, Malay culture, ideology