A DESCRIPTION OF TRADITIONAL MALAY COMMUNITY IN SYAIR PUTERA MAHKOTA

Old Malay manuscripts is a record about the civilization and the life-span of the society. The bond between the king and the people, the social stratification, the philosophy of life, beliefs, customs and even the value systems supported by a society are among the images that can be found through the old manuscript. For this study, Syair Putera Makhota will be focused. In this regard, this study deals with the picture of the Malay community perpetuated by its author, as found in the manuscripts studied. The manuscript of Syair Putera Makhota used in this study is stored in the National Library of Malaysia in the form of manuscript number MSS 4048. Syair Putera Makhota is a manuscript which shows a lot about the description of the palace community with various customs. In addition, the manuscript also describes the layers of society such as the upper class society and subordinate society. This study was carried out to look at the situation and the behavior of the community that can be seen through the Syair Putera Makhota, especially in the context of the special relationship between the two different classes: the superior and the subordinates. The sociological approach is used to discuss the information contained. The findings have shown that there are various social images in these verses such as the privileges and superiority of the upper class society, whilst at the same time, the manuscript also depicts the picture of the subordinate society itself as well as the picture of the community working together in a community. It is hoped that this study can be used as a guide in the community life.