THE COMMUNITIES OF KAMPUNG MELAYU

The community of Kampung Melayu applied the principal of reciprocally, especially in the field of trading and religious activities. However, the using of Malay language and principal of Islam in the daily life has contributed to the harmonization between people with the various cultural backgrounds.

The community of Kampung Melayu also practiced a mutual cooperation (gotong royong) between ethnics. This spirit also supported by the norm of Islamic teaching, as a majority religion in this community.
The social structure system in Kampung Melayu has been reflected by the relation between land lord group and the people who rent land from them. Physically the gap could be shown by the wall which was build around the landlord’s house, meanwhile the people who rent their land stayed in the ordinary house for the common people.

There were some local leaders, in which each of them had their own responsibility:
 Islamic leader: there were two well known traditional Islamic leader which had a great influenced to the community, one was the Arabic ancestry (from Habib Arab Hadramaut) and the other from Javanese ancestry (Kiai Saleh darat)
• Arabic Captain, who got the trust from the Dutch Government to control and manage the commercial and social life of the Hadramaut group (the Arab group) in Kampung Melayu
• The Chinese Local chief (Lurah) to control and manage the land tax in this settlement
• The Local chiefs of cosmopolitan’s trader are group in Kampung Melayu. There were three local chief leaders which had responsibility to manage and make coordination all the problem of land tax and buildings, to manage and control the community for living harmoniously, and keep the good relationship between ethnics in Kampung Melayu.

KAMPONG'S ARRANGEMENT SYSTEM

The arrangement of Kampung Melayu area was organized by wijkmeester which was responsible to Oei Tiong Ham, the Chinese Captain which stayed in Gedong Gula in the Chinese settlement. In Kampung Melayu there was an Arab Captain which responsible to act as a mediator between his native society and Dutch government.
Originally, there were three villages in Kampung Melayu: Banjarsari villlage, Melayu darat village and Dadapsari village. The village’s chief (Lurah) has pointed by Chinese landlord which has power given by the Dutch government. The Chiefs had responsibility to collect land tax from the people who stayed in their area. The first village's chief came from Madura.
Melayu darat village, as the first village in Kampung Melayu occupied by the Malay people (Malaka and Palembang), meanwhile the majority ethnic in Banjarsari village came from Banjar (South Kalimantan), Sampit and Pangkalan Bun (Central Kalimantan). Dadapsari village as the youngest village in Kampung Melayu covered area around Petek street. This village can be said as the most strategic place for settlement as its location close to the centre of Semarang city at that time. Dadapsari came from the word "dadap"; one kind of trees grows in swamp area in Central Java.

The Chronological Development of Kampung Melayu

The development of commercial activities and the settlement in Kampung Melayu has greatly influenced by the macro development of Semarang city. In the period of mid 18 century to 20 century, Kampung Melayu had a great improvement because of the activity of the old harbor, the Tawang Railway Station, the Johar market, and the development activity of trading and offices in the centre of old city area of Semarang.

In this century, we can see the historical phenomenon which has influenced to the pattern of settlement and the living society especially in the term of socio-cultural and economic:
• Since 1750, the pattern of Kampongs Malaya has changed and developed
• After 1800, the trading activities in Kampung Melayu have increased, especially with the build of the new canal. This phenomenon has influenced also to the development of the settlement in this area.
• Around 1900, the poverty’s rate of Semarang’s inhabitants has increased because of diseases. This disease has been caused by the increasing urbanization. Since 1935, many traders from other area/districts came and lived in Kampung Melayu which has caused the settlement became crowded. The kampong Improvement’s program introduced by Dutch Government at that time could not solve the settlement’s problem in Semarang.
• In the period of 20 century until now, the trading activities in Kampung Melayu has been up and down because of the economic and political situation in Semarang.

THE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE KAMPUNG MELAYU SETTLEMENT IN SEMARANG

Kampung Melayu Semarang is a trader cosmopolitan settlement formed in 17th century. It lies at the edge of Semarang River near Semarang Harbor. Islam is embraced by most people here and Malay language is spoken here. There is a mosque called ”masjid Menara” and a temple. They stand side by side at Layur Street. These two primary elements are the landmark of Kampung Melayu. Kampung Melayu grows and develops along with the potencies of the former Semarang Harbor, commerce activity, Islamication and the influence of the Dutch Colony. The uniques of Kampung Melayu is seen from the various building styles, facades, building details, and the housing of the people as a reflection of the multi-ethnic society culture such as Arabic, China, Malay, Banjar (Kalimantan), Bugis, Madura, and Cirebon. The arrangement and toponym patterns of the settlement blocks show the identity and kinship community of each ethnics.

The condition of Kampung Melayu is very apprehensive now. This settlement seems crowded, slum, unhealthy, unsaved, and it is prone to decreasing on the environment quality and it is also in a flood area. These problems are caused by various factors and aspects, related to development of Semarang City now. The existence of Kampung Melayu in the process of development was evicted by new settlements in ”Tanah Mas” that did not observe the condition of surroundings. They are afraid that this problem and transformation that happened in this settlement can omit locus solus and the Kampung Melayu identity as a cosmopolitan settlement for the multi-ethnic traders.

In an effort to dig up and to describe the characteristic of Kampung Melayu in Semarang, an architectural research has been done with an urban history, morphology, and typology approach. The research was explorative, research analysis pointed to the connection among the series of urban history, morphology and typology. The discussion on Kampung Melayu settlement was emphasized on the architectural and socio-culture aspects found in settlement.

The discovery they got expresses the precedent and the characteristic of Kampung Melayu settlement. The precedent has been obtained from the chronology of the historical development and phenomena happened at the settlement. The precedent is a benefit for the development of Kampung Melayu in the future while the characteristic of Kampung Melayu expresses and reflects a cosmopolitan settlement to the multi-ethnic traders. This condition can be seen through the harmonious relationship among the democratic ethnics.

The architectural characteristic of Kampung Melayu expresses a heterogeneity and plurality cultural society :
• As a whole, the characteristic of Kampung Melayu expresses such a dynamic and a variety constructed environment containing meaning and produces a unique and specific architectural work.
• These elements of variety forms, style, and ethnicities can be found, felt, and explained one by one up to now, as a historical phenomena description and as a socio-cultural community.
• The forms and styles of houses in Kampung Melayu express meaning, syncretism (hybrid and ecliptic building) as well as the ethnicity development on the housing’s occupations.