Reverse-engineering culture: Recovering traditional craft practices In Malay housebuilding

UNESCO’s approach towards heritage has evolved from one dominated by western doctrines to an anthropological approach that recognises the value of intangible traditions where the lives, knowledge and creative processes of inhabitants are treated as equally important to tangible sites and artefacts. While the latter prioritised the preservation of objects, intangible heritage stresses the importance of the safeguarding, dissemination and reproduction of traditional practices for future generations to adopt. This knowledge-based heritage is particularly important in South East Asia, rich with rituals and oral traditions that are passed down from generation to generation. However, as a result of colonisation, industrialisation, and standardisation, there is a threat to the value of arts, skills and ideals affecting the preservation of intangible heritage amongst locals. Dominant modern or western values often contradict traditional values, which are heavily influenced by spiritual and noumenal existence. One notable example of the destruction of this heritage is the loss of knowledge of traditional housebuilding in Malaysia. The architectural heritage of a Malay house is associated with abstract Malay beliefs and the symbolism built by traditional Malay master-craftsmen over generations, often involving the whole community. The Malay house is distinguished by the light wooden stilts structure held together by timber wedges, utilising one of the earliest prefabrication methods enabling disassembly and relocation. This strongly reflects a system of cultural kinship where the Malay constantly adapts to the spiritual and natural world surrounding him. The intangible and tangible elements of traditional Malay housebuilding are inseparable as the building process adheres to strict rituals, metaphorically merging both the individuals and the object. Although the knowledge transfer of Malay housebuilding was based on an apprenticeship system where skills were inherited from within the family trade, this study investigates an alternative view of knowledge transfer within the Malay world. As a forgotten trade, traditional Malay builders are now scarce, leaving a significant generation gap that is leading to the loss of knowledge in traditional Malay making and craftsmanship. This study documents and evaluates a ‘reverse-engineering’ technique of knowledge transfer discovered during the author’s fieldwork with modern Malay craftsman, which exploits the disassembly process of a Malay house as a tool to explore indigenous, ingenious and tacit knowledge embedded in each component of the house, recovering narratives of timelessness and rootedness. Applying theories of material culture, situated learning and practiced-based learning could substantiate this technique in addressing the values of Malay workmanship, techniques and rituals, traced from heritage objects. While traditional master craftsman find it hard to articulate their skills to others and traditional apprenticeships require years to pursue, the course of action in the disassembly and assembly of a Malay house explicitly conveys invaluable approach to knowledge transfer and the learning process for future generations, enabling them to master old techniques and evolve new craft practices rooted in the present.