Archaeologist defends Hang Tuah's existence
KUALA LUMPUR Jan 20 — An archaeologist today defended the existence of Hang Tuah, pointing out that although no specific studies had been done on the matter, he was convinced that the legendary warrior was not a mythical figure.
Malaysian Archaeologists Association president Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Nik Hassan Shuhaimi Nik Abdul Rahman said studies concerning the warrior and his four peers could still proceed despite the views that Hang Tuah might be a mythical figure.
"I believe that he existed but we can”t be sure of the era; if we look at the Hang Tuah tales, he existed during the era of a sultanate. The name ”Hang” does indeed exist in the Malay world.
"However, further studies on his four peers (Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu) maybe needed. The name ”Hang” exists in Padang Lawas Sumatra, Indonesia.” He said that although there had been no specific studies carried out on the matter, indirect ones indicated that the warrior did indeed exist.
"And then there is also the Hang Tuan tomb. We can”t deny that it is not.
Although there is no specific name written on it, it is from the 15th century,” he told reporters at a convention on the Malay cultural roots here today.
Historian Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim had previously said that Hang Tuah might be mythical and that there were no strong evidence to proof the warrior”s existence.
Dr Nik Hassan said DNA tests on the remains in the tomb might prove to be difficult due to religious sensitivities.
"This is a Muslim tomb. We don”t want to disturb this tomb because there may be sensitivities involved in terms of religion. We can perform tests on pre-historic findings,” he said.
— BERNAMA
The above statement was issued in contrast due to a related statement given by Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim in The Star dated 16th January 2012 [Click here], 17th January 2012 [Click here], 18th January 2012 [Click here] and 19th January 2012 [Click here].
I am unsure of whom to believe in the above rebutting statements but if you go and visit Malacca and search for historical [click here] places there, you will find it possible to find Hang Li Po well, the grave of Hang Tuah, the grave of Hang Jebat, the grave of Hang Kasturi and the grave of Tun Teja amongst other many historical places as well.
Therefore, how can one say that those figures are mythical figures and are not real? Futhermore, Hang Tuah is even mentioned in Sejarah Melayu although it was deemed 'Hikayat Hang Tuah' or the story of Hang Tuah.
So to conclude, I think I believe what I can see because I can see the well and the graves of the so-called mythical figure rather than what is being propogated by the good Prof because everybody will be opposing to something all the time even though there are proof of the existence of the said myths.
What is the opinion of my beloved readers? I am sure you have a thing or two to say about this matter...
.
