The songkok (Jawi script: ) or peci or kopiah (Pegon script: ) is a cap widely worn in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand, most commonly among Muslim males. It has the shape of a truncated cone, usually made of black or embroidered felt, cotton or velvet. It is also worn by males in formal occasions such as weddings and funerals or festive occasions such as the Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays. In Indonesia, the peci is also associated with the nationalist movement.
Names
It is called "songkok" in
Sumatra and the
Malay Peninsula.
While in
Java, it is called "kopiah" or "kopeah".
It is also known widely in Indonesia as "peci", although the peci has a more elliptical shape and is sometimes decorated.
Origin
Kopiah (kupiah) is recorded as being used by
Majapahit elite troops (
Bhayangkara), recorded in the
Hikayat Banjar, written in or not long after 1663.
{
[Hikayat Banjar, 6.3: Maka kaluar dangan parhiasannya orang barBaju Rantai ampat puluh sarta padangnya bar kupiah taranggos sakhlat merah, orang mambawa astenggar ampat puluh, orang mambawa parisai sarta padangnya ampat puluh, orang mambawa dadap sarta sodoknya sapuluh, orang mambawa panah sarta anaknya sapuluh, yang mambawa tumbak parampukan barsulam amas ampat puluh, yang mambawa tameng Bali bartulis air mas ampat puluh. (See ) Translation: "So came out with their ornaments men with chain mail numbered forty alongside their swords and red kopiah skull, men carrying astengger dadap a and sodok broad-bladed numbered ten, men carrying bows and arrows numbered ten, (men) who carried parampukan spears embroidered with gold numbered forty, (men) who carried Balinese shields with golden water engraving numbered forty."] Kopiah is recorded in Pigafetta's Italian-Malay vocabulary of 1521 (published 1524) as
cophia.
Kupiah is recorded in
Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain, an epic which the original text was written before 1600 AD:
Maka tatkala memeliharakan disuruhnya anaknya memakai perhiasan seperti pakaian laki-laki dan dikenakan kepada kepalanya kupiah ros yang keemasan. (So when he took care of his son, he ordered him to wear jewelry like men's clothes and put on his head a golden rosary kupiah.)
Other sources state that the origins of the songkok are thought to come from Islamic traditions and were introduced to Southeast Asia by Arab or Muslim traders. Songkok is closely related to the fez, a traditional Arab head covering. The fez is a cylindrical hat with a rounded tip and is usually red in color, often with a black crest. Historically, the fez became popular in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century as a symbol of modernization, replacing the turban which was considered impractical. As Islamic cultural influences spread to Southeast Asia through trade routes, the concept of the fez was introduced and eventually adapted by the Malay community. However, due to differences in local environment and culture, the form of the fez was later modified into the songkok, which has a simpler shape with a flat tip and no crest. Culturally, the songkok has a similar meaning to the fez as a symbol of Islamic identity and is used in religious and formal events.
[Alan Teh Leam Seng (May 6, 2022). "Tale of the songkok". nst.com.my] One Brunei newspaper account erroneously states that the songkok became a norm in the Southeast Asia Archipelago in the 13th century with the coming of Islam in the region.
The earliest written mention of the word
songkok is in
Syair Siti Zubaidah (1840).
[ Syair Siti Zubaidah MCP text] While traditional triangular Malay headress of
Tengkolok or
destar is associated with traditional Malay nobles and royalties, songkok on the other hand has become part of traditional
Ethnic Malay men's costume associated with Islam, traditionally worn by local
.
The Royal Malay Regiment of the Malaysian Army have been using the songkok as part of their uniform since under British rule.
Current use
Brunei
Indonesia
Traditionally, songkok is usually associated as a cap worn by Muslim men, during religious, formal or state occasions. However, in
Indonesia, the songkok has become the national headress, with secular nationalist connotations made popular by
Sukarno.
Numbers of Indonesian nationalist movement activist in early 20th century wore peci such as Sukarno,
Mohammad Hatta, and
Agus Salim. However, as the first president of Indonesia it was Sukarno that popularised peci – more precisely plain black velvet peci – as national men's cap of Indonesian,
and Indonesian male presidents have worn peci as part of their official presidential attire ever since. Indonesian official palace guards also wore peci as part of their uniform. The
Paskibraka (Indonesian:
pasukan pengibar bendera pusaka) or flag raising squad in Indonesian independence day ceremony also wear peci, and there is even female peci version with curved back. The
Betawi people wear the Songkok as their traditional headdress usually colored dark red. Catholic and Protestant
Betawi people of Kampung Sawah regularly wear peci as part of traditional attire during church service.
Malaysia
In Malaysia, traditional male Malay attire consists of a songkok, shirt, matching pants, and waist wrap that is called a
songket. In a Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assemblies) or in
Dewan Rakyat (Parliament), all members (regardless of race or religion) within the legislative assembly, are required to wear the songkok (with a gold middle stripe) as a formal custom, at every State Customary Opening of Parliament (or respective State Legislative Assemblies), held once annually, in order to comply with the dress code of each legislative assembly opening.
This is done to ensure decorum whenever the respective Head of State (Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the Parliament of Malaysia, respective Sultans or Yang diPertua Negeri for each State Legislative Assemblies) is present to open the legislative assembly proceedings for the year. Similarly, all recipients of honorific orders bestowed by either the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (for federal honorific orders) or the Sultan (for each respective state honorific orders), are required to wear the gold-striped songkok along with the official customary attire in Malaysia, to receive their honorific orders in person.
The Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat themselves wears a songkok in place of the colonial wig,
Singapore
In Singapore, the songkok is not allowed to be worn in government schools, as part of the school uniform, as Singapore is officially a secular state and all religious headgear is not allowed to be worn. It is part of the standard uniform at
(Islamic religious schools).
Philippines
In the
Philippines, the songkok, known as
kopiah or
kupya, plays a role in the heraldry of the Sultanate of Sulu, and is part of the traditional wear of
Bangsamoro men. It is part of the traditional formal clothing of
Muslim Filipino men in general, along with a local Mindanaoan variation of the
Baju Melayu and native
malong (
sarung). Some non-Muslim
Lumad Filipino
datu also wear the kopiah, as a result of being historically influenced by the fashions and customs of Muslim Filipinos. The kopiah is worn by Muslim Filipino men throughout the archipelago as a formal cap for prayers, and for religious and social functions. Kopiah with gold-string embroidery, or cuts of
inaul or fabric with
okir designs are gaining popularity alongside the conservative black velvet version. A red and white checkered Saudi-style
ghutrah worn draped over a kopiah is a traditional indicator in the Southern Philippines of a
hajji or male pilgrim who has been to
Makkah as part of the
hajj.
Gallery
File:P.N.I. proces te Bandoeng 1930 - Nationaal Archief.jpg|Indonesian independence activists of the early 20th century (1930), including Sukarno, often wore peci, which gave the Indonesian peci its current nationalist nuance.
File:KITLV A497 - Twee Papoea-radja 's te Kakos op west Nieuw-Guinea, KITLV 377511.tiff|Two Papuan raja wearing kopiah in Kokas, Fakfak Regency (between 1933 and 1936).
File:Malay Regiment at bayonet practice.jpg|Men of the Rejimen Askar Melayu DiRaja wearing songkok at bayonet practice, Singapore Island (1941).
File:Baju Melayu.jpg|A group of men wearing songkok as part of Baju Melayu, traditional Malay attire
File:Sarungan.jpg|Javanese Muslim men wearing kopiah and sarong
File:Joko Widodo second oath.jpg|Indonesian president Joko Widodo and leaders of parliament wearing peci as part of national formal attire
File:EWP Tambunan, Buku Pelengkap VI Pemilihan Umum 1982, p68.jpg|E.W.P. Tambunan, a Christian, was known for his habit of wearing red songkok.
File:Murad_and_Jaafar_BTC_launch_(cropped).jpg|Murad Ebrahim, Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro Region, southern Philippines
File:Paskibra sman 68 jakarta.jpg|Female version of the peci with curved back, worn by Indonesian Independence Day flag raising squad (Paskibraka)
See also
-
Gandhi cap
-
List of hat styles
-
Tengkolok
-
Malaysian cultural outfits
-
Culture of Malaysia
-
National costume of Indonesia
-
Culture of Indonesia
External links
