Boni in Chinese Sources - Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre - iseas

Kurz: Boni in Chinese Sources NSC Working Paper No. 4cotton, bee’s wax, incense, carapaces, tortoise shell, and betel nut. They boilseawater to make salt, and they use the juice from the pulp of the coconut palm tomake alcohol. They do not have rice, but they catch fish and crabs, that they eattogether with shahu 沙 糊 . Shahu is a thick liquid made from the pith of a tree. 83When the liquid has settled they make it into a fine and oily powder. Eating it one isno longer hungry. To eat they do not have utensils and vessels, but they knitbamboo and palm leaves together to make them. Once they have eaten they throwthem away. For writing they do not have brushes. They carve palm leaves with aknife for writing. They serve the Buddha very respectfully, and the thirteenth day ofthe fifth month is a holiday. The people in the country on this day also partake inmany Buddhist activities. When they have banquets, they butcher goats, pigs,chicken and ducks, and they beat drums and sound cymbals for music. That is thegeneral outline of that place. You sir, are a Grand Scribe [in the Hanlin Academy],and I would like you to record this in detail in order to illustrate how the Sage’s [i.e.the Emperor’s] influence has spread so abundantly.”I, Lian, have learnt that Boni is in the middle of the great ocean to the southwest. Itcomprises fourteen prefectures. From Shepo it takes 45 days of traveling to reachthere, from Champa and Moyi it takes 30 days, and from Sanfoqi it takes 40 days. Inpast dynasties it did not submit tribute to the court and that is why it is not recordedin the historical records. In the second year of the Taiping xingguo era of the Songthe king Xiangda used consequently for the first time a merchant named Puluxie, tosend Shinu, the deputy envoy Puyali, and the assistant Gexin with a memorial andtribute.In the second month of the fifth year of the Yuanfeng era (1082), the king Xilimanuoagain sent envoys as before. Afterwards contact stopped and nothing was heardfrom them. During the more than hundred years, that the Yuan lasted, they did notcome either.Zhi, courtesy name Zhongyong, is from Wucheng in Hu; 84 Jingzhi, with an unknowncourtesy name, is from an unknown district. The two of them were of one mind inplanning, and they always traveled together. Therefore these officials weresuccessful.The text of the memorial [of the king of Boni] reads: “I, your vassal Mahemosha, kingof Boni, thought that these last years the throne of all under heaven was notpeaceful and quite. Therefore I stayed in my territory, and did not have an overlordall the same (mei zhu di yi ban 沒 主 的 一 般 ). 85 Now envoys that You have sent havearrived, and they have proclaimed the Emperor’s Order. I have learned that theemperor has ascended to the imperial position and now is the ruler of all underheaven. My heart is full of joy. My country is an insignificant place under theadministration of Shepo. So how could I have been worthy of the Emperor’sattention? Several days ago, the people of Sulu having no principles sent evil menwho burnt our houses and harmed every one of my people. We rely on the83 Shushi 樹 實 literally translated refers to the solid part of the tree.84 Wucheng was a district under the administration of Huzhou 湖 州 in Zhejiang. Note that Brown omits Huzhouin her translation.85 This translation is open to discussion. Carrie Brown in her translation of the Song Lian text, has omitted it. Ihave chosen the present translation because it fits with the further text, in which the king becomes aware thata new emperor has emerged under heaven.27