Multiple Centres of Authority: Society and Environment in Siak and Eastern Sumatra, 1674-1827 () 9067182192, 9789067182195

Table of contents :
Dedication
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Glossary
List of abbreviations
Maps
1 The Malay archipelago
2 The Melaka Straits
3 The Upper Siak and Kampar Rivers, c. 1680
I Introduction
II The setting
III Trade, tension and conflict
IV Charisma and the formation of a kacu polity
V Alliances in a kacu environment
VI Force in the continuation of the Siak state
VII Leadership, sharing and the sea
VIII Political and economic change in Siak
IX Conclusion
Appendices
1 Comparison of trade activity between Melaka and Bengkalis, 1739-1742
2 Comparison of trade activity between Melaka and Batubahara, 1739-1742
3 Trade items between the east coast of Sumatra and Melaka in 1779
Bibliography
Index

Citation preview

MULTIPLE CENTRES OF AUTHORITY

ForYati

VERHANDELINGEN VAN HET KONINKLIJK INSTITUUT VOOR TAAL-, LANO- EN VOLKENKUNOE

210

Timothy P. Barnard MULTIPLE CENTRES OF AUTHORITY

Society and environment in Siak and eastern Sumatra, 1674-1827

KITLV Press Leiden

2003

Published by: KITLV Press Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies) PO Box 9515 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands website: www.kitlv.nl e-mail: [email protected]

Cover: Creja ontwerpen, Leiderdorp ISBN 90 67182192 © 2003 Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright owner. Printed in the Netherlands

Contents Acknowledgements Glossary List of abbreviations

vii ix Xlll

Maps 1 2 3

The Malay archipelago The Melaka Straits The Upper Siak and Kampar Rivers, c. 1680

I

Introduction

II

The setting

11

III

Trade, tension and conflict

33

IV

Charisma and the formation of a kacu polity

55

V

Alliances in a kacu environment

79

VI

Force in the continuation of the Siak state

105

VII

Leadership, sharing and the sea

127

VIII Political and economic change in Siak

151

IX

175

Conclusion

xiv xv xvi 1

Appendices 1 2 3

Comparison of trade activity between Melaka and Bengkalis, 1739-1742 Comparison of trade activity between Melaka and Batubahara, 1739-1742 Trade items between the east coast of Sumatra and Melaka in 1779

179 182 184

vi

Contents

Bibliography

185

Index

201

Acknowledgements This work originally began as my dissertation at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Over the past few years, as it moved from academic exercise to manuscript, I have incurred numerous personal debts of gratitude to a variety of individuals and institutions. Financial support for my research came from the US-Indonesia Society, the International Institute for Asian Studies, the University of Hawaii Arts and Sciences Advisory Council, and the Department of History at the University of Hawaii. During the writing the Daeng Talummuq Foundation for Historical Research graciously provided support. The assistance of staff members from various institutions enabled me to collect materials for this work. My sincerest appreciation to Lan Hian Char of Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the staff of the John Echols Collection on Southeast Asia at Cornell University, especially Allen Riedy and Rohayati Paseng Barnard, the staff of the Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde in Leiden, particularly Gerrit Knaap and Jan Fernhout, the staff at the Algemeen Rijksarchief in The Hague, the staff at the National Archives of Singapore, Chong Mui-Gek for drawing the maps, the staff at Universitas Riau and their Pusat Penelitian, and to the members of the

Pusat Pengajian Melayu at Universitas Islam Riau. Numerous individuals also assisted me by providing moral support and engaging in discussions that greatly contributed to my knowledge and understanding of the history and culture of eastern Sumatra, the Malay world, and Southeast Asia. Bill Cummings, Grace Mateo, Pierre Asselin, Rainer Buschmann, and Peter Worthing were good friends who made living in Hawaii enjoyable and intellectually stimulating. In Ithaca Abby Cohn, Jeff Hadler, Wilson Manik, Kaja McGowan, and particularly Professor O.W. Wolters allowed me to think through my arguments and then defend them while providing their own insight into Indonesian history and culture. In the Netherlands, Jan van der Putten and Henk Maier helped me appreciate Malay literature, while Cynthia Chou provided moral support and constant reminders of the importance of orang asli groups. Robert Van Niel introduced me to archival and library collections and eased my transition to research. Betty Litamahuputty and Sir~o Koolhof opened their home to me and provi-

viii

Acknowledgements

ded the needed levity after a long day in the archives. Above all, Will Derks provided constant encouragement and friendship that made the research and writing 6f this work possible. In Indonesia and Singapore there are numerous people who helped me immensely and to them I have a hutang budi. Hugh McLean, and Maria and Nuyar Hamzah always made me feel at home. At the National University of Singapore, my colleagues, particularly Paul Kratoska, Liu Hong, Michael Montesano and Tan Li Jen, as well as Radin Fernando at the National Institute of Education, provided me with encouragement and suggestions while re-editing the manuscript. In addition, Tan Tai Yong, the head of the Department of History, provided support that made this publication possible. At Universitas Riau Muchtar Ahmad, Diah Zainuddin, Bosman Saleh, and Abdul Munir constantly encouraged my interest in the region. Pak Tenas Effendy and Hasan Junus were patient during numerous hours of discussions about Malay culture and history while vividly displaying the graciousness of Malay nobility. Al Azhar provided the support and protection of an elder brother. I also would like to express my deepest appreciation to the family of Syamsuddin Daeng Mangawing who accepted me as a son and brother. Beyond these individuals and institutions is the continual advice and mentoring of a variety of professors who sparked my interest in history and encouraged my pursuit of better understanding of Southeast Asia and the past. I was introduced to the field by the exuberance and curiosity that William H. Frederick brought to his classes and seminars. His initial guidance helped me decide to choose this field for my future career. At the University of Hawaii, Jerry Bentley and David Hanlon introduced me to innovative ways to examine the past. Leonard Y. Andaya provided the initial guidance and support to study the early modern period of Indonesian and Malay history. Finally, Barbara Watson Andaya showed incredible patience while pointing out new ways to approach my material and make the writing more palatable. Members of my family have been my greatest supporters. My parents provided me with not only the financial and moral support needed in such an endeavour but also the guidance by example in their own curiosity and desire to learn more. Finally, none of this would have been possible without the love and support of my wife, Yati. Her sacrifice and support gave me the energy to finish this project and make it an enjoyable one at the same time.

Glossary adat alam amuk anakgahara anak raja atap baginda bahar balai baluk batangan batin bendahara beno bisa kawi bovenlanders brandvlotten cap corgie daeng darat datuk daulat derhaka dipati encik

customs and traditional law; in this work, Malay customary law world; nature furious attack, charge; elite attack troops child whose parents are both royal noble sons; royal princes roofing thatch, usually consisting of palm leaves title accorded to rulers, divine personages; in Sanskrit literally 'the blessed' (measure of weight) about 170 kilograms, or 3 pikul royal audience hall, usually without walls cargo boat of a heavy beamed type barrier placed across a river to prevent ships from travelling upstream indigenous title for headman in Sumatra; also used for Orang Laut leaders traditionally the principal official in a Malay polity after the sultan tidal bore legendary power in Minangkabau that punished those who altered adat (Dutch) upstream dwellers (Dutch) fire rafts, a weapon used in Malay warfare where floating blocks of dammar resin are lit and sent toward attacking ships (Malay) seal or chop (unit of measure) 20 pieces of cloth; 40 baskets of tobacco weighing some 4 to 8 pikul title used by groups from South Sulawesi to signify nobility Minangkabau heartland title of distinction for any major non-royal leader, and also a general epithet of respect for any man of age and standing sovereignty; the charismatic quality of the ruler that symbolizes his power treason toward a Malay ruler head of district of small collection of villages master, mistress; a term of distinction for people of good position who do not have any other title

x

freeburgher

gantang gila guliga gunungapi haj haji hikayat hulubalang ilir kacu kajang kakap kampung kapitan kati keci

kerajaan kist koyang kranjang

kris kubu ladang laksa laksamana laras mahnikam mamak mand nakhoda nasi rendam

Glossary (from Dutch vrijburger) one who had served his time in the VOC and could now establish himself in Southeast Asia as a free citizen, usually participating in trade (container used as measure of weight) about 5 kati (Malay) crazy, insane (Malay) bezoar stones; also often called pedro de porco in archival records literally, mountain of fire; see brandvlotten pilgrimage to Mecca title given to one who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca Malay story or historical chronicle military officer, warrior (also hilir) downstream mixed, not pure palm fronds woven together for use as mats, sails, or roofs boat with a narrow beam and low free board, around 4 metres long small village consisting of a cluster of buildings leader of an ethnic community in a harbour (measure of weight) about 0.6 kilograms large two-masted ship, 60 metres long and 9 metres wide; sails square-rigged in European style, with a mainmast of about 24 metres and a crew of usually 20; also often referred to as penjajap the condition of having a king; kingdom (measure of weight) usually equivalent to 1 pikul measure of weight that varied depending upon the product; for salt, roughly the equivalent of 40 pikul or 2,420 kilograms; for rice about 28 pikul measure of weight that varied depending upon the product; for Chinese tobacco 0.5 pikul; for Javanese tobacco 0.2 pikul; for gambier approximately 1.2 pikul; for other products the equivalent of 1 pikul knife or dagger, often possessing supernatural powers fort unirrigated fields for vegetable or fruit cultivation (unit of measure) 10,000 pieces Malay official, usually in charge of the fleet, and leader of coastal peoples Minangkabau federation of negeri semen; jewels of particular power mother's eldest brother; eldest male in a Minangkabau clan who often dealt with issues involving immovable property, the most valuable being sawah land (Dutch) equivalent of a pikul (60 kilograms) shipmaster or captain cooked rice that is placed in water and left outdoors. After separating from the water, the rice is placed in a bowl and surrounded by various foods to complement it

Glossary negeri nest nobat orang asli orang besar-besar orang kaya Orang Laut pangesitan pangkalan panglima pencak silat penghulu

penjajap perahu perantau pikul pusaka raja raja mud a raja tua rakyat rantau

real rijksdaalder

said sakti sawah sembah serahan sirih suku

xi

settlement, community, or state unit of measure; for pans or ironware, 5 pieces; for porcelain, 10 to 20 pieces; for other products, 15 pieces Malay orchestra indigenous people Malay elite or nobility Malay nobility, the oligarchy in a Malay polity Proto-Malayan sea peoples, made up of different groups with a distinctive maritime culture (Dutch) chest stapling post in the upstream regions title for a military officer, usually the leader of the military force style of combat or self-defence that uses swift, dance-like movements rather than weapons district leader or headman; in a Minangkabau village he met with other penghulu in a council that represented authority in the village light Bugis warship with mainmast and mizzen, but small enough to be rowed; very fast, and often used by raiders general term for undecked boat Minangkabau who moves to the rantau (measure of weight) about 100 kati, or 60 kilograms royal regalia or inheritance; heirlooms ruler; also often used as an honorific title for princes and princesses (literally, younger ruler) in Malay polities, the heir to the throne (literally, elder ruler) in Malay polities, a sultan who has stepped down or an elder ruler with considerable authority the masses; the people areas outside of the Minangkabau heartland, particularly those areas where large numbers of Minangkabau migrants have gone; verb form merantau refers to the physical movement of a person to the rantau Spanish silver coin imported to Asia, and worth 21h guilders or 5 shillings (Dutch) silver coin used from ca. 1600 to 1850 in various European countries and in their commerce in Asia; its value was approximately 48 stuivers and it was mainly used to measure prices against other coins more commonly circulated (from Arabic sayyid, master, lord, prince) title for reputed descendants of the Prophet Muhammad supernatural power wet-rice (irrigated) fields gesture of homage made with raised hands, fingertips touching submission, usually referring to the presentation of goods to the ruler as a sign of obeisance betel-leaf qUid, prepared for chewing areca nut, gambier, and lime lineage, tribal grouping; in Minangkabau, a matrilineal clan

xii surau syahbandar syair tahil tambo temenggung

tengku tombo ulu wahju wahy yamtuan yamtuan muda yamtuan sakti yang dipertuan

Glossary prayer house and religious school harbourmaster and controller of exports and imports epic poem written in quatrain form tael; measure of weight used for gold, roughly equivalent to two Spanish reals; about 0.0375 kilograms see tombo official title of minister in charge of internal affairs and justice in a Malay polity; in Melaka he was second to the bendahara but in later Sumatran polities he would often administer an interior region prince or princess, a title often used from the early eighteenth century instead of raja before the names of royalty origin tales; in Minangkabau, tambo (also hulu) upstream, upstream regions, headwaters of a river (Javanese) radiant light; divine sign (Arabic) revelation from God contraction of yang dipertuan, see below one who is made junior ruler form of address for the Raja Alam, the supreme ruler, of Pagar Ruyung (literally, the one who is made lord) official title of a Malay ruler

List of abbreviations ARA BEFEO BKI IEHN JAH JAS JIAEA JMBRAS JSBRAS JSEAS MAS n.d. n.n. n.p. NTNI SA TBB

TBe TNI VBe VOC

Algemeen Rijksarchief, The Hague Bulletin de l'Ecole Fran