Table Of ContentMULTIPLE 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 vii
Glossary ix
List of abbreviations Xlll
Maps
1 The Malay archipelago xiv
2 The Melaka Straits xv
3 The Upper Siak and Kampar Rivers, c. 1680 xvi
I Introduction 1
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 Conclusion 175
Appendices
1 Comparison of trade activity between Melaka and
Bengkalis, 1739-1742 179
2 Comparison of trade activity between Melaka and
Batubahara, 1739-1742 182
3 Trade items between the east coast of Sumatra and
Melaka in 1779 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 un
derstanding 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 pos
sible. 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 men
toring of a variety of professors who sparked my interest in history and en
couraged 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 exa
mine 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 customs and traditional law; in this work,
Malay customary law
alam world; nature
amuk furious attack, charge; elite attack troops
anakgahara child whose parents are both royal
anak raja noble sons; royal princes
atap roofing thatch, usually consisting of palm leaves
baginda title accorded to rulers, divine personages; in Sanskrit literally
'the blessed'
bahar (measure of weight) about 170 kilograms, or 3 pikul
balai royal audience hall, usually without walls
baluk cargo boat of a heavy beamed type
batangan barrier placed across a river to prevent ships from travelling
upstream
batin indigenous title for headman in Sumatra; also used for Orang
Laut leaders
bendahara traditionally the principal official in a Malay polity after the
sultan
beno tidal bore
bisa kawi legendary power in Minangkabau that punished those who
altered adat
bovenlanders (Dutch) upstream dwellers
brandvlotten (Dutch) fire rafts, a weapon used in Malay warfare where
floating blocks of dammar resin are lit and sent toward
attacking ships
cap (Malay) seal or chop
corgie (unit of measure) 20 pieces of cloth; 40 baskets of tobacco
weighing some 4 to 8 pikul
daeng title used by groups from South Sulawesi to signify nobility
darat Minangkabau heartland
datuk title of distinction for any major non-royal leader, and also a
general epithet of respect for any man of age and standing
daulat sovereignty; the charismatic quality of the ruler that symbolizes
his power
derhaka treason toward a Malay ruler
dipati head of district of small collection of villages
encik master, mistress; a term of distinction for people of good
position who do not have any other title
x Glossary
freeburgher (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
gantang (container used as measure of weight) about 5 kati
gila (Malay) crazy, insane
guliga (Malay) bezoar stones; also often called pedro de porco in archival
records
gunungapi literally, mountain of fire; see brandvlotten
haj pilgrimage to Mecca
haji title given to one who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca
hikayat Malay story or historical chronicle
hulubalang military officer, warrior
ilir (also hilir) downstream
kacu mixed, not pure
kajang palm fronds woven together for use as mats, sails, or roofs
kakap boat with a narrow beam and low free board, around 4 metres
long
kampung small village consisting of a cluster of buildings
kapitan leader of an ethnic community in a harbour
kati (measure of weight) about 0.6 kilograms
keci 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
kerajaan the condition of having a king; kingdom
kist (measure of weight) usually equivalent to 1 pikul
koyang 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
kranjang 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
kris knife or dagger, often possessing supernatural powers
kubu fort
ladang unirrigated fields for vegetable or fruit cultivation
laksa (unit of measure) 10,000 pieces
laksamana Malay official, usually in charge of the fleet, and leader of
coastal peoples
laras Minangkabau federation of negeri
mahnikam semen; jewels of particular power
mamak mother's eldest brother; eldest male in a Minangkabau clan
who often dealt with issues involving immovable property, the
most valuable being sawah land
mand (Dutch) equivalent of a pikul (60 kilograms)
nakhoda shipmaster or captain
nasi rendam 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
