Balinese enriched old Jakarta<\/p>\n
By Ida Indawati Khouw<\/p>\n
The city of Batavia, now Jakarta, was known as a melting pot
\nof various ethnic groups. However, for various reasons, most of
\nthe ethnic identities have disappeared. The 73rd article on old
\nJakarta looks into the history of the Balinese here.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Quite a large number of Balinese ethnic groups
\nlived in the city of Batavia, old Jakarta, many years ago.
\nHowever, the only indication which now remains is the term \"Bali\"
\nwhich can still be found in certain areas of the capital city.<\/p>\n
Jakartans, for instance, can still find Kampung Bali in
\nCentral Jakarta and Kampung Bali Mester in East Jakarta. In the
\npast, the two residential areas were Balinese settlements, but at
\npresent, it might be hard to find Balinese living there.<\/p>\n
In Batavia, Balinese were one of largest ethnic groups and
\ntheir history could be traced back to the years when slavery was
\nstill being practiced here, starting when the city was founded by
\nthe Dutch in 1619 and abolished in 1859 (see also Save Old
\nBatavia in The Jakarta Post, Jan. 28 edition this year).<\/p>\n
Although the Batavian traders purchased slaves in various
\nparts of the Malay archipelago, it appears that Bali was one of
\nthe most important suppliers of slaves apart from Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Quoting the daily account of proceedings in the 17th century
\nof Batavia, the daghregisters, A. van der Kraan said that as many
\nas 20, 30 or sometimes even a hundred slaves were imported from
\nBali in a single month.<\/p>\n
The daghregisters contain additional scattered references
\nindicating that at certain times in the 17th century the Balinese
\nmade up the majority of slaves in Batavia.<\/p>\n
\"Considering that Batavia under the VOC (Verenigde Oost-
\nIndische Compagnie Dutch East-India Company that ruled the town
\nbetween 1619 and 1795) had a slave population of between fifteen
\nand eighteen thousand, the town at times may have had a Balinese
\npopulation of between eight and ten thousand,\" van der Kraan said
\nin his monograph Bali: Slavery and Slave Trade in Antony Reid's
\nSlavery, Bondage and Dependency in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
Most of the early Balinese people in the old city of Batavia
\n(in the area currently known as downtown Kota in West Jakarta)
\nwere slaves who worked for the VOC.<\/p>\n
C. Lekkerkerker, who in 1918 wrote a book titled De Baliers
\nvan Batavia (Balinese People in Batavia), said Balinese women,
\nwho were brought here in large numbers, were made concubines by
\nEuropean and Chinese men because they were considered more
\nbeautiful and desirable than those coming from other areas.<\/p>\n
\"Indeed, they (the female Balinese slaves) were the most
\ndiscussed at that time ... Since Batavia was established (in
\n1619) the Dutch relied on Bali to satisfy their need for women,\"
\nLekkerker said.<\/p>\n
The suppliers of slaves were kings in Bali. According to van
\nder Kraan, Bali's slave trade was rooted in the nature of the
\nisland's social hierarchy.<\/p>\n
Stop<\/p>\n
Lekkerkerker said slave trading from Bali had been stopped in
\nthe first 10 years of the 19th century. But before that time,
\nthere had been free Balinese, usually those who were freed by
\nbenevolent masters, who had their own settlements in Batavia.<\/p>\n
Some Balinese slaves, for instance, were freed in 1667 and
\ngranted land near the Meester area (now the Jatinegara area in
\nEast Jakarta), thus forming the so-called Bali-Mester area.<\/p>\n
In his book Historical Sites of Jakarta, Adolf Heuken said
\nthat several other Balinese settlements were also established,
\nsuch as those at Krukut, Angke, Pekojan and Jembatan Merah areas
\nsurrounding the old city.<\/p>\n
In 1695, the Dutch recognized six Balinese kampongs: three
\nnear the Sunter River, two in the western part of downtown Kota
\nand one in the Grogol area.<\/p>\n
Fourteen years later, there was another Balinese kampong near
\nthe Angke area followed by that in Ciputat (now South Jakarta) in
\n1751. Kampung Bali area, which still exists today at Tanah Abang
\ndistrict in Central Jakarta, was only recorded in the Batavia map
\nin 1874, Heuken said.<\/p>\n
\"In 1788 it was reported that 13,700 Balinese slaves were
\nfreed. They were settled in West Java regions to cultivate the
\nland,\" he added.<\/p>\n
But Balinese identity eventually disappeared from Batavia as
\nthe ethnic Balinese no longer practiced their culture, Hindu
\nreligion, or used their distinct Balinese names.<\/p>\n
\"It seemed that they merged with the Muslim community,\"
\nLekkerkerker said, referring to some journals stating that in
\n1678 Balinese soldiers within the Dutch military forces only ate
\ndried rice after all salted fish had been eaten, \"because they do
\nnot eat pork which is against the Islamic teaching.\"<\/p>\n
In the 1820s it had been difficult to differentiate ethnic
\ngroups in Batavia. \"In the 1800s, a Javanese man could easily
\nbecome the leader of a Balinese kampong,\" Heuken said.<\/p>\n
The substantial Balinese presence during the town's formative
\nyears may account for the Balinese linguistic influence upon the
\nBatavia (Betawi) Malay dialect.<\/p>\n
Lekkerkerker indicated some Balinese words in the Betawi Malay
\nlanguage like lantas (then), mendusin (be awake), iseng (do
\nsomething for fun), kaok (shout) and many others.<\/p>\n
\"Thus, we can conclude that in the early 19th century Balinese
\npeople were the most important influences in the diverse culture
\nof the ethnic Betawi,\" Lekkerkerker said.<\/p>\n
According to Heuken, 44 percent of Balinese words are
\ncompatible with the Betawi language.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/balinese-enriched-old-jakarta-1447893297",
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