Peucut Kerkhoff cemetery, a colonial legacy

Peucut Kerkhoff cemetery, a colonial legacy

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Gen. Kohler, who led the Dutch aggression in Aceh, may have never
dreamed that he would conquer the land of Aceh. Ironically, he is
now buried in Aceh, the land he tried to subjugate.

Kohler died at the hands of the Acehnese after having the
Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh set ablaze in 1873. He
was buried in Batavia, the name of Jakarta during the Dutch
colonial times.

But it seems to have been his destiny to be buried in Aceh.
About 100 years after his death, his remains were exhumed and
reburied in Peucut Kerkhoff, a cemetery for the Dutch soldiers
killed in action during the Aceh War.

In memory of the general, a monument was put up in Peucut
Kerkhoff. Underneath his name there is the symbol of a snake
biting its own tail. This symbol shows that Kohler made a mistake
when he had the grand mosque burned, an act strategically
tantamount to suicide. Beside Kohler's grave, there are the
graves of other Dutch generals, including Gen. Peer and Gen.
Weijerman.

Peucut Kerkhoff, which measures about four hectares, is
located in downtown Banda Aceh. It used to be part of the grounds
of the palace of Sultan Iskandar Muda. The cemetery is home to
about 2,200 graves of both Dutch soldiers and Indonesian soldiers
-- Ambonese, Manadonese or Batak -- who worked for the Dutch.

In 1893 Peucut Kerkhoff was dedicated as a cemetery for the
Dutch. The names of thousands of Dutch soldiers killed in action
during Dutch operations to conquer Aceh are inscribed on the
marble wall at the entrance gate to the cemetery.

The Dutch at first had some difficulty dedicating Kerkhoff as
a cemetery for Dutch soldiers. The Acehnese regarded the Dutch as
their colonizers. Besides, the plot of land was better suited for
a shopping or business area.

"At first we found it strange to have a cemetery for soldiers
of the Dutch colonial rule in the downtown part of a city," said
Muslim, who lives close to Peucut Kerkhoff.

As time went by, the Acehnese accepted the presence of the
cemetery as a memento of the struggle that the Acehnese waged
against the Dutch.

As a cemetery for foreigners, Peucut Kerkhoff used to be
rather eerie as it was not properly maintained. It was also used
as an unofficial garbage dump. Many of the gravestones were
broken or covered in moss, and other marble gravestones had been
stolen.

In 1975, a Dutch foundation called Sixteen Pocut Fund provided
financial assistance for the maintenance of the graveyard.
Members of the foundation include grandchildren and great-
grandchildren of the Dutch soldiers buried in Kerkhoff. With the
money from Sixteen Pocut Fund, Peucut Kerkhoff began to be looked
after. Today, a fence has been built around the graveyard.

Rusli, 50, has worked as a caretakers at Peucut Kerkhoff for
10 years. He said many Dutch people came to pay homage to the
graves in this cemetery.

"The board members of the Dutch foundation come here every
year," he said.

The Dutch foundation, said Rusli, cooperates with the Nanggroe
Aceh Darussalam provincial administration in looking after the
graveyard.

"Every quarter they send some Rp 15 million for this purpose,"
he said. "The money is managed by the provincial administration."

Because the money is limited, the cemetery is not in the best
of repair.

Once, he said, a visiting Dutch citizen became angry because
he could find his ancestor's grave and many gravestones were
broken.

"He said he paid for the maintenance of the graves but was
disappointed with what he saw. I told him this was the best I
could do as the money I received from the provincial
administration was not sufficient," he said.

Rusli can tell you from memory the history of Kerkhoff. "Non-
Muslims were buried here until late 1965."

He is also sure Peucut Kerkhoff came into existence to show
that Banda Aceh was once in the hands of the Dutch. "Otherwise,
how could a Dutch graveyard be established in the sultanate of
Aceh?"

He added that only a small number of the Dutch soldiers killed
in Aceh were buried in Peucut Kerkhoff. "There are many other
Dutch cemeteries elsewhere in Aceh," he noted.

Peucut Kerkhoff is indeed a unique legacy from the colonial
era. And in Aceh's history, Peucut Kerkhoff is memorable,
particularly with respect to the application of Islamic law in
Aceh in the 16th century. In the graveyard one can find the grave
of Pocut Meurah Pupok, the son of Sultan Iskandar Muda, who was
beheaded by his father for adultery.

Greatly enraged, the sultan had his son buried outside the
palace, evidence of the application of Islamic law in Aceh even
during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda. The Dutch colonial
rulers later named the graveyard after the beheaded crown prince.

The Acehnese fought to the death in defense of their land,
known as the Veranda of Mecca. Today Peucut Kerkhoff is witness
to the fierce struggle of the Acehnese against the Dutch
colonialists.