Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-17T18:15:18.028Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Eurasians of Indonesia: A Problem and Challenge in Colonial History

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Paul W. van der Veur
Get access

Extract

Persons of mixed European and Asian parentage appeared in the Indonesian archipelago shortly after the arrival of the first “Westerners” in the sixteenth century. Although most of them were absorbed by the indigenous population, some were not and came to constitute a separate, identifiable group. The main reason, apart from paternal pride, seems to have been religious. Christianity, especially during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, encouraged a strong feeling of responsibility toward the biracial offspring of non-European women. A moral obligation was felt to baptize the child and give it the name of the father. Legal rules and regulations facilitated the process: the European father, for example, could “recognize” his natural child by a non-European woman, adopt it, or request a “Letter of legitimation”. Possession of “the status of European” in the nineteenth century permitted persons of mixed descent to benefit educationally from the rapid expansion of “European” (i.e. Dutch) schools. Finally, the Dutch nationality law of 1892 — based squarely on the jus sanguinis principle — contained the crucial provision that all those who were considered Europeans when the act came into force (July 1, 1893) — including those who were legally assimilated and socially a part of the European group — became Dutch citizens.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Southeast Asian History , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , September 1968 , pp. 191 - 207
Copyright
Copyright © The National University of Singapore 1968

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Rodenwaldt, E., “Die Indoeuropäer Niederländisch Ostindiens,” Archiv für Rassenund Gesellschaftsbiologie, XXIV (1930), pp. 104–106.Google Scholar

2. Staatsblad van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (1892, No. 268). For the English translation the autHor relied on Flournoy, Richard W. Jr. and Hudson, Manley O. (Eds.), A Collection of Nationality Laws (New York, 1929), pp. 440–446.Google Scholar

3. Limiting this reference to the sizeable contribution made by the colonial army, only slightly more than half of the roughly 84,000 troops sent from the Netherlands over the 1844–91 period were Dutch. The remainder were Belgian (8,800), German (8,400), Swiss (5,700), French (3,500), and other nationalities in smaller numbers (van Dam, J. J. M., “Jantje Kaas en zijn Jongens,” Tijdschrift voor de Indische Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, LXXXII, 1942, Appendix B, pp. 186–89.Google Scholar Calculations by this author).

4. Netherlands Indies, Report Van Rces (02 1, 1902)Google Scholar, Vol. B, Het Pauperisme onder de Europeanen in Nederlandsch-Indië, VI (Algemeen Ovcrzicht), p. 2.Google Scholar

5. Crawfurd, J., History of the Indian Archipelago (Edinburgh, 1820), Vol. I, p. 140.Google Scholar However, a careful study would probably reveal that interracial strains in Company officials were more numerous and important than is readily apparent in the historical works of the period. Such a study would also reveal that even within the narrow, oligarchical, rule of the Company and despite the lack of educational opportunity, a small number of persons of mixed descent with innate or acquired talents were able to rise in the system

6. Brugmans, I. J., Geschiedenis van het Onderwijs in Nederlandsch-Indië (Groningen, 1938), pp. 96–97Google Scholar; Netherlands Indies, Publicaties Hollandsch-Inlandsch Onderwijs-Commissie, No. 9, Part 1, “Historisch Overzicht van het Regceringsbeleid ten aanzien van het Onderwijs voor de Inlandsche Bevolking” (Weltevreden, 1930), pp. 2–5.Google Scholar A later regulation (Staatsblad van Nederlandsch-Indië, 1873, No. 65)Google Scholar applied the term “unable to pay” to all “European” children whose parents earned less than f 1. 150 a month — a comfortable salary to live on at the time.

7. van Delden, A. J. W., Blik op het Indisch Staatsbestuur (Batavia-Utrecht, 1875), p. 102.Google Scholar

8. Kleurlingen, literally “colored people”; Inlandsche Kinderen, “native children”. The use of the latter can be compared with los hijos del pais, the term employed in the Philippines for Spaniards born in the colony.

9. Governor-General J. J. Rochussen to Minister of Colonies J. C. Baud (Semiofficial No. 64, Aug. 25, 1847). National Archives, The Hague.

10. Rochussen, to Baud, , Top Secret Memorandum of 05 26, 1848Google Scholar, No. 158/X. National Archives, The Hague.

11. Mansvelt, W. M. F., “Nota betreffende de Werkgelegenheid voor Indo-Europeanen,” Appendix I A (1934), pp. 3–4Google Scholar in Verslag van de Commissie voor het Grondbezit van Indo-Europeanen. N.p., n.d. The “European” population of Indonesia increased substantially after 1900, reaching 240,417 in 1930, of which 169,846 were Indonesia-born. Eurasians probably numbered between 130,000 and 140,000 or 54–58 per cent of the total number of “Europeans” and 76–82 per cent of the Indonesia-born “Europeans”. The “European” total of 240,417, however, also included a sizeable number of persons who fell outside the ethnic meaning of the term “European,” namely indigenous and Chinese women married to Dutch citizens (about 5,000), indigenous Indonesians (8,948) and others of non-European foreign descent (8,563) who had been assimilated to the legal status of “European”.

12. Mansvelt, W. M. F., “De Positie der Indo-Europeanen,” Koloniale Studiën, XVI, 1 (1932), p. 304.Google Scholar

13. Mansvelt, W. M. F., “Nota betreffende de Werkgelegenbeid voor Indo-Europeanen,” op. cit., Table I.Google Scholar

14. Netherlands Indies, Publicaties Hollandsch-lnlandsch Onderwijs-CommissieGoogle Scholar, No. 6 A, “De Werkgelegenheid in Nederlandsch-Indië voor Nederlandsch Sprekenden” (Weltevreden, 1930), pp. 55–56.Google Scholar

15. Hart, H. M. J., “Nota inzake de Maatschappelijke Positie der Indo-Europeanen in Nederlandsch-Indie,” Appendix I B (1934), p. 4Google Scholar in Verslag van de Commissie voor het Grondbezit van Indo-Europeanen.

16. See Netherlands Indies, Bijblad op het Staatsblad van Nederlandsch-Indië, (1905), No. 6193.Google Scholar

17. See Netherlands Indies, Uitbreiding van de Toelating van Inlanders tot Gouvernementsbetrekkingen in Nederlandsch-Indië en Regeling hunner Positie ('s-Gravenhage, 06 1909)Google Scholar, passim; Letter of Governor-General Idenburg to Minister of Colonies de Waal Malefijt, J. H., 09 17, 1912Google Scholar, Colonial Archives, The Hague.

18. Scholte, G., “Eenige Opmerkingen over Gemiddeld Volksinkomen en Gemiddeld Salads der Ambtenaren,” Koloniale Studien, XVI, 1 (1932)Google Scholar, Table 5, p. 346. The income tax data do not include, however, persons who paid a land tax or lived in areas under indirect rule. If these are included the number of Indonesians may have reached at most 99,000.

19. Ranneft, J. W. Meijer, “Hollands Fout in Indië,” De Gids, CI (1937), p. 310.Google Scholar

20. Netherlands Indies, Handelingen van de Volksraad, Second session (1924), p. 584.Google Scholar

21. Verbond, Hoofdbestuur Indo-Europeesch, “Een Protest,” Onze Stem, IV (06 1, 1923), pp. 469–70.Google Scholar

22. Hart, H. M. J., “Nota inzake de Maatschappelijke Positie,” op. cit., p. 12.Google Scholar

23. “Congres Voorstel Makassar,” Onze Stem, XIII (02 5, 1932), pp. 133–34.Google Scholar

24. For literature dealing with this aspect see especially, Koks, J. Th., De Indo (Amsterdam, 1931)Google Scholar; Wertheim, W. F., Het Sociologisch Karakter van de Jndo-Maatschappij (Amsterdam, 1947)Google Scholar; Ido, Victor, De Paupers (Weltevreden-Amersfoort, 2nd ed; n.d.)Google Scholar; de Nijs, E. Breton, Vergeelde Portretten (Amsterdam, 1954).Google Scholar

25. Simons, R. D. G. Ph., Huidskleur en Menselijke Verhoudingen (Amsterdam-Brussel, 1958), pp. 72–73.Google Scholar

26. The following description relies on Ranneft, J. W. Meijer's presentation in the People's Council on 12 8, 1927Google Scholar, Handelingen van de Volksraad (1927–1928), pp. 2425–28.Google Scholar

27. Dekker, E. F. E. Douwes, Over het Koloniale Ideaal (n.p., 1913), p. 22Google Scholar and “Spreekt de Waarheid en Schiet Goed,” De Indiër, I (1913), pp. 54–55.Google Scholar See also van der Veur, Paul W., “E. F. E. Douwes Dekker: Evangelist for Indonesian Political Nationalism,” The Journal of Asian Studies, XVII (08 1958), pp. 557–58.Google Scholar

28. Onze Stem, XVIII (1937), p. 336.Google Scholar

29. Verbond, Hoofdbestuur Indo-Europeesch, “Onze Stelling tegenover de Actic voor Autonomie van Indië,” Onze Stem, III (Febr. 1, 1922), pp. 39–40.Google Scholar

30. Verbond, Hoofdbestuur Indo-Europeesch, “Kolonisatie door Europeanen in de Buiten-bezittingen (Het Nieuw-Guinea Plan),” Onze Stem, V (03 1, 1924), p. 159.Google Scholar

31. Verbond, Hoofdbestuur Indo-Europeesch, “Koloniale Zinsbegoocheling,” Onze Stem, VI (05 31, 1925), p. 476.Google Scholar

32. Schalk, A. Th., “Proeve tot Oplossing van het Landbouwvraagstuk: Kolonisatie in Zuid-Nieuw Guinea,” Onze Stem, IV (09 16, 1923), pp. 749–56Google Scholar; “Der Indo's Toekomst,” Onze Stem, V (08 16, 1924), pp. 658–63.Google Scholar

33. Verbond, Hoofdbestuur Indo-Europeesch, “Kolonisatie door Europeanen in de Buitenbezittingen (Het Nieuw-Guinea Plan),” Onze Stem, V (03 1, 1924), pp. 158–60.Google Scholar

34. Ploegman, V. W. Ch., Omdat Oost en West elkaar Ontmoeten (Surabaja, 1939), p. 41Google Scholar arid Koks, J. Th., De Ivdo (Amsterdam, 1931), pp. 19–20.Google Scholar

35. This author estimated the number who elected Indonesian citizenship during the 1949–51 option period at 30–33,000, or about 20 per cent of the group at that particular time. See “Eurasian Dilemma in Indonesia,” The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. XX (11 1960), pp. 56–60.Google Scholar