Benteng people (
Indonesian: Orang Cina Benteng or Orang Tionghoa Benteng) are a
Chinese Indonesian
Chinese Indonesians (), or simply ''Orang Tionghoa'' or ''Tionghoa'', are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese Indonesians are the fourth largest community of Overseas Chinese in th ...
community of '
Peranakan
The Peranakan Chinese () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (region), Nanyang (), namely the British Empire, British, Portugu ...
' or mixed descent, native to the historic
Tangerang
Tangerang (Sundanese script, Sundanese: , ) is the List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city with the largest population in the province of Banten, Indonesia. Located on the western border of Jakarta, it is the sixth largest city proper in ...
area in the modern-day Indonesian provinces of
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
,
Banten
Banten (, , Pegon alphabet, Pegon: بنتن) is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang and its largest city is Tangerang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capi ...
and
West Java
West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...
.
Etymology
The name 'Benteng' is derived from the Malay word for 'fortress', used formerly to refer to the historic Tangerang area. It refers to a colonial fortress on the banks of the
Cisadane River
The Cisadane River is a long river in northern West Java, Indonesia. Note that the prefixed syllable "Ci" means river, so to avoid tautology the true translation is "Sadane River".
The river has its source at Mount Pangrango and passes through B ...
, built by the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...
in the seventeenth century as part of their defence system against the neighbouring
Sultanate of Banten.
History
Origin
According to a
Sundanese manuscript ''Tina Layang Parahyang'' (''Notes from
Parahyangan
Parahyangan () or Priangan ( Sundanese script: ) is a cultural and mountainous region in West Java province on the Indonesian island of Java. Covering a little less than one-sixth of Java, it is the heartland of Sundanese people and their cultur ...
''), the Chinese community of Batavia and Tangerang has existed since at least 1407 CE.
This manuscript recounts the arrival of among the earliest Chinese migrants to the area, led by a certain Tjen Tjie Lung, also dubbed 'Halung'.
They landed at the mouth of the Cisadane river, now called ''Teluk Naga'' (''Dragon's Bay'').
Subsequent waves of Chinese immigration from the seventeenth century onwards took place under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company.
Boen Tek Bio, the oldest Chinese temple in Tangerang, was built by the community in 1684.
Some Benteng Chinese trace their origin to those fleeing Batavia during the
Chinese Massacre of 1740.
Contribution to Dutch colonialism
Many ethnic-Chinese allies and officials of the Dutch colonial authorities held office (see: ''
Kapitan Cina
Kapitan Cina, also spelled Kapitan China or Capitan China or Capitan Chino (; ; ; ), was a high-ranking government position in the civil administration of colonial Indonesia, Malaya, Singapore, Borneo and the Philippines. Office holders exercis ...
''), and owned landed estates (''particuliere landerijen'') in the historic Tangerang area.
The historian
Mona Lohanda, herself a Benteng Chinese, goes so far as to say that "Tangerang was practically a Chinese private domain" (p. 258).
These landlords and bureaucrats also sponsored a large-scale migration of Chinese indentured laborers, who played a crucial role in the agricultural and economic development of the region.
Revolution
In the
Indonesian Revolution from 1945 to 1949, tension rose between indigenous Indonesians and Benteng Chinese, who were perceived to be in favour of the Dutch colonial ''status quo''.
On 23 June 1946, riots targeting Benteng Chinese homes broke out in Tangerang, where revolutionary militiamen sympathetic to the Indonesian republican cause looted Chinese possessions, including
Chinese prayer tables.
These riots were apparently triggered by placement of an Indonesian flag with a Dutch flag by a
Dutch colonial army soldier of
Chinese descent.
Indonesian journalist
Rosihan Anwar wrote in the ''Merdeka'' daily on 13 June 1946 that relationship between native and Chinese Indonesians had reached an all-time low. Conditions worsened after
Pao An Tui, a pro-Dutch Benteng Chinese youth group, mobilized armed groups to evacuate Benteng Chinese residents to Batavia. Anti-Chinese rioting was successfully suppressed by the alliance of
Pao An Tui and Dutch colonial troops.
At the time, nearly the entire Benteng Chinese population was displaced, and upon returning, they found that their properties were no longer intact: their land holdings had been confiscated or their homes had been looted.
Upon
Indonesian independence
The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence (, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 Tokyo Standard Time on Friday 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of the Indonesian Nati ...
, Tangerang was the last part of Java to be handed over to the
Republic of Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
by the Dutch.
Traditional dress
The traditional dress of the Benteng people is a mixture of the Chinese traditional dress mostly of
Hokkien
Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...
heritage and the
Betawi
Betawi may refer to:
*Betawi people
*Betawi language
*Betawi cuisine
Betawi cuisine is rich, diverse and eclectic, in part because the Betawi people that create them were composed from numbers of Native Indonesian, regional immigrants that came ...
traditional dress. The males wear a black shirt and long pants with a traditional hat in
conical shape. The female dress called 'hwa kun' is a blouse with headdress and veil. An alternative costume is the 'kebaya encim' of
Peranakan
The Peranakan Chinese () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (region), Nanyang (), namely the British Empire, British, Portugu ...
heritage.
Benteng people today
Benteng culture today is a mixture of Betawi and Chinese cultures. One example is ''cokek,'' a dance featuring a male and female couple set to
gambang kromong
Gambang kromong is a traditional orchestra of Betawi people which is a blend of gamelan, Western music and Chinese-style pentatonic base tones. Gambang kromong is closely associated with the Chinese Betawi community, especially the Chinese Perana ...
music. Religiously, the Benteng Chinese adhere to
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...
,
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
,
Taoism
Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...
,
Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
,
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
, ancestor worship, and few adhere to
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
.
Although most Benteng people do not speak
Chinese
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
, they maintain a number of Chinese traditions, including the use of
Qing
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
wedding costumes.
Prominent Benteng people
Notable people with Benteng Chinese heritage or ties include:
*
Tan Eng Goan
Tan Eng Goan, 1st Majoor der Chinezen (; 1802 – 17 September 1872) was a high-ranking bureaucrat who served as the first ''Majoor der Chinezen'' of Batavia (now Jakarta), capital of colonial Indonesia. This was the highest-ranking Chinese pos ...
, the
first ''Majoor der Chinezen'' of Batavia (1802-1872): bureaucrat and landlord.
*
Oey Giok Koen, Kapitein der Chinezen (died in 1912): bureaucrat, landlord and social activist.
*
Oey Djie San, Kapitein der Chinezen (died in 1925): bureaucrat, landlord and social activist.
*
Tan Liok Tiauw
Tan Liok Tiauw Sia (1872 - 1947) was a prominent Chinese-Indonesian landowner, planter and industrial pioneer in the late colonial period, best known today as the last '' Landheer'' (or landlord) of Batoe-Tjepper, now the district of Batuceper. ...
(1872-1947): colonial landlord, plantation owner and industrialist.
*
Mona Lohanda: historian and academic.
*
Udaya Halim (born in 1953): entrepreneur and heritage activist.
See also
*
Boen Tek Bio: the oldest Chinese temple in Tangerang.
*
Benteng Heritage Museum: a local museum highlight Benteng Chinese heritage and culture.
References
External links
{{Ethnic Groups of Indonesia
Chinese diaspora in Indonesia
Ethnic groups in Indonesia
Betawi people