Sonbai (also spelt ''Sonnebay'', ''Sonba'i'', or ''Sonbait'') was an Indonesian princely

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

that reigned over various parts of

West Timor West Timor () is an area covering the western part of the island of Timor, except for the district of Oecussi-Ambeno (an East Timorese exclave). Administratively, West Timor is part of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The capital as well ...

from at least the 17th century until the 1950s. It was known as the most prestigious princedom of the

Atoni The Atoni (also known as the Atoin Meto, Atoin Pah Meto or Dawan) people are an ethnic group on Timor, in Indonesian West Timor and the East Timorese enclave of Oecussi-Ambeno. They number around 844,030. Their language is Uab Meto. The Ato ...

people of West Timor, and is the subject of many myths and stories. According to most legends, Sonbai originated from

Wehali Wehali (''Wehale'', ''Waihali'', ''Veale'') is the name of a traditional kingdom at the southern coast of Central Timor, now in Indonesia and East Timor. It is often mentioned together with its neighbouring sister kingdom, as Wewiku-Wehali (Waiwik ...

in the Tetun-speaking central parts of

Timor Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...

, the classical political and cultural centre of gravitation on Timor. The ancestor of the line, who was a brother of the

Liurai Liurai is a ruler's title on Timor. The word is Tetum language, Tetun and literally means "surpassing the earth". It was originally associated with Wehali, a ritually central kingdom situated at the south coast of central Timor (now included in I ...

(ruler) of

, migrated to the highlands of West Timor, where he married a daughter of a local Atoni lord, Kune, and inherited his lands. The various Atoni principalities tended to relate themselves genealogically to Sonbai, although they did not acknowledge him politically as their lord. Other legends assert that the first Sonbai descended from the sky. Historically, Sonbai is documented in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an colonial sources since 1649. At that time it was a politically expansive realm which allied with the Portuguese, who had by this time started to establish their direct influence on Timor. In 1655 Sonbai switched sides and made a

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

with the

Dutch East Indies Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States General of the Neth ...

(VOC), the enemies of the Portuguese colonialists. Serious defeats in 1657–58 at the hands of the Portuguese

Topasses Topasses (Tupasses, Topas, Topaz) were a group of people led by the two powerful families – Da Costa and Hornay – that resided in Oecussi and Flores. The Da Costa families were descendants of Portuguese Jewish merchants and Hornay were Dutch ...

, led to a division of the realm. One part of the Sonbai population migrated to

Kupang Kupang (, ), formerly known as Koepang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. At the 2020 Indonesian census, 2020 Census, it had a population of 442,758;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as o ...

, where the Dutch kept a fort since 1653. This group, known as ''Lesser Sonbai'' ( Sonbai Kecil), was one of the so-called five loyal allies of the Dutch, together with the princes of Kupang-Helong, Amabi, Amfoan and Taebenu. This group was finally merged with other principalities to form the larger zelfbesturend landschap (self-ruling territory) of Kupang in 1917. The new Kupang principality was governed by members of the Nisnoni family, a side-branch of Sonbai, surviving the

Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. In May 1940, Germany German invasion of the Netherlands, occupied the Netherlands, and ma ...

in 1942-45 and the Indonesian Revolution in 1945–49. Its population was 49,168 inhabitants in 1949. In 1955 the new Indonesian republic ended the rule of governing princes (raja) in Kupang. In the interior of West Timor, a Sonbai principality remained under Portuguese suzerainty after 1658. The rulers, known to the Europeans as "

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

(''keizer'', ''imperador'')", usually had an inactive role, while the executive governance was done by their main lieutenants of the Kono family. Therefore, the inland principality was often known as Amakono (Ama = father). The realm was also known as ''Greater Sonbai'' ( Sonbai Besar). In 1748-49 the ruler of Greater Sonbai defected from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and escaped to Kupang, submitting to the Dutch. Later on, in 1782, the Greater Sonbai congregation again broke with the Dutch and re-established an autonomous realm in the interior. It approximately covered the regions Fatuleu, Mollo and Miomaffo. After 1867 this realm began to break up, as minor rajas asserted their independence. The last pretender-ruler was captured by Dutch

colonial troops Colonial troops or colonial army refers to various Military organization#Commands, formations, and units, military units Military recruitment, recruited from, or used as garrison troops in, colonial territories. Colonial background Such colonie ...

in 1906, bringing a definite end to the principality. The Dutch and Portuguese gave the rulers of the Sonbai Besar and Sonbai Kecil the lofty title of 'emperor' (''keizer'', ''imperador''), which indicates that the two colonial powers both understood the importance of maintaining control over the ritually prestigious princes.

References

Sources

* H. Hägerdal (2007), 'Rebellions or Factionalism?', ''Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde'' 163:1, pp. 1–33. * P. Middelkoop (1938), 'Iets over Sonba'i, het bekende vorstengeslacht in Timor', ''Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde'' 78, pp. 392–509. * A. de Roever (2002), ''De jacht op sandelhout: De VOC en de tweedeling van Timor in de zeventiende eeuw'', Zutphen: Walburg Pers. * H.G. Schulte Nordholt (1971), The Political System of the Atoni of Timor, The Hague: M. Nijhoff. * F.A.E. van Wouden (1968), ''Types of Social Structures in Eastern Indonesia'', Den Haag. {{Precolonial states in Indonesia Precolonial states of Indonesia East Nusa Tenggara History of Timor