Money, Magic and Fear: Identity and Exchange Amongst the Orang Suku Laut (Sea Nomads) and Other Groups of Riau and Batam, Indonesia

ýk )( I qoqý MONEY, MAGIC AND FEAR: IDENTITY AND EXCHANGE AMONGST THE ORANG SUKU LAUT (SEA NOMADS) AND OTHER GROUPS OF RIAU AND BATAM, INDONESIA CYNTHIA GEK-HUA CHOU Girton College Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge May 1994 3 MONEY, MAGIC AND FEAR: IDENTITY AND EXCHANGE AMONGST THE ORANG SUKU LA UT (SEA NOMADS) AND OTHER GROUPS OF RIAU AND BATAM, INDONESIA SUNIlIvARY The central focus of my thesis is the symbolism of money and the power it holds in the Riau archipelago and Batam of Indonesia to affect the nature of social relationships. These social relationships in turn affect the different forms of exchange that take place in the archipelago. In particular, I am exploring the meaning and moral implications of monetary and commercial exchanges in contrast to exchanges of other kinds that take place between the Orang Suku Laut and other Malay and non-Malay communities. The Orang Suku Laut are regarded as the Orang asli Melayu (indigenous Malays) of Riau. Yet in the interaction between the Malays and Orang Suku Laut, there exists much fear between them with constant accusations of being poisoned and harmed by one and the other through practices of magic and witchcraft. This stems from the Malays' perception of the Orang Suku Laut as a "dangerous, dirty and unprogressive people. " The Orang Suku Laut are regarded as preferring a life of nomadism, and one without a religious orientation towards Islam, as opposed to a life of sedentism guided by the Islamic religion. This thesis explores how this self and other perceptions which have shaped the image of the Orang Suku Laut, have become enmeshed in the exchange economy of the Orang Suku Laut and the Malays. This thesis is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration. It does not exceed the 80,000 word limit. L Cynthia Gek-Hua Chou Girton College May 1994 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF MAPS LIST OF PLATES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1 PREFACE 3 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Aims 7 The Riau Archipelago 7 Preconceptions, Explorations and Field Methods 9 The Orang Suku Laut 15 Social Organisation 16 Textual Organisation 17 CHAPTER TWO: RANKING IN RIAU Introduction 22 The Hierarchy of Ranks 22 Purity 27 Indigenous Status 35 Weapons of the Weak 40 Redefining Purity 49 Summary 53 CHAPTER THREE: ILMU Introduction 58 Sourcesof power 59 Acquiring Ilmu: The Initiation Process 61 The Inner Essence 67 Fishing and the Circulation of Food with the Sea Spirits 74 Summary 80 CHAPTER FOUR: THE MEANING OF THINGS: CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE ORANG SUKU LAUT'S IDENTITY Introduction 86 The Range of Things: The spirit that Residesin Things and People 86 Summary 98 CHAPTER FIVE: SHARING AND HELPING: CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE ORANG SUKU LAUT'S IDENTITY Introduction 102 Sharing and Helping Between Individuals within Orang Suku Laut communities 103 Sharing and Helping: The Relation Between Household and Community 109 Beyond Sharing and Helping: Money and Barter 120 Summary 127 CHAPTER SIX: MONEY: RECONSTRUCTING THE MEANING OF THINGS Introduction 133 Money: Its introduction to the Orang Suku Laut of Riau 133 Barter and Money in Riau 139 "Doing Business" with the Chinese 141 Money: Making Safe the Interaction Between Different Groups of Orang Suku Laut 153 Money: Making Safe the Interaction Between the Orang Suku Laut and the Malays 159 Summary 167 CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION 171 REFERENCES 176 LIST OF MAPS Map 1: The Riau-Lingga Archipelago 4 Map 2: Research Area 5 Map 3: Subdistrict of Southern Bintan 6 LIST OF PLATES Plate 1: An Orang Suku Laut's sampan 21 Plate 2: The interior of an Orang suku Laut's sampan 21 Plate 3: The great Mosque of Penyengat 55 Plate 4: The Pulau Nanga Orang Suku Laut settlement 55 Plate 5: Muslim Missionaries 56 Plate 6: The Dapur Enam Orang Suku Laut settlement 56 Plate 7: The interior of an Orang Suku Laut's home 57 Plate 8: The Tiang Wang Kang Orang Suku Laut 57 community Plate 9: The home of the hantu laut (sea spirits) 84 Plate 10: "Locking a spell" 85 Plate 11: Constructing a fishing spear 101 Plate 12: Constructing a fishing spear 101 Plate 13: Sea-cucumbers 128 Plate 14: Casting spells 129 Plate 15: Casting spells 129 Plate 16: Preparations for a burial 130 Plate 17: Preparations for a burial 130 Plate 18: Throwing yellow rice to ward off spirits 131 Plate 19: A kenduri besar (big religious feast) 132 Plate 20: Delivering a baby 169 Plate 21: Tray of payment for a midwife's services 170 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In preparing this thesis, I have benefitted enormously from the criticism, advice and unfailing support of my supervisors, Dr. Leo Howe and Dr. Stephen Hugh-Jones. I also thank Dr Vivienne Wee and Associate Professor Geoffrey Benjamin who first suggested fieldwork amongst the Orang Suku Laut to me. Their help throughout these years have been a constant source of inspiration. I am indebted to Dr Simon Kay for awarding me the British Council Fellowship to pursue my doctoral studies in the United Kingdom. The enthusiasticsupport of Mr and Mrs Alen Webster, Mr Michael Thompson and Ms Eunice Lum of the British Council in Singapore were often beyond the call of duty. I also thank the British Council offices in Cambridge and Jakarta for sorting out the intricacies of my researchdocuments both at the initial and concluding stagesof my stay in Indonesia. The generous awards of the J. E. Caimes Scholarship from Girton College, the Crowther-Benyon Fund from the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge and the National Museum of Singapore enabled me to assemble collections of the Orang Suku Laut fishing equipment as an extension to this thesis. I thank the Indonesian Government for giving me permission to do field research in Indonesia. My institutional affiliation while in Indonesia was with Lembaga llmu Pengetahuan Indonesia, the Indonesian Institute of Sciencesin Jakarta and the Universitas Pekanbaruin Riau. Thanks are also due to the numerous Indonesian officials who rendered me assistancein Jakarta, Pekanbaru, Riau and Batam. I express heartfelt gratitude for the magnificent care and trust that all my Orang Suku Laut, Malay and Chinese friends offered me for the fourteen months that I spent in Riau and Batam. In particular, I thank Mr Cou Acuk, Mrs Cou Su Lang and Mr Cou Ahua for their generous hospitality in Pulau Sembur. Kakak Pindah, Lai Tee and their families were also never hesitant in extending a welcome to me. My mamak angkat Suri, her husband Tekong and their family treated me as their own during my time in Pulau Nanga. There was always room in their sampan for me to travel with them. I thank Halus and Baggong for their delightful company and for teaching me how not family row backwards! Across in Teluk Nipah, Meen and his accepted me into their home. Further off in Pulau Abang, Asim and his family fed and sheltered me. In Dapur Enam, Awang Ketah, Saya and. their family. met my me needs.-Atong and his family allowed into their midst while I was in Tiang Wang Kang. In Pulau Penyengat, Raja Hamzah Yunüs, 'my bapak angkat, Raja Haji Abdul Rahim Mansor and their wives received my various visitors 2 and myself with graciousness. They also offered exceptional guidance to the history of Riau. In Tanjung Pinang, I thank Cou Ngouti and his family for opening their home to me. In Pekanbaru, I met Jufri Gafar who out of concern for a lone woman fieldworker, insisted on introducing me to his family in Tanjung Pinang. It is with much sadness that I mention with special thanks the extent of his late mother, Ibu Rahmah Yahya's kindness and joviality in giving me a home away from home. Nenenda Zauyah, Tri Kurniati, Farah and Abang Muryono were the rest who made up this wonderful family. I owe a collective thanks to the PhD w ntin u seminar gr uote Cambridge Anfor ythe nýýýyn Department of Social Anthropology, Unive sity -or intellectual stimulus that they provided. In particular, I thank Giorgos Agelopoulos and Ayami Nakatoni for their insightful discussions. I also thank Liobart Lenhart, Heinzpeter Znoj and Gilbert Yeoh for the lively exchange of ideas. To Lim Geok Choo and Yong Pit Kee, I thank them for sending information over whenever the need arose. The fine layout of this thesis would not have been possible without the long hours devoted by Mary Amuyunzu. I thank Humphery Hinton for making available the necessarycomputer facilities to me. I also thank Monica Nesi and Horatio Ayesteran for rescuing me from my endless computering problems at other times. I am grateful to Professor Trevor Ling, Matthew Hurst and Huang Tao-Tao for braving the task of proof-reading this thesis. I thank Dr. Paul Lim, Ng Siah Heng, Tan You Woon, Connie Quah, Dr Wai and Yu Lo, Koh Hwee Ling, Chow Keng See, Ho Su Fen and my lunch partners in Wolfson Court for their moral support at various points of the writing up of my thesis. The last stages of putting the thesis together were the most trying periods. It is therefore with deepest gratitude that I express to Wang Wen Hsia for offering her daily company and Jonathan Brenton for his ability to make the worst of situations humorous. I thank them both for their warmth and understanding. To my family, I owe the greatestdebt of thanks. My mother and late father have given the greatestgift of love and patiencein enabling me to have the very best in life.

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