The Gowa Chronicle 29 Translation 29 Appendix 1 49 Notes 50 Transliteration 65
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A CHAIN OF KINGS The Bibliotheca Indonesica is a series published by the Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies), Leiden. The series contains critical editions of texts in various Indonesian languages, together with a translation and com- mentary in English. BIBLIOTHECA INDONESICA published by the KONINKLIJK INSTITUUT VOOR TAAL-, LAND- EN VOLKENKUNDE 33 A CHAIN OF KINGS The Makassarese chronicles of Gowa and Talloq edited and translated by WILLIAM CUMMINGS KITLV Press Leiden 2007 Published by: KITLV Press Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies) P.O. Box 9515 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands website: www.kitlv.nl e-mail: [email protected] KITLV is an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) Cover: Creja ontwerpen, Leiderdorp ISBN 978 90 67182 87 7 © 2007 Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright owner. Printed in the Netherlands Contents Preface vii Abbreviations ix I Introduction 1 The chronicles’ history of pre-colonial Makassar 1 Historiographical comments 8 II The chronicle texts 13 Description of manuscripts 13 Chronicle composition 18 Translating Makassarese texts 25 III The Gowa chronicle 29 Translation 29 Appendix 1 49 Notes 50 Transliteration 65 IV The Talloq chronicle 83 Translation 83 Notes 93 Transliteration 97 Glossary 105 Reign list for the rulers of Gowa and Talloq 109 Bibliography 111 Index 117 Preface The opening invocation of the Gowa chronicle states that it commemorates the karaeng, or rulers, of Gowa by recounting their names so that they will not be forgotten. ‘Because if they are not known there are two dangers: either we will feel ourselves to be such karaeng or outsiders will say you here are just common people.’ This book has been written for those very outsiders that a chronicler some four centuries ago believed would otherwise overlook the history of this corner of the world. Translations of the two main chroni- cles written at the courts of Gowa and Talloq offer readers a window on a tumultuous chapter in Indonesia’s long history. These two close allies domi- nated Makassar and a substantial portion of South Sulawesi before their con- quest by the Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC, Dutch East Indies Company) and Bugis in 1669, and it is largely through these chronicles that we know what transpired in Makassar before this date. The chronicles of Gowa and Talloq are the most important historical sources for the study of pre-colonial Makassar. They have provided the basic framework and much of the information that we possess about the origins, growth, and expansion of Gowa during the sixteenth and seventeenth cen- turies. During this period Gowa and its close ally Talloq became the most powerful force in the eastern Indonesian archipelago, and historians have relied heavily on Indonesian translations of the chronicles (Wolhoff and Abdurrahim 1959; Rahim and Ridwan 1975) to chart the developments of this period. Unfortunately, the Indonesian translations contain numerous errors, have a tendency to gloss over difficult passages, and were based on a published transcription (Matthes 1883), itself based on manuscripts that in hindsight were not the best choice. J. Noorduyn described them as ‘less con- vincing on every point’ (Noorduyn 1991:481). Since so few scholars can read Makassarese, a careful translation of the chronicles will offer historians an invaluable foundation on which to base interpretations of this crucial place and time in Indonesian history. In addition to their role as sources of historical information, the two chronicles are extremely valuable historiographically. Careful translations provide scholars the opportunity to examine how the chronicles were narra- tively constructed, how their structure and form related to their content, and viii Preface how chronicle writing was connected to social formations and social changes during the pre-modern period. Such translations can also facilitate investiga- tions of Makassarese notions of history, identity, power, religion, society, and a host of other ethnographic topics. Careful and critical examinations of the chronicles as a whole or of individual reigns or themes can yield valuable information about Makassarese perceptions of their social world. This book is divided into two main sections. The first pair of chapters examines what we can know of pre-colonial Makassarese history (and what we cannot) through the chronicles. This includes the historical background of pre-colonial Makassar as well as careful consideration of the textual issues surrounding the extant manuscripts containing the chronicles and that affect their transcription, translation, and interpretation. A glossary and reign lists for the rulers of Gowa and Talloq will help readers navigate the translated texts. The second part of the book presents translations, explanatory notes, and transcriptions of the Gowa and Talloq chronicles. Like all projects, this one has accumulated several years of professional and personal debts. Within the small field of South Sulawesi studies, Anthony Jukes, Campbell Macknight, and a diligent anonymous reader have provided support, advice, and saved me from numerous (though doubtless not all) errors. The University of South Florida and the department of History have provided a collegial atmosphere in which to pursue this work. In particular I thank Mike Decker for the frequent coffee breaks. Andi Malarangeng and Jim Henry at Northern Illinois University developed the Bugis font used in the text. Above all others, however, I am deeply indebted to Sharon, without whose encouragement, love, and understanding this work would have little meaning. Terima kasih. Abbreviations AL Lembaga Sejarah dan Antropologi, Cabang II ms. 2 ANRI Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia AS Lembaga Sejarah dan Antropologi, Cabang II ms. 1 BL British Library, Department of Oriental Manuscripts CM Matthes, B.F., 1883, Makassaarsche chrestomathie; Oorspronkelijke Makassaarsche geschriften in proza en poëzij uitgegeven. ‘s-Gravenhage: Nijhoff. KIT Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen MS Matthes Stichting NBG Nederlandsch Bijbelgenootschap SPBK Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Oriental Manuscripts VOC Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie VT Miscellaneous languages collection, Museum Nasional, Jakarta chapter i Introduction This chapter presents a narrative overview of Makassarese history as glimpsed through the Gowa and Talloq chronicles, then assesses the historiographical issues related to the interpretation of the chronicles as historical sources and historical narratives. The chronicles’ history of pre-colonial Makassar A narrative reconstruction of Gowa and Talloq’s past begins with oral legends incorporated into the Gowa chronicle. As the chronicle tells it, the rulers of what would become Gowa descended from the marriage between a tuma- nurung, or mythical being who descended from the Upperworld and in whose veins noble white blood flows, and a stranger named Karaeng Bayo. Karaeng Bayo may have come from the southern Makassarese coastal area of Bantaeng, an early trading spot in which important archaeological finds have been unearthed, or from Sanrabone, another coastal community long linked to external trade routes. The name Bayo probably derives from bajo, a term which referred to those who came from the seas. Structurally, then, the origin story of Gowa follows a widespread Austronesian pattern in which a stranger-king from overseas marries a local woman, though in this case one who mysteriously descended from above (compare Bellwood 1996; Fox 1995; Sahlins 1985). Indeed, the tumanurung’s unearthly origins ensure that the line of karaeng who came from her union with Karaeng Bayo can claim a descent and status unequalled by any other rival rulers in Makassar. Asserting and defending the uniqueness of the rulers of Gowa was a central purpose of the chronicles (Cummings 2002). The tumanurung and Karaeng Bayo’s child, Tumassalanga Barayang (‘the one with uneven shoulders’), was born with deformities that signified his otherworldly nature and hinted at supernatural powers of sight, hearing, and smell beyond those of normal humans. The Gowa chronicle says nothing of Karaeng Bayo’s fate, though it describes how the tumanurung disappeared without a trace. From each of his parents Tumassalanga Barayang inherited 2 A chain of kings objects that would become the central regalia of the rulers of Gowa: half of a necklace named Tanisamaang and the sword Sudanga, borne by Karaeng Bayo’s brother Lakipadada. Culturally connected to the founding figures that possessed them, subsequent rulers could point to these sacred objects (kalom- poang) as tangible proofs of their illustrious, indeed incomparable, descent. Tumassalanga Barayang disappeared as abruptly as his mother, and was succeeded by his son. The chronicles tell us nothing more than the names of the four rulers after Tumassalanga Barayang. It is likely that the impressive and important origins of Gowa were considered important to remember, but the details about these rulers were not as valued. When the Gowa chronicle was composed later, chroniclers could only report that