THE MALAY AND INDONESIAN WORD DOC 01 1.2 LANDS, ISLANDS, TRAVELS AND MAPS Illustration 1. Pagaruyung Palace. George Schnee, 1984. Thomas Dias’ Journey to Central Sumatra in 1684 CONTENT 1 Introduction 2 2 Transcription of the Dutch text 6 3 English translation 20 4 Colophon 32 5 Folio images 33 HARTA KARUN. HIDDENHARTA TREASURES ON INDONESIAN AND ASIAN-EUROPEAN HISTORY THE ARCHIVES FROM VOC IN JAKARTA www.sejarah-nusantara.anri.go.id THE MALAY AND INDONESIAN WORD 2 DOC 01 1.2 LANDS, ISLANDS, TRAVELS AND MAPS 1 Introduction Timothy P. Barnard, “Thomas Dias’ Journey ing the discovery of tin-mines at the headwaters to Central Sumatra in 1684”. In: Harta Karun: of the Siak and Kampar Rivers in the 1670s. The Hidden Treasures on Indonesian and Asian-Eu- region included a vast network of communities ropean History from the VOC Archives in which traded goods between the interior and Jakarta, document 1. Jakarta: Arsip Nasional the Malacca Straits. Their leaders would pledge Republik Indonesia, 2013. their allegiance to whichever state provided the most benefits. Beyond these riverine communi- BY TIMOTHY P. BARNARD ties were the Minangkabau highlands, where a How does one describe a society which is vastly vibrant matrilineal society oversaw the produc- different from our own, and one which is con- tion of rice and the panning of gold. Trade from tained in a blank space on a map? In the seven- these highlands, an almost mystical place in the teenth century, when the United East India early modern mind, flowed down the rivers to Company (VOC) first ventured into the vast Indo- the Malacca Straits, making its origin a goal of any nesian archipelago, this was a common problem. local merchant. Into this mixture of trade rival- While the VOC was first and foremost a trading ries, cultural differences and misunderstandings company, a business, its employees needed to stepped Tomas Dias, a ‘black Portuguese’ trader, understand the societies with which they inter- who made a remarkable journey into the Minang- acted. When Thomas Dias travelled to the king- kabau highlands and helped develop some of the dom of Minangkabau in 1684 he reflected the early contacts between the VOC and states in the possibilities for exploration and understanding of interior of Sumatra. new societies, and his tale reflects the richness of Very little is known about Tomas Dias. Beyond the VOC archival materials. this account of his journey to Minangkabau in The VOC gained control over Malacca in 1641. 1684, he appears occasionally in VOC records, Malacca was one of the key ports in the region, which portray him as a trusted employee, often as it oversaw shipping between the South China acting as a liaison with local rulers and traders. Sea and the Indian Ocean, linking vast empires of For example, in 1682 Dias delivered letters to the trade, peoples and cultures. Malacca had been the rulers of Indragiri, and the 1680 census of Malacca centre of a Malay polity until 1511, when the Por- records that Dias was married and had eight chil- tuguese captured the port and ruled it until the dren and two slaves. Under the category of race, arrival of the VOC. The polity of Johor was assist- Dias is described as dark (zwarte). ing the VOC in the takeover of Malacca, where Despite these glimpses into Tomas Dias’ life in many of the Malay-Malaccan elite had fled follow- Malacca, almost everything we know about him ing 1511. Johor and the VOC remained allies after comes from a report he wrote on the 25 September 1641, although tensions often arose as Johor began 1684 describing his journey to Minangkabau. The HARTA KARUN. HIDDENHARTA TREASURES ON INDONESIAN AND ASIAN-EUROPEAN HISTORY THE ARCHIVES FROM VOC IN JAKARTA to exert control over the vast forested resources of origins of this journey lay in the failed attempts of eastern Sumatra over the next few decades. VOC officials to communicate with the leaders of Central Sumatra became a place of interest to the tin-mining areas in central Sumatra in 1683. and rivalry for both Johor and the VOC follow- Dias had been a member of an expedition to Pat- THE MALAY AND INDONESIAN WORD 3 DOC 01 1.2 LANDS, ISLANDS, TRAVELS AND MAPS INTRODUCTION ous villages and the difficulties, he encountered between eastern Sumatra and the Minangkabau highlands. Dias left from the main staple post of Patapahan, but the VOC party continually encountered uncooperative leaders, eventually forcing them to travel into the highlands via the Kampar Kiri and the spiderweb of paths which connected the various rivers. While Dias empha- sizes the difficulties in his journey in the report, it is also clear that he was constantly negotiating with various parties with regard to trade and dip- Illustration 2. Minangkabau Royal Seal. Rusli Amran. Sumatra Barat hingga Plakat Panjang. lomatic alliances. After several weeks of travel, the Jakarta: Sinar Harapan, 1981. party reached a village near the Minangkabau cap- apahan in May 1683 under the leadership of Hen- ital of Pagar Ruyung. This location is most likely drik Temmer. The expedition accomplished little, not where the modern village of Pagar Ruyung is but Dias remained in Patapahan after the others currently situated, as it shifted in subsequent cen- left, setting up a small trade post as a represent- turies under pressure of internal rivalries. ative (morador) of the Company. While in this The Minangkabau ruler sent a Raja Malyo (“Raja position, Dias fell foul of a Dutch representative, Melayu”), who might have been an official who Hendrik van Roonhuyzen, who visited Patapa- dealt with trade to the east or the Malay lands with han later in the year. Van Roonhuyzen believed 500 men to accompany Dias into the capital in the that many of the continuing trade problems in late afternoon. The next morning Dias entered the region were due to Dias’ incompetence. Dias the capital and an audience took place. According was eventually able to defend himself before the to Dias, the king’s two sons met him at the edge Malacca authorities, but his position and trust- of the royal district with 4,000 men and royal worthiness as a middleman had been compro- umbrellas unfurled. They were to escort the out- mised. To re-establish his position with VOC siders to meet the ruler. After a formal presenta- officials, Dias made a bold proposal which would tion of gifts and a letter from the Malacca Gov- mark him in both the archives and Sumatran his- ernor Cornelis van Qualbergen, Dias was invited tory. Since the Minangkabau ruler could possi- inside the palace, where the ruler presented Dias bly provide some order to this volatile region, in a traditional way with the betel quids. After Dias would travel to the Minangkabau capital chewing betel Dias took part in a polite diplomat- and secure support for VOC trade interests in the ic discussion concerning his journey. Among the region. VOC officials approved the idea. In May topics discussed were the perils he had encoun- 1684, Tomas Dias sent a letter to the Minangka- tered and the fact that he was probably the first bau ruler in Pagar Ruyung (‘Paggar Oejom’ in the Christian to enter Minangkabau. document) requesting approval for a visit, which A few days later, the Minangkabau ruler invited received a positive response shortly thereafter. Dias, to whom he gave the honorary title “Orang Dias quickly assembled all the necessary equip- Kaya Saudagar Raja” (His Excellency the Roy- HARTA KARUN. HIDDENHARTA TREASURES ON INDONESIAN AND ASIAN-EUROPEAN HISTORY THE ARCHIVES FROM VOC IN JAKARTA ment and, along with thirty-seven other people, al Trade Representative), to open a Dutch post began the journey into the Minangkabau high- in Patapahan and to help him gain control of the lands which he describes in this document. trade on the Siak and Indragiri Rivers. When In the report which Dias describes the vari- Dias mentioned that Johor controlled Siak, the THE MALAY AND INDONESIAN WORD 4 DOC 01 1.2 LANDS, ISLANDS, TRAVELS AND MAPS INTRODUCTION Illustration 3. Contemporary image of Siak River, Sumatra. Minangkabau ruler simply replied that the area, River was Johor territory and off limits to Dutch “from Pulau Gontong [an island in the mouth of traders. Although Patapahan had remained loy- the Siak River] up to Patapahan is mine.” al to the authority of Minangkabau, Johor made After receiving these various honours, Dias great efforts to bring other upstream villages into began to prepare for his return journey. When he its sphere of influence. By the time Dias returned was about to leave, he was presented with vari- from his trip in August 1684, Johor had already ous letters and seals to prove that he had indeed gained some control over the Kampar Kanan made the journey and now possessed the author- through agreements with leaders of the various ity bestowed upon him. He was also given a box trading posts. Although the VOC quickly opened full of “improper pictures”, which had apparently a lodge in Patapahan, it eventually had to be aban- come as a present from a Dutch official who had doned. This was because of repeated attacks and sent them to the Minangkabau ruler. Dias then left the decision of local traders to funnel their tin and Pagar Ruyung and proceeded to travel along the gold through villages on the Kampar River. usual trade routes. Raja Malyo with 3,000 men Dias’ report of his journey to Minangkabau accompanied the group as far as the staple post of gained a small measure of fame in the late nine- Siluka, from whence Dias floated down the Kam- teenth century when the former Batavian state par Kiri and then moved overland, reaching Pat- archivist, Frederik de Haan, drew attention to its apahan in July 1684.