| ID | 168573 |
| Title Proper | Killing of Posthouder Scheerder and Jifar Folfolun (The War of the Breasts) |
| Other Title Information | Malukan and Dutch narratives of an incident in the VOC's waning days |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | A. Ross Gordon, Sonny A. Djonler and Hans Hägerdal ; Gordon, A Ross ; Hägerdal, Hans ; Djonler, Sonny A |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The Aru Islands in southeastern Maluku have a long history of economic exchange and colonial relations with the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and later the Dutch colonial state. Aru was fragmented in smaller autonomous settlements, of which those in the east produced valuable items for export, such as pearls and tripang (edible sea cucumber). The article focuses on a spate of anti-colonial revolts in the waning days of the VOC in the 1790s. It centred on the Batuley villages situated on a few small islands on the eastern side. The central incident leading to the resistance was the killing of a Dutch low-ranking officer, Scheerder, an event which has been preserved in local tradition till the present day. A search in the VOC archives confirms several details, but suggests a rationale for the resistance which is partly different from the traditional version, and linked in with larger movements of resistance in Aru and Maluku. The article discusses the significance of the oral traditions, and how a comparison with archival materials can enrich our understanding of Arunese–Dutch relations. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of South East Asian Studies Vol. 50, No.3; Sep 2019: p.324-346 |
| Journal Source | Journal of South East Asian Studies 2019-10 50, 3 |
| Key Words | VOC ; Posthouder Scheerder ; Jifar Folfolun ; Malukan and Dutch |