Panglima la’öt was the head of the guild of sea-fishery masters (pawang’s) in Atjèh, elected by guild members with approval of the Oelèëbalang. He settled disputes between pawang’s over fishing grounds. His territory was a lhö’ (bay).
Election and authority
The panglima la’öt was elected by the guild members (the pawang’s) with the approval of the local Oelèëbalang. His authority extended over a lhö’ — a bay or stretch of coast that constituted the guild’s territory. The lhö’s were separated by boundary markers, but the fishing rights within a lhö’ were not exclusive — rather, the lhö’ was the guild territory for the joint kandoeri la’öt ceremony.
Dispute settlement
The panglima la’öt settled disputes between pawang’s over fishing grounds. The pawang was the master fisherman — owner of the poekat net and prauw, who organised fishery work and possessed èleumèë (esoteric knowledge of formulas and incantations used to control sea and forest spirits).
The kandoeri la’öt
The kandoeri la’öt (or kandoeri lhö’) was a joint ceremonial meal held at the beach at the start of the poekat season, where a buffalo was slaughtered to invoke Allah’s blessing. Paid for by the pawang’s, with moegè (fish-buyers) contributing. For 7 days after the kandoeri la’öt, fishing in that area was pantang (taboo).
The sarakata and the sea-strip
The panglima la’öt’s authority over the lhö’ was historically grounded in old sarakata’s (royal charters) from the Sultan, which defined the extent of a chief’s territory “as far as one can fish with seine nets” — indicating the Sultan’s historic sovereignty over the sea-strip adjacent to coastal lands.
See Also
Source
Atjèh. Algemeen samenvattend overzicht van land en volk van Atjèh en onderhoorigheden, door J. Kreemer, Archivaris van het Atjèh Instituut. Tweede Deel. Leiden: N.V. Boekhandel en Drukkerij voorheen E.J. Brill, 1923.
Identifier: Delpher MMKB02B:000001798; PPN 395084288. Koninklijke Bibliotheek.