The transport-olifanten of Aceh — the elephant transport of the colonial army in Aceh — was the military transport system that used indigenous elephants as pack-animals for military transports in the province of Aceh, particularly on the transverse road from Lam-toeulo via Tangsé to Geumpang in the interior of Aceh. The transport-olifanten are the subject of the chapter Atjeh’s Transport-Olifanten in Oost-Indisch Journael by Merac (1947), which records the history of the transport — from the Sultans of the Acehnese empire who had a thousand elephants as riding, pack, and fighting animals, through the failed trials with foreign elephants in 1880-1881, the 1906 trial with indigenous elephants, the 1913 transport of the elephants to Lam-toeulo, and the eventual abolition of the transport in connection with the introduction of lorry transport along the transverse road.
The elephants of the Acehnese empire
“At that time many [elephants] were known in Atjeh in tame state, for centuries already.” Elephants had been known in Aceh in tame state for centuries. “Six or seven centuries ago, when the Sultans of the Pasé Samoedrase rijk spread Islam by fire and sword in North Sumatra, elephants were used in war and elephant-hunting was a princely entertainment.” Six or seven centuries ago, when the Sultans of the Pasé Samoedrase rijk spread Islam by fire and sword in North Sumatra, elephants were used in war and elephant-hunting was a princely entertainment.
“In the period of greatest splendour of the Atjehse rijk, the Sultans had a thousand elephants as riding, pack, and fighting animals.” In the period of greatest splendour of the Acehnese empire, the Sultans had a thousand elephants as riding, pack, and fighting animals. “Only at very great feasts were elephants made to fight each other. But with the waning of the old splendour of the Sultan’s court, the elephants too disappeared.” Only at very great feasts were elephants made to fight each other. But with the waning of the old splendour of the Sultan’s court, the elephants too disappeared.
The failed trials with foreign elephants (1880-1881)
“After — I think in 1880-1881 — military trials with foreign elephants as pack-animals had failed …” After — the narrator thinks in 1880-1881 — military trials with foreign elephants as pack-animals had failed, the colonial army turned to indigenous elephants.
The 1906 trial and the 1913 transport
”… in 1906 it was tried to train indigenous elephants and put them in service for the military transports in the Province. This trial fell out favourably.” In 1906 the colonial army tried to train indigenous elephants and put them in service for military transports in the province. This trial turned out favourably. “In 1913 the transport-elephants were transported to Lam-toeulo to serve the transport to Tangsé and the still more southerly post Geumpang.” In 1913 the transport-olifanten were transported to Lam-toeulo to serve the transport to Tangsé and the still more southerly post Geumpang.
The four elephants: Agam, Isah, Sarah, Rimba
“The four elephants, Agam, the male, and Isah, Sarah, and Rimba, the female elephants, were disposed of just in the time when I was posted there.” The four elephants — Agam the male and Isah, Sarah and Rimba the female elephants — were disposed of just at the time when the narrator was posted there.
Agam and the firing squad
“Agam had been purchased by the Sultan of Djocja, but before he could be brought to Medan and on to Java, he had a serious disagreement with his mahout and behaved so wildly that there was nothing for it but to put him down. So he came to Tangsé for the firing squad. A volley rang out from his old comrades, the men with the red patches on the collar — the marechaussées. The old hero lifted his trunk high and sank soundlessly sideways. He died as a warrior by the bullet.” Agam had been purchased by the Sultan van Djocja (the Sultan of Yogyakarta), but before he could be brought to Medan and on to Java, he had a serious disagreement with his mahout and behaved so wildly that there was nothing for it but to put him down. So he came to Tangsé for the firing squad. A volley rang out from his old comrades, the men with the red patches on the collar — the marechaussées. The old hero lifted his trunk high and sank soundlessly sideways. He died as a warrior by the bullet.
The female elephants and the European zoo
“One of the female elephants was sent to Medan, and it is this sturdy young lady that you see here on this snapshot. I still see the colossus slowly swaying along the main road. The future of the two other female elephants was also a European zoo.” One of the female elephants was sent to Medan, and it is this sturdy young lady that the colonel’s snapshot shows — the photo from the Rotterdam Zoo that opens the chapter. “I still see the colossus slowly swaying along the main road.” The future of the two other female elephants was also a European zoo.
The speed of the transport
“But the speed of those transports must have been pitifully low, colonel,” the lieutenant asks. “Naturally,” his superior smiled. “That last transport from Tangsé to Medan took 26 days!” The 26-day journey from Tangsé to Medan is the book’s marker of the pitifully low speed of the elephant transport.
The Keumala incident
“I remember, from the last transport from Geumpang to Tangsé, a remarkable incident. An armed Atjeher attacked the marechaussée-brigade that escorted the elephants. This happened in the valley of Keumala, the classic battle-ground, on the same place where the elephant transport had been attacked by a small band of djahats three years before.” The narrator remembers, from the last transport from Geumpang to Tangsé, a remarkable incident. An armed Atjeher attacked the marechaussée-brigade that escorted the elephants. This happened in the valley of Keumala, the classic battle-ground, on the same spot where the elephant transport had been attacked by a small band of djahats three years before.
“The Atjeher — who was immediately struck down — proved so fanatical that, heavily wounded and crawling, he managed to deliver a parang-blow to the patrol commander, Sergeant Vogelensang, in his leg!” The Atjeher — who was immediately struck down — proved so fanatical that, heavily wounded and crawling, he managed to deliver a parang-blow to the patrol commander, Sergeant Vogelensang, in his leg.
The book’s interpretation of the Keumala attacker
“The striking thing was that, at this attack, so far as the fight could be traced, the ordinary motives were absent. The attacker had already paid the demanded amount of f 2.40 in taxes. He was exempt from performing corvée road-services, so apparently an older person. He belonged, further, also not to the so-called djahatpartij.” The striking thing was that, at this attack, so far as the fight could be traced, the ordinary motives were absent. The attacker had already paid the demanded amount of f 2.40 in taxes. He was exempt from performing corvée road-services, so apparently an older person. He belonged, further, also not to the so-called djahatpartij. “Of violent emotion, of domestic misery, of distress over loss of goods through gambling, nothing was known. Also not weariness of life, or a feverish maloe [shame] feeling, condition.” Of violent emotion, of domestic misery, of distress over loss of goods through gambling, nothing was known. Also not weariness of life, or a feverish maloe (shame) feeling or condition.
The abolition and the lorry transport
The chapter concludes: “So this last elephant-transport once again called up the memory of the Atjeh of ‘tempo-doeloe’. But with the abolition of these transport-colossi, the tame elephants will probably have disappeared for good from the Atjehse stage. And therefore it is so nice to discover one now, even if only on a family photo from the Rotterdam zoo. What a small world, isn’t it? Even for so large an animal as an elephant?” So this last elephant-transport once again called up the memory of the Aceh of “tempo-doeloe.” But with the abolition of these transport-colossi, the tame elephants will probably have disappeared for good from the Acehnese stage. And therefore it is so nice to discover one now, even if only on a family photo from the Rotterdam zoo. What a small world, isn’t it? Even for so large an animal as an elephant?
Significance
The transport-olifanten of Aceh are significant in Oost-Indisch Journael as the emblematic example of the colonial army’s “tempo doeloe” infrastructure in Aceh. The book traces the elephant transport from the splendour of the Acehnese sultans’ thousand war-elephants through the colonial trials, to the 26-day journey from Tangsé to Medan — a pitiful speed that underscores why the lorry transport of the transverse road replaced it. The Keumala incident, in which an armed Atjeher attacked the elephant transport without any ordinary motive, serves as a smaller but potent marker of the djahat’s pursuit of the paradise-death: a man who sought death regardless of what he attacked. The chapter thus captures both the passing of an old colonial order and the enduring logic of Acehnese resistance.
See Also
- Oost-Indisch Journael
- Agam
- Isah
- Sarah
- Rimba
- Lam-toeulo
- Tangsé
- Geumpang
- Keumala
- Vogelensang
- Sultan van Djocja
- Pasé Samoedrase rijk
- Djahat
- Paradijs-dood
- Atjeh-oorlog
- 1880
- 1881
- 1906
- 1913
Source
Oost-Indisch Journael: Palaver om de tafel met het gat, by Merac, Toekan-Serie no. 2, ed. G. L. Tichelman (Haarlem: De Gulden Pers, 1947), chapter Atjeh’s Transport-Olifanten.