Conversion of Alassers to Islam (pre-Dutch, after first Batak heathen settlement) was an event in the history of Aceh recorded by Jongejan in Land en Volk van Atjeh Vroeger en Nu. The first heathen inhabitants of the Alaslanden came from the Bataklanden (around the Toba-meer) and settled at Batoe Mboelan.
Date and Context
The event is dated to pre-Dutch, after first Batak heathen settlement.
Account
The first heathen inhabitants of the Alaslanden came from the Bataklanden (around the Toba-meer) and settled at Batoe Mboelan. Later, people came from Rau (Menangkabau) under their leader Radja Dewa, who also brought Islam. Radja Dewa became the stamvader of the influential geslacht of the penghoeloe Tjiq. Still later, the Atjehers came and intermarried with the population, putting the Alaslanden in contact with Aceh proper. Radja Kemala, a descendant of Radja Dewa, visited the Sultan in the Dalam and received a ‘bawar’ (curved stabbing weapon in a long sheath) as a sign of good relations; possession of a bawar was highly prized and elevated the possessor’s status.
Significance
The event is recorded by Jongejan as part of the broader historical narrative of Aceh and the Atjeh conflict period. It illustrates the complex interplay of local Atjehers politics, Dutch colonial administration, and the religious and military leadership that shaped the region’s history.
See Also
Source
Land en Volk van Atjeh Vroeger en Nu, by J. Jongejans, Oud-Resident van het Gewest Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden, with a foreword by Dr. H. Colijn (Baarn: Hollandia Drukkerij N.V., c. 1938), pp. 84, 97.