Snouck Hurgronje's Atjeh mission (July 1891 – February 1892)

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tagsevent, dutch, scholarly, religious, snouck-hurgronje, 19th-century, 1891, 1892, atjeh, verslag
aliasesSnouck Hurgronje's Atjeh mission (July 1891 – February 1892), Snouck Hurgronje Atjeh mission 1891-1892, Snouck's 1891 Atjeh residence, July 1891 Atjeh mission, Snouck Hurgronje's seven-month Atjeh residence

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Snouck Hurgronje’s Atjeh mission of July 1891 – February 1892 — the seven-month residence of the Dutch scholar Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje at Groot-Atjèh from medio July 1891 to February 1892, under the governorship of Pompe van Meerdervoort and the assistent-residentship of Bakker — was the formative Atjèh scholarly experience of Snouck Hurgronje’s career, in the course of which he gathered “treasures on linguistic and ethnological ground, richer and fairer than ever yet won, anywhere in Indië”, achieved a complete understanding of the Atjèher in religious and political respect, and produced the Verslag omtrent de religieus-politieke toestanden in Atjeh of 23 May 23 May 1892 — the foundational document of the modern Dutch understanding of the Atjèh-oorlog.

The Frustrated 1889 Plan

Snouck Hurgronje’s Atjèh mission of 1891–1892 had been preceded by the frustrated plan of March 1889. Snouck Hurgronje, then in Indië with a special commission to study the institutions of Islam (the commission had originally been given for the study of Islam on Java, in connection with the Tjilegon murders; but Snouck Hurgronje’s interest went out strongly to Atjèh), had proposed to sail with an English P & O boat to Pinang and then, either as Abd al-Gaffār or as unofficial European, to cross to the North Coast of Atjèh, avoiding the Dutch administrative posts. In The Hague on the Plein, men were not enthusiastic about that travel plan; but they made no objection. The minister had no objection, if Indië had no objection; and Indië made no objection.

Snouck Hurgronje therefore steamed to Pinang with a P & O boat; but — adjajéb sóbeuhan Allah! (O wondrous things of God!), as the Atjèhse storyteller says — there the Dutch consul Kruijt came aboard to welcome the traveller and handed him a Buitenzorg message of 9 April 9 April 1889: he must give up his plan to seek contact with Atjèh from Pinang; he had to travel directly to Batavia. The Buitenzorg message was the consequence of the advice of the assistent-resident Goossens of Groot-Atjèh, who had persuaded the governor Van Teijn that the visit would awaken distrust and jeopardise the pending submission of the Keumala-party.

The February 1891 Request

In February 1891 the tidings came to Snouck Hurgronje — then at Madioen on Java — that the governor Van Teijn requested his coming to Atjèh “so spoedig mogelijk” (as soon as possible). The speed-order held connection with the replacement of Goossens as assistent-resident of Groot-Atjèh by Ruyssenaers. This Ruyssenaers read in the files of the botched visit and understood that a blunder had been made. He spoke of it with the general Van Teijn, who now also began to grasp something of the value of a scholarly religious-political Atjèh-reconnaissance as Snouck Hurgronje had meant to make.

In Indië too, even by slow people, much was messed with “spoed” (speed) in the official correspondence; and so the speed with which Snouck Hurgronje was summoned to Atjèh was not reasonable either. That he gave to understand in his answer, written medio February from Djokja: To begin his investigation in the right way, prior written consultation with the assistent-resident Ruyssenaers was desirable; and in connection with the approaching Fast, the next months were entirely unsuitable: even on Java, in the poeasa-month, with scribes one could not work. It was therefore better to depart for Atjèh only after the end of the poeasa.

The Pompe van Meerdervoort Visit

The general Van Teijn found it good, but became ill, and on 23 April 23 April 1891 already retired; and also Ruyssenaers was succeeded as assistent-resident by Bakker. The colonel Pompe van Meerdervoort would become the new gewestelijke bestuurder, and was on the point of departing to Atjèh, when the heer Snouck Hurgronje visited him at Batavia. Pompe was that day just with the governor-general; yet he proved entirely ignorant of the Atjèh-journey that had been imposed on Snouck Hurgronje, and he looked rather taken aback; and his chagrin grew, which that day had already been awakened by the evident absence of Atjèh-interest there, where one might have expected it.

Himself he had gone to Buitenzorg with a complete Atjèh-political program, but the governor-general had not wanted to take note of it: only that he should continue the work of his predecessor, and in his spirit, was desired. “Excellentie,” Pompe had said, “I have my own ideas regarding Atjèh and those I would gladly submit to you.” But to do that had not succeeded; the governor-general had not been curious!

The colonel Pompe looked sombre. “If you would rather not see me come to Atjèh, then say that to the government.” But no, that was not it, on the contrary! Pompe would do everything to promote the success of the investigation. Could he do something for him? The heer Snouck Hurgronje said not to be troublesome; he preferred to go his own way, but help with hiring a dwelling he would gladly accept. And so colonel Pompe, who departed to Atjèh one week earlier, hired a dwelling of an Arab at Peukan Atjeh, where Abd al-Gaffār could be housed, at some distance from the European society, exactly as that had been ordered.

The Seven Months at Atjeh

Medio July 1891 Snouck Hurgronje arrived at Atjèh, and he stayed there seven months, till February 1892, and so survived there the governor Pompe van Meerdervoort. This one — the chiefs from within the line said — had too much hair on his crown. Governors with tufts — earlier the one-eyed general (Van der Heijden) — gave too much hold to Batavia; but the bald-skulled, like Van Teijn and others, they made excellent promotion! The outside of the skull, that was what it especially came to! Pompe’s head of hair was too swaggering, and thereby he did not last long. He laid his Atjèh-convictions before the government, and when this gave signs of not wanting to know of them, Pompe, as a man with character and without family, immediately laid down the hatchet.

Snouck Hurgronje saw still the successor Deijkerhoff enter the governor’s house on 31 January 31 January 1892. A small month later he could declare his investigation ended and return to Java. During those seven months Atjèh, treasures were gathered on linguistic and ethnological ground, richer and fairer than ever yet won, anywhere in Indië; and also in religious and political respect the understanding of the Atjèher was completely achieved.

The Patient Examined

The patient was examined, the clinical picture drawn, the diagnosis made, and the doctor ventured even to indicate the cure. On 23 May 23 May 1892 he closed his Verslag omtrent de religieus-politieke toestanden in Atjeh, that “een glasheldere verklaring gaf van het Atjèh-zeer: bodem, kiem, groei, woekering, mogelijke genezing — alles werd er in behandeld” (gave a crystal-clear explanation of the Atjèh malady: ground, germ, growth, infestation, possible cure — all was treated in it). The report comprised four chapters: the first on those life-expressions of the Atjèhers in which no Islamic influences were to be discerned; the second on those life-expressions in which Islamic influences dominated; the third on the principal moments of the war; and the fourth and last on the conclusions to be drawn from all the foregoing.

The Fate of the Verslag

The Raad van Indië saw that it was beautiful and advised to publish the report. But to act according to the advice given therein was not thought of! The governor-general Van der Wijck (the landvoogd who had succeeded Sprenger van Eijk) wrote a note behind it to moderate the impression it might make on the heer Deijkerhoff. The governor Deijkerhoff waited a small year before preliminarily reacting to it. On 17 July 17 July 1893 the report got the promised Atjèhse turn: “Een ieder berijdt zoo het een of andere stokpaardje” (Everyone rides some hobby-horse or other), wrote governor Deijkerhoff, “and Dr. Snouck Hurgronje rides the hobby-horse of Islam.” That caused him to transfer all weight in the Atjèh matter to oelama’s and moslemin; but he was mistaken in denying the influence of the Sultan’s family; he was mistaken in representing the war as a people’s war; and he was mistaken in thinking that the population thought to be waging the prang sabil or holy war.

Significance

Snouck Hurgronje’s Atjèh mission of July 1891–February 1892 is the formative Atjèh scholarly experience of his career and the immediate source of the Verslag of 23 May 23 May 1892 — the foundational document of the modern Dutch understanding of the Atjèh-oorlog. The seven months at Atjèh — housed at Peukan Atjeh through the good offices of the governor Pompe van Meerdervoort, surviving the governorship of Pompe and seeing the arrival of Deijkerhoff on 31 January 31 January 1892 — produced the diagnosis of the Atjèh malady and the prescription of the three principal rules (Keumala to be left alone; the actively hostile party to be beaten; trust to be restored by promoting agriculture, industry, and trade) that Van Heutsz would execute, with the marechaussée campaigns and the scheepvaartregeling, to bring the war to its military conclusion in 1904.

See Also

Source

Drie Atjeh-mannen: Snouck Hurgronje — Van Heutsz — Van Daalen, door H. T. Damsté (September 1936). OCR-filename: 20260718_105749_DLP-111-Drie_Atjeh_mannen_Nemotron-OCR-v2_OCR.txt, pp. 13–18.

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