Radja Boedjang was the bestuurder (ruler) of Troemon when Dutch authority was re-established on the Westkust in 1819. He was the son of one of Troemon’s founders and became a powerful “pepper-vorst” (pepper-prince) whose conflicts with the Dutch over supplying Padris, sea-roof (piracy), and the slave trade marked the early years of Dutch-Troemon relations.
The Mac Gillavry contract (1830)
In 1830, Resident Mac Gillavry of Padang concluded a contract with Radja Boedjang concerning opium and customs transfer, involving ƒ9,000/year compensation for opium. This contract was never ratified by the Regeering (colonial government), reflecting the uncertain status of Dutch-Troemon relations in this period.
The copper duiten of Troemon
Radja Boedjang imitated the Sultan of Atjèh by having a large quantity of copper duiten (small coins) struck in England with his own mark. Copper coins with the inscription “nëgri Troemön” circulated in Atjèh, reflecting Troemon’s aspirations to monetary sovereignty parallel to that of the Atjèh Sultanate.
Family
Radja Boedjang’s wife was Nonna Gadoes, daughter of Kaatje Stolte — a Dutch woman captured at Padang in 1793 by the French corsair Le Mèsme and an Atjèhsche nachoda (ship’s captain). This mixed European-Atjèhnese ancestry gave the Troemon ruling family a distinctive character. Radja Boedjang died in 1835 and was succeeded by his son Radja Moeda, who in 1840 contracted with Kolonel Michiels (also not ratified) and received ƒ200 monthly fixed onderstand in 1849.
See Also
Sources
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.