IV Moekims

Properties2
tagsplace, 19th-century, aceh, aceh-war, achehnese, administrative-division, district, groot-atjeh, military, mukim, region, sultan-territory
aliases4 Moekims, 4 Mukims, Empat Mukim, IV Moekim, IV Moekims, IV Moekims of Groot-Atjeh, IV Mukims, IV en VI Moekims, IV en VI Moekims Lam-Pisang, the Four Moekims

10 min read

The IV Moekims — the “Four Mukims” — were one of the smaller mukim-clusters of the immediate Sultan’s territory in Groot-Atjeh — together with the III Moekims, the VI Moekims, the IX Moekims and the Kraton itself — that formed the immediate territory of the Sultan, distinct from the three great sagis (the XXII, XXV and XXVI Moekims). The IV Moekims are named in the Atjeh-Album of 1896 in the chapter on the Inwendige Toestand — the internal constitution of pre-conquest Atjeh — as one of the constituent mukim-clusters of the Sultan’s immediate territory. In the 1896 operations described by Kruisheer’s ATJEH ‘96, the IV Moekims — together with the neighbouring VI Moekims — formed the principal theatre of Teuku Umar’s defensive stellingen against the Dutch counter-offensive, and were the geographic core of Umar’s military power, containing the kampong of Lam-Pisang (the site of Umar’s dwelling) and the heights of Boekit Seboen and Lam-Poelau.

The Sultan’s immediate territory

The Atjeh-Album records that the immediate territory of the Sultan — distinct from the three great sagis — included the Kraton and Kota Radja, the Taman, Marassa, Longbattah, the III Moekims, the IV Moekims, the VI Moekims and the IX Moekims. The Sultan’s immediate territory was the mukim-cluster over which the Sultan exercised direct temporal authority — in contrast to the three sagis, which were governed by their own panglimas and oeloebalangs under the Sultan’s nominal suzerainty. The IV Moekims thus formed part of the directly-ruled core of the sultanate.

The administrative structure

The Atjeh-Album records that the Inlandsche administrative structure of the immediate Sultan’s territory was based on the mukim-imam-oeloebalang hierarchy: each mukim was governed by an imam (religious head) and an oeloebalang (temporal chief), with the imam responsible for religious affairs and the oeloebalang responsible for temporal affairs. The IV Moekims were, in this structure, one of the smaller mukim-clusters of the immediate Sultan’s territory — and their inclusion in the Sultan’s direct domain placed them in a different administrative category from the three sagis.

The IV Moekims in 1896 — Umar’s power-base

As described in Kruisheer’s ATJEH ‘96, the IV Moekims — together with the neighbouring VI Moekims — were the western object of the bombardment of Lampisang from 27 April to 23 May 1896 and of the three-day offensive of 23–25 May 1896, and were bombarded by the marine from the Kroeng-Raba bay. The IV Moekims contained Lampoe’ Oe (whose people defected daily to Umar after 29 March 1896), the kampong of Lam-Pisang (site of Umar’s dwelling), and the heights of Boekit Seboen and Lam-Poelau.

The IV Moekims lay on the western edge of Groot-Atjeh between the landschap of Lepong on the west coast and the inland valley of Beradin and the Tjot Tjako massif on the east. The IV Moekims (properly the “Four Mukims”) contained the kampongs of Lam-Asan (with its versterkingen Binasa Belang, Binasa Ketapang, and Balei Ba’ Mó), Lam-Poelau (with the versterking on Bt. Seboen), Lam-Pisang (site of Umar’s dwelling), Lam-Goe-oe, Lam-Roekan, Lam-Doerian, Lam-Gemoek, Lam-Loempoer, Pakan Badak, Rima, Lam-Oekoe, and Lampoe’ Oe. The combined region was described by Kruisheer as “vrij goed” (fairly good) in condition early in 1896, and was protected on the east by the height of Tjot Tjako (the heilig graf mountain) and on the south by the stellingen of Lam-Asan and Pakan Badak.

The IV Moekims had been part of Teuku Umar’s territory since his appointment as Panglima Prang Besar of the Government on 5 September 1893. From Lam-Pisang in the IV Moekims Umar wrote his three letters to the Governor of Atjeh (30 March, 12 April, 23 April 1896) explaining his defection and demanding ƒ150,000 per month and a Royal decoration. The IV Moekims people were said to be armed with breech-loaders and to have stored goods in Lam-Lehoem, Lam-Baroe, and Seboen. After the defection of 29 March 1896 the entire region became hostile and Umar constructed an elaborate defensive stelling across the IV en VI Moekims, divided into a left wing (from the sea-strand to the centre), a centre (from binasa Lam Mé to Balei Ba’ Mó), and a right wing (from Binasa Ketapang to Boekit Kesoemba), with three successive lines of versterkingen and loopgraven (trenches).

The Dutch offensive of 23–25 May 1896 in the IV Moekims

The IV Moekims were the principal theatre of the three-day Dutch offensive of 23–25 May 1896. On 23 May 1896 three colonnes advanced from Lam-Djamoe, Lamtih, Ketapan Doea, and Blang: the 9e Bataljon attacked Lam-Asan and the Binasa versterkingen; the 12e and 14e Bataljons stormed Lam-Isi at 2:40 NM; the 5e compagnie of 12e Bataljon fought through the valley of Beradin toward the eastern ridge; the Bergcolonne under Van Heutsz scaled Tjot Tjako (with its heilig graf); and the 6e Bataljon moved on Lam-Tengah and Lam-Awi. On 24 May 1896 the 5e Bataljon under 1e luit. de Jongh captured Lam-Pisang and Umar’s dwelling (de Jongh first reached the verblijf at 10:35 VM); Umar’s correspondence, furniture, and small cannons were captured and the kampong was destroyed with dynamiet, teer, and petroleum (dynamite, tar, and petroleum). On 25 May 1896 the 6e Bataljon’s 3e compagnie stormed the stelling Daman–Lam-Tjroeng–Lam-Poelau, with 2e luit. Lamster first inside Lam-Tjroeng and 1e luit. Keetell storming Daman; the entire stelling was cleared by 11:45 VM. On 30 May–2 June 1896 Lam-Asan was razed by 800 forced convict laborers (dwangarbeiders) (forced labourers), 400 Chinese koelies (coolies), and engineer troops. On 4 June–5 June 1896 the two-colonne operation re-entered the region, and on 5 June 1896 the marine bombarded the IV Moekims kampongs of Seboen, Lamlon, Lambaroe, and Naga Oembang.

Significance

The IV Moekims’ significance in the documentary record of the Atjeh-oorlog is as one of the constituent mukim-clusters of the Sultan’s immediate territory — the directly-ruled core of the sultanate that was distinct from the three great sagis. Their appearance in the Atjeh-Album of 1896 is brief, but it identifies the administrative geography of the late sultanate and places the IV Moekims in the directly-ruled core of the Sultan’s territory. In the 1896 operations the IV Moekims formed — together with the neighbouring VI Moekims — the geographic core of Teuku Umar’s military power and the principal object of the 1896 Dutch counter-offensive. The capture of Lam-Pisang and the destruction of Umar’s dwelling on 24 May 1896 was the symbolic climax of the first semester of 1896, and the razing of Lam-Asan demonstrated the new Dutch policy of chastisement that would characterise the war under Van Heutsz. The IV Moekims also marked the limit of the Dutch advance: although Umar’s stellingen were destroyed, the man himself escaped eastward into Lepong and the Belang Kala-pas.

Account from Een Vaderlandsch Belang by H. Borel (1878)

The IV Moekims (Vier Moekims, “Four Mukims”) was the sagi (confederation) of four mukim (parish) units between the Kroeng Raba and the VI Moekims on the west coast of Groot-Atjeh. It was conquered by Pel’s colonne in January 1876 in the second phase of the great winter offensive, the colonne marching from Lampagger through the Blang Kalla kloof to Loenga on the right bank of the Kroeng Raba mouth. In June 1878 the IV Moekims was invaded by the enemy during the enemy breakthrough of June 1878.

The January 1876 conquest

The conquest of the IV Moekims was the second phase of Pel’s offensive, after the VI Moekims invasion that had begun on 26 December 1875 and had carried the Dutch through Ketapang Doewa (27 December 1875), Djempit and Pakan Badak (28 December 1875), and Lamtengah (8 January 1876). On 10 January 1876 the opperhoofd of Lampagger submitted and a Dutch post was opgericht. From Lampagger a colonne marched on 15 January 1876 through the kloof of Blang Kalla southward over bergachtig terrein (mountainous terrain) into the IV Moekims, reaching Loenga on the right bank of the Kroeng Raba mouth, which would become the westelijke grens (western limit) of the new afsluitingslinie. The hoofden there submitted. The colonne returned via the noordoostelijke weg, left a post at Boekit Seboen on 24 January 1876, and reached Pakan Badak; it then made a tocht through the eastern part of the IV Moekims. With the IV Moekims conquered, the way was opened for the IX Moekims invasion of 28 January 1876 through the Glitaroem pass.

The June 1878 invasion

Barely had kolonel van der Heijden, by then gouverneur van Atjeh, left with most of his mobile strijdmacht to tuchtigen Gedoeng in June 1878, when the enemy attacked the Dutch linie, broke through at several places, fell into the IV, VI and IX Moekims, verjoeg the pro-Dutch bevolking, plundered and burned, sneed the gemeenschap between K. Radja and several posts, and caused schrik and verwarring — the enemy breakthrough of June 1878. Van der Heijden had to rush back in aller ijl and with geweld restore communication with the posts in the IV Moekims. New battalions were sent from Java. The Dutch eventually drove the enemy out everywhere and even made a successful inval (inroad) into the XXII Moekims to punish them — but the verloopen (flight) of the friendly bevolking could not be undone: they had lost vertrouwen in Dutch protection. Borel’s lesson is that posts alone cannot prevent a linie-doorbraak; mobile forces must never be reduced.

See Also

Source

Onze vestiging in Atjeh, critisch beschreven, by G. F. W. Borel, Kapitein der Artillerie. ‘s-Gravenhage: D. A. Thieme, 1878. pp. 323–329, 336–337, 350–355.

Nineteenth-Century Historiography & Campaign Analysis

Geographical and Agricultural Importance

Renowned for its fertile wet-rice fields (Sawah Cultivation and Supply in Aceh), the IV Moekims served as a critical granary and recruiting ground for Acehnese resistance forces following the fall of the royal capital in January 1874.

Military Invasion in December 1875

On 26 December 1875, during General Pel’s Campaign in Aceh, a Dutch strike column commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Meijer captured the border stronghold of Mibouw (Attack on Mibouw) and executed the Crossing of Blankala Pass.

Dutch infantry of the 3rd Infantry Battalion and 8th Infantry Battalion descended into the IV Moekims, burning fortifications, occupying granaries, and establishing permanent military garrisons to interdict Acehnese supply routes.

See Also

Source

ATJEH ‘96, door A. Kruisheer, Kapitein der Infanterie O.I.L., met 2 kaarten en 4 portretten (Weltevreden: N.V. Boekhandel Visser & Co, 1913). Instituut Kern, Leiden. OCR-filename: 20260715_163243_DLP-89-Atjeh_96_Met_2_kaarten_en4_DOORA_KRUISHEER_Kapiteinder_Infanterie_nemoretriever-ocr-v1_OCR.txt, pp. 30, 59, 145, 148, 165, 179, 181, 213, 232–242, 348.

Atjeh gedurende de tweede expeditie en later, Een Oud Officier, Batavia: Ogilvie & Co., 1876, pp. 11-16.

Atjeh-Album van Eigen Haard, uitgave van de N.V. Het Tijdschrift “Eigen Haard”, Amsterdam, 1896, p. 13 (De Inwendige Toestand — Kolonisten — Banda Atjeh — De Sultan — Imams en Oeloebalangs).

De Geconcentreerde Stelling in Groot-Atjeh, ‘s-Gravenhage: De Gebroeders Van Cleef, 1885, pp. 9, 17, 28.

Graph View

Backlinks