Paja Tjitjem — modern Paya Cicem — is the great swamp of the onderafdeeling Lho Soekon in the afdeeling Noordkust van Atjeh, occupying the south-eastern half of the onderafdeeling. It is the refuge of the insurgents of the Christoffel expedition of about 1908 and the principal obstacle to the development of the onderafdeeling.
Paja Tjitjem — of vogelmoeras, or bird-swamp — was a swamp in north-eastern East Atjeh, photographed by F. C. van Heurn for the paper Over eene collectie vogelhuiden van Oost-Atjeh and captioned there as een der onafzienbare met hoog riet begroeide moerassen in Noord Oost-Atjeh — one of the boundless swamps overgrown with high reed in north-eastern East Atjeh.
The swamp illustrates the landscape type that the authors set beside the primeval forest in their description of Atjeh as a field for the naturalist: Onafzienbare moerassen, met dicht, ontzaglijk hoog riet begroeid, wisselen hier af met zware oerbosschen, terwijl dieper in het gebergte dennenwouden en grasvlakten de meest volmaakte afwisseling brengen in het anders eentonig oerboschlandschap — boundless swamps overgrown with dense, immensely high reed alternate here with heavy primeval forests, while deeper in the mountains pine woods and grass plains bring the most perfect variety into the otherwise monotonous primeval-forest landscape.
The name, meaning bird-swamp, is itself a record of the district’s avifauna.
The Swamp and the Tram
The builder of the Atjeh-tram line made a great curve for the Paja Tjitjem, but even so he could not do without a dyke. The great military road could not wholly avoid the swamp either, and besides, a landschap-road runs through part of the paja right down to the sea, so that it is possible in this part of Lho Soekon to undertake a crusade. Such a journey is however no encouragement. ‘Troosteloozer vlakte kan men zich ternauwernood voorstellen, een groezelig gebied, eindeloos somber, levenloos’ — A more desolate plain one can hardly imagine, a dingy region, endlessly somber, lifeless. At a few points along the road one meets a wretched little neighbourhood with people of unfavourable appearance. How could it be otherwise, when rice-cultivation is so easily a complete failure and the laying out of drainage often disappoints, because the peat-soil easily subsides and makes the digging useless?
The Christoffel Expedition
When about fifteen years before Broersma’s visit — that is, about 1908 — the resistance flared up in the hill-country of Keureuto, the insurgents repeatedly withdrew from the Paja Tjitjem into the hills. Christoffel was sent with his marechaussées, who took a bivouac at Panon Labeuë and from there broke the resistance.
The Avros Project
A few years before Broersma’s visit, the agricultural association Avros at Medan had its eye on the extensive terrains of the Paja Tjitjem, to begin large-scale rice-cultivation there in order to obtain an adequate supply of rice for the contract-labourers of its members. That was an important plan. It asked for and obtained erfpacht (hereditary lease), although the volkshoofden concerned consented reluctantly; expensive surveys were made — ‘vrij dure opmetingen werden gedaan.’ Then came the turn, followed by business depression, and the Avros let its Tjitjem-plans go, so that the great rice-enterprise did not take place and the paja lay untouched.
Significance
The Paja Tjitjem is the principal physical obstacle to the development of the onderafdeeling Lho Soekon, and the failure of the Avros project there is the type-case of the abortive post-war attempt at large-scale rice-cultivation in the swamps of the Atjehnese coast. The swamp also played a strategic role in the post-pacification resistance, as the refuge from which the insurgents of 1908 operated against Christoffel’s marechaussées.
Account in du Croo’s Generaal Swart (1943)
Ordered on 24 September to seek him there, Slooten marched the same day through Peutèë, pressed on through night and rain to gampong Aloeë Awé, resumed the hunt before dawn on 25 September, and followed the tracks into the marsh, wading sometimes up to the arms in mud and water. At midday on 26 September voices were heard from huts on a dry patch; a marechaussée fell in the tangle of roots and the splash alarmed the camp; the brigade rushed forward and a fugitive two hundred metres off was hit and fell.
Account from Atjeh als land voor handel en bedrijf (1925)
Paja Tjitjem was great swamp in south-eastern half of Lho Soekon, for which tram builder undertook big bending yet could not without dike.
Geography and attempts
Great military road likewise could not outside swamp remain and landscape road to near sea so possible cruise part Lho Soekon not uplifting more desolate plain hardly imaginable gray endless somber lifeless few poor neighbourhood people unfavorable appearance. How otherwise when padi culture so easily fails and drainage often disappoints because peat soil easily sinks.
Present population needs side income some salt winning coast.
Returning Paja Tjitjem — few years ago agricultural association Avros Medan eye extensive terrains start big padi culture large to begin provide rice contractants members important plan requested obtained erfpacht although folk heads therein reluctantly consented fairly expensive surveys done… Then turn came business slack Avros left Tjitjem plans loose so large rice enterprise stayed behind paja untouched.
Earlier resistance flared about 15 years before 1923 difficult reach because withdrew from Paja Tjitjem to hills then Christoffel with maréchaussées sent bivouac Panton Labeuë subdued resistance tiger-captain.
See Also
- Lho Soekon
- Keureuto
- Panon Labeuë
- Christoffel’s expedition to Keureuto (c. 1908)
- Atjeh-tram
- Avros
- Medan
- Verkenningen in Atjeh (1923)
- 1908
- Over eene collectie vogelhuiden van Oost-Atjeh
- F. C. van Heurn
- Oost-Atjeh
- Aloer Djamboe
- Alas Peurba
- H. N. A. Swart
- General Swart, Pacifier of Atjeh (1943)
- Pacificatie van Atjeh
- Atjeh
- Keureutoe
- Christoffel
Source
Verkenningen in Atjeh, by Dr. R. Broersma (De Locomotief, October 1923), chapter VIII, ‘Lho Soekon, licht en donker’, pp. 53–56. Over eene collectie vogelhuiden van Oost-Atjeh, door Ir. Jhr. F. C. van Heurn en Mr. Dr. Baron R. C. E. G. J. Snouckaert van Schauburg, in Jaarberichten (Koloniaal Instituut). Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen, Br N 95-1210 Acknowledgement of sources. The material in this article derives from Over eene collectie vogelhuiden van Oost-Atjeh by Ir. Jhr. F. C. van Heurn and Mr. Dr. Baron R. C. E. G. J. Snouckaert van Schauburg (Koloniaal Instituut, Jaarberichten). Dutch passages are quoted in the original with an English rendering. Generaal Swart, Pacificator van Atjeh (“General Swart, Pacifier of Atjeh”), by M. H. du Croo, Colonel K.N.I.L. (retired), with the collaboration of H. J. Schmidt, Titular Colonel K.N.I.L. (retired), with a foreword by His Excellency Lieutenant-General K.N.I.L. (retired) G. K. Dijkstra (Maastricht: N.V. Leiter-Nypels, 1943), Chapter X, XI. Atjeh als land voor handel en bedrijf, by Dr. R. Broersma, Gebrs. Cohen, Utrecht, 1925, pp. 48-50.