Tapa Toean

Tapa Toean — also written Tapa’ Toean, Tapa Toann — is a region on the Westkust of [[Atjeh|Atjèh], whose lowland along the coast was, from the middle of the 17th century, colonised by Pidiërs from the upper regions of Pidië and Meulaboh (returning from the gold exploitation of the Kawaj XII to the pepercultuur), and which was, in the late 19th and early 20th century, the site of the famous Carolina-rijst experiment — the failed attempt to introduce the higher-yielding Carolina rice variety to Atjèh, which demonstrated that with the introduction of a new kind of rice one cannot suffice, but that in connection therewith also new methods for the treading and hulling must be introduced.

The 17th-Century Pidiër Colonisation

In the middle of the 17th century, drawn by the gold in the upper regions of Pidië and Meulaboh, mainly Pidiërs moved thither and founded there the famous federation of the Kawaj XII. The business of gold-seeker in the upper regions of Pidië and Meulaboh did not, however, remain profitable, so that after some time a great part of the population of those regions sought another existence and moved further west, to the lowland along the coast of Meulaboh and Tapa Toean, which was excellently suited for the pepercultuur. This population returned to their old love: instead of gold-seeker one became pepper-planter again. In this way the Westkust of Atjèh was populated by Pidiërs.

The Carolina-rijst Experiment

The brilliant results obtained at Buitenzorg with [[Carolina-rijst|Carolina-rijst] led, a fifteen or so years before the 1923 brochure of the Atjeh-Instituut, to the choice of this rice variety for a trial in the sub-afdeeling Tapa’ Toean, for which a fertile piece of sawah was provided with living water and a Hindustan plough for the tillage. The Atjèhse interested parties felt little for this more intensive tillage, and shared, from unfamiliarity with this implement, that they could not use it. Some Javanese forced labourers, well familiar with sawah cultivation, were then assigned to instruct the Atjèhse farmers; but it came down to these Javanese having to do everything alone, even the weeding, so distrustful was the population of this experiment.

But scarcely did the padi begin to ripen, or all distrust had yielded; one was delighted; never had such full ears and such large grains been seen, while the grains of this rice variety were also protected against the birds by sharp spires. The yield was twice as large as in ordinary circumstances with own seed-padi; but after the cutting the complaints began anew. Great difficulties were experienced in the treading of the grains from the ears: in contrast with the Atjèhse rice, the grains released difficultly, and the sharp spires wounded the feet. Also the stamping became troublesome, the hulling took much more time and labour, so that finally the sympathy for the Carolina-rijst again entirely cooled, and instead of, as intended, the next year planting a large surface with the harvested padi, the supply reserved for seed-padi appeared to have been destroyed by mice.

The Lesson

From this recollection it appears, the Atjeh-Instituut brochure concludes, that with the introduction of a new kind of rice one cannot suffice, but that in connection therewith also new methods for the treading and hulling must be introduced. These and other objections exist, however, only to be overcome. The main thing is certainly that the Atjèher has always shown much feeling for rice cultivation.

Significance

Tapa Toean is one of the principal regions of the Westkust of Atjèh, with a sustained significance in Atjèhse history from the 17th-century Pidiër colonisation to the 19th- and 20th-century Dutch attempts to develop the rijstbouw. The Carolina-rijst experiment at Tapa Toean — failed because the new rice variety required new methods of treading and hulling that the Atjèhse farmers did not adopt — is one of the principal Dutch agricultural experiments in Atjèh, and the principal cautionary example in the Atjeh-Instituut brochure’s prescription of a better rice variety as the first prerequisite of rice as an export article.

Account from Atjeh Patchouli-Olie (1932)

Tapa Toean — modern Tapak Tuan — is a place on the Westkust van Atjeh and one of the four chief centres of patchouli cultivation in Atjeh, the others being Tjalang, Meulaboh and Langsa (on the Oostkust). It was at Tapa Toean that the first factory for indigenous processing of patchouli leaves into essential oil was founded in 1921, with government support and the cooperation of the Afdeeling Nijverheid of the Landbouwconsulent at Buitenzorg. By 1931 there were two or three factories at Tapa Toean. The factory of the Afdeeling Handelsmuseum’s Bericht No. 21 of May 1925 was the pioneer; by the time of Ir. W. Spoon’s Bericht No. 71 of 1932, the Atjeh nilam-oil export had risen to 3.468 kg. There is also at Tapa Toean an Inlandse agricultural industry in the form of a coöperation, begun in 1921 with money from the landschapskas, which after ten months was stopped because the oil did not readily find a market in Europe. A French and a German judgement on the oil became known. The oil is too strong in scent to be enjoyed on its own, but can serve to bind other fine oils. With that finding, the European buyers preferred to obtain the leaf and the cutting of the nilam-plant; but the coöperation of Tapa Toean produces the oil and gave its product in consignment to the Ned. Handel-Mij. From the proceeds the factory has been freed, and now the oil can be delivered cheaply and yet yield a profit.

Account in du Croo’s Generaal Swart (1943)

The campaign of 1908 against T. Bén Blang Pidië produced the submission of his eldest son with a hundred followers and nine rifles in June, of T. Bén himself with two other sons and 160 men a few weeks later with another nine rifles, of all the band-heads of Tgk. Pidië at the bivouac Reusa’ in August with forty-seven men and fourteen firearms, and of seventy-nine more in September with eight rifles; Tgk. Imeum Sradeuë’ fell with four followers. Towards the end of the year T. Bén brought his two last wandering sons in, “and Tapa’ Toean became quiet again”. Van Heutsz recorded in July 1908 that in the Tapa’ Toean country, where Colijn, Campioni and Schneider had formerly gone alone, travel without escort had become impossible. Tapa’ Toean was placed under a civil administrator in 1909, but in 1936 was again among the last four sub-divisions governed by officers.

Account from Vijftig jaren economische staatkunde in Atjeh (1923)

Tapa Toean (modern Tapaktuan) was the southernmost landscape and harbour of the West Coast of Atjeh, named in native reports as containing stone-coal seams, later the seat of a co-operative patchouli-oil distillery and of the Atjehsche Handelmaatschappij’s kapok-press, and a station of the K.P.M. and of government telegraph and steam services.

Coal reports and the open harbour

According to native reports furnished to the assistant-resident of Meulaboh in 1882–1883, coal seams were present in Tapa Toean as in Seunagan, Trang, Tadoe and the highlands of Meulaboh; the engineers’ survey of 1883 found the coal blended with clay and shale and of too young formation. Under the resolution of 29 May 1883, Tapa Toean would join the open harbours (Oelèë Lheue, Sigli, Samelanga, Lho Seumawè, Idi, Meulaboh) “as soon as also there an official should be established”.

The oil distillery and the kapok-press

After 1918, while the pinang-culture bloomed, the West Coast saw an extending planting of patchouli (tilem). With the support of Governor A. G. H. van Sluys and of the Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij there arose at Tapa Toean a small co-operative oil-distilling establishment, which could soon proceed to the sending of oils; the lower copra prices had in any case already turned the population toward oil preparation, a product which found its market especially in Tapanoeli. The Atjehsche Handelmaatschappij had for years run at the same Tapa Toean a kapok-press establishment which exported over 300,000 kg per year. The Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij maintained an agency at Tapa Toean among its Atjehnese ports of call; in 1914 a telegraphic connection from Sinabang over Tapa Toean to Singkel came into exploitation, and the town’s sewerage was improved in connection with the presence of streaming water (as at Koeta Radja, Sabang and Tjalang).

Account from Over patchouly-olie en patchouly-blad van Atjeh (1925) — the Van Vreeswijk correspondence

The four-year experimental programme that founded the indigenous Atjeh patchouli-oil industry — the Atjeh patchouli experiments of 1921-1925 — is preserved in detail in *Bericht* No. 21 of the Afdeeling Handelsmuseum (April 1925). The programme began with the letter of 6 August 1921 from the Afdeeling Nijverheid at Buitenzorg announcing that distillation of essential oil from patchouli leaves was thenceforth to be carried out at Tapa Toean, with the cooperation of the Gewestelijk Bestuur van Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden and the Afdeeling Nijverheid, and with the Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij advancing ƒ25 per kilogram of oil to the Atjehnese planters.

The 1921-1923 Distillations and the European Verdicts

The first Tapa Toean distillations, sent to Europe in September 1921, were of mediocre quality. The three European expert houses — Schimmel & Co. of Miltitz, Roure, Bertrand fils of Grasse, and Polak & Schwarz’s Essencefabrieken of Hilversum — gave conflicting but generally unfavourable verdicts. The factory at Tapa Toean fell into a period of standstill.

The Van Vreeswijk Take-Over (1924)

In 1924 the Atjehsche Oliefabriek at Tapa Toean was taken over by Van Vreeswijk, described in the 1925 Bericht as “een Europeaan, aldaar woonachtig” — a European resident there. Van Vreeswijk’s letter of 16 August 1924 to the Afdeeling Handelsmuseum gave the discovery that transformed the Atjeh patchouli-oil industry. The letter ranked the three principal Tapa Toean patchouli districts:

Labohan-Hadji — the least valuable. “Het komt zeer vuil op de markt” (it comes very dirty to market), often weighted with sea-water. Market price ƒ5-ƒ6 per pikol; after cleaning only 50% remains.
Loboang Koang — better. A locality “vlak bij Tapa-Toean” (right by Tapa Toean). Van Vreeswijk had bought freshly picked leaf here, dried it himself, and sent one baal of it to the Handelsmuseum.
Bakongan — the best. Van Vreeswijk had just returned from a trip to Bakongan, where he found “verreweg de meeste zorg door de Inlanders eraan besteed” — by far the most care devoted to it by the natives. The Bakongan planters had begun to plant on a strip of land along the coast, bounded on the other side by swamp-land; the conjunction of sand and swamp “schijnt de plant zeer ten goede te komen”. Market price: ƒ14 per pikol.

The Concluding Prospect (April 1925)

The Handelsmuseum’s Bericht No. 21 closed in April 1925 with the verdict that “Er openen zich aldus voor de cultuur van nilam-blad in Atjeh, en de verwerking tot olie aldaar ên in Nederland, aardige perspectieven! Er is een sluier opgeheven, en de afhankelijkheid van Singapore en Penang, wat betreft het verkrijgen van prima patchouly, vervallen.” — There thus open up attractive prospects for the cultivation of nilam-leaf in Atjeh and for its processing into oil there and in the Netherlands! A veil has been lifted, and the dependence on Singapore and Penang, in respect of obtaining prime patchouli, has lapsed.

Account from Land en Volk van Atjeh Vroeger en Nu

Legendary ‘sea saint’ (Toean = Lord) of Tapa Toean place. Left footprints on the beach (10-ell long) and in a mountain when pursuing a dragon into the sea. Two strikingly formed rocks in the sea bay are his petrified hat (koepiah) and staff (toengkat), thrown after the banished monster. A fisherman would never intentionally approach these, but if wind and current happen to bring his prauw to touch them, it is a good omen.

Source: J. Jongejans, Land en Volk van Atjeh Vroeger en Nu (Baarn: Hollandia Drukkerij N.V., c. 1938), pp. 52.

Source

De Rijkdom van Atjeh, uitgegeven door het Atjeh-Instituut, Amsterdam, 1923. OCR-filename: 20260718_105749_DLP-110-De_rijkdom_van_Atjeh_Nemotron-OCR-v2_OCR.txt, pp. 8, 10.

Verkenningen in Atjeh, by Dr. R. Broersma (De Locomotief, October 1923), passim.

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 IX, XI, XIII, XVII.

Vijftig jaren economische staatkunde in Atjeh, by Joh. Langhout (The Hague: N.V. Boekhandel v/h W. P. van Stockum & Zoon, 1923), pp. 49, 53, 109, 120, 157, 185.

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. 52, 53, 55, 185, 192, 193, 196, 327, 331, 336.

Over patchouly-olie en patchouly-blad van Atjeh (Noord-Sumatra). Berichten van de Afdeeling Handelsmuseum van de Kon. Vereeniging Koloniaal Instituut, No. 21. Overgedrukt uit De Indische Mercuur van 8 en 15 Mei 1925. Amsterdam: Druk De Bussy. OCR-filename: 20260801_233856_DLP-153-Over_patchouly_olie_en_patchouly_blad_van_Atjeh_Noord_Sumatra_Nemotron-OCR-v2_OCR.txt, pp. 3-21.

tags	place, aceh, region, westkust, aceh-war, 19th-century, pepercultuur, rijstbouw, carolina-rijst, pidiërs, town, westkust-van-atjeh, achehnese, patchouli, nilam, cooperatie, spoon, sub-division, landscape, west-coast, colonial
aliases	Tapa Toewa, Tapa' Toann, Tapa Toan, Tapaktuan, Tapa-Toean, Tapa Toea, Tapa Tuan

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