Stories from Deli

Agreement for Helvetia

Agreement for Helvetia , Dependency of Deli ,Singapore, November 26, 1875 We, the undersigned Chinese coolies, hereby acknowledge from Messrs. Lind, Asmus, & Co., agents of Albert Breker, Esq., the several advances in Singapore as placed and written opposite our names before starting for Helvetia, Dependency of Deli, and in presence of the undersigned two…
Colonial photo
Coolie house

The Javanese pondoks, consisting of a single or double row rooms of 10’ x 10’ of 12’ x 12’ are equal to the pondoks on the yard and are, as the dimensions are quite different, usually built at daily wages. They, if temporary, have none masonry, but ordinary floors and parits, but masonry drinking wells.…
Cultivating Sumatra tobacco

Gibbs, 1940 During recent years the entire production of Sumatra wrapper leaf has been grown by seven companies, of which four, known as the big four, have produced approximately 95 percent of the total. The companies have large estates, a total of 47 in 1937, which are lands held by long-term leases. The total acreage…
Sumatra tobacco

Pratt, 1895 It was in the year 1862 that an Arab drew the attention of a commercial house in Batavia to the district of Deli, on the east coast of Sumatra, a country where pepper and tobacco were being produced, and where a good market could be found for European goods. This led to a…
Murder in Parnabolon

Ann Stoler on the 1929 murder In November 1929, the murder of Assistant Landzaat’s wife by the coolie Salim on the Parnabolon estate set loose the few repressive mechanisms that had been held in check up until then. The muted panic of the preceding months crescendoed into an Indies-wide scandal; 167 European women in Deli…
Riots in Deli

Ann Stoler on Deli in 1930 Sometime ago an old Javanese woman from Deli settled in a village nearby the Soengai Toewan estate. Often she had such a stream of people coming to her house that people thought a wedding procession was approaching. Every Friday afternoon she gathered the villagers around her to discuss religious…
Restless in Tandem estate

Ann Stoler on Deli in 1929 In the beginning of April 1929, a growing restlessness’ was reported among the coolies of the Tandem estate, located outside the town of Binjei, northwest of Medan. Not less than 37 Chinese workers marched to Medan to protest the arrest of five of their comrades accused the previous year…
Violence in 1929

1929 is a violent year in Deli. It was recorded more than 70 riots and coolies attacked across all plantations January 1929 9 assistants and 1 Asian overseer were assaulted on the estates of Bahsoemboe, Pagar Marbau, Mendaris, Kenopan Oeloe, Bukit Tinggi, Aek Pamineke, Batang Serang, Sungei Behasa, and Tjinta Radja March 6 assistants and…
Tobacco planters

Mulder, 1898 The Chinese coolie is an absolute necessity for the planter in Deli. It is doubtful if a labourer could be found that would serve all the purposes as well, taking into consideration the climatic conditions. He is admirably adapted to the work and understands what is expected of him. Europeans could not possibly…