Stories from Deli

chinese coolies life in Deli

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…
Chinese of Deli

De Bruin, 1918 In addition to the Chinese, destined for work on the Deli tobacco enterprises, over the years thousands of others have come from China to seek a living in the rapidly expanding Deli as traders, craftsmen, etc. In the various places, each of which forms a center of the surrounding enterprises, trade and…
Chinese gangs riot in Deli

Wong, 1884 During the last four months of 1884, Deli witnessed a sequence of coolies’ riots across the tobacco estates. The coolies, belonging to two different secret societies, the Ho Seng and Ghee Heng, took up arms ranging from sticks and parangs to revolvers to fight against each other. Bindjey, Medan, and Laboehan were the…
Perkara

Dixon, 1913 A Chinese is a coward by nature. Rarely will he commit an attack openly or alone. If he has any intention, he will secure the support of some comrades beforehand. As soon as they got a support, a secret covenant is made, sealed by the slaughter of a chicken, blood oaths are sworn,…
The foiled plot

Dixon, 1913 Years ago, we saw how, during the tobacco sorting season several ringleaders threw the estate into total commotion. It had been a bad year for the plantation in question. Due to all kinds of circumstances, the tobacco only grew moderately. Some poor soils had to be planted, rains came too late, finally, when…
Chinese coolies

Dixon, 1913 Anyone who only knows the Chinese as a merchant, the always polite, stereotypical smiling baba, is completely strange to the Chinese field coolie on Deli. The former was born in Indonesia (baba), has acquired a superficial courtesy through his long association with the European and through his trade relations, but the latter, imported…
The angry coolie

Dixon, 1913 The assistant, who had been working at that enterprise for years and whom the coolies had awe of, had all but one of the beds sown, and had given the tandil order to ensure that the next morning also the not yet according to instructions. Finished beds would be ready. The next morning,…
Deforestation

Lulofs, 1920s At five o’clock, while it was still dark, the ton-tong roused the coolies from their deep sleep. They awakened moaning and yawning, stretched themselves and scratched. During the night they had been bitten by bugs and mosquitoes. Some of them washed, bending over tins of water in front of the huts. Others merely …
Deforestation

Szekely, 1920s When we had traversed the lalang grass we reached the new clearing. Hundreds of axe-blows echoed through these wilds uninhabited by humans. The coolies, working as industriously as ants, lost themselves m the creeper thickets, and looked like dwarfs beside the hundred-metre high trees. In a dense network of lianas and climbing palms…
Shifting cultivation

Szekely, 1920s The Malays will clear a piece of forest, but the wood as best they can, build cages of palm leaves on long piles, plant rice in the soil just as it is, without ploughing or digging it up, and leave the rest to Tuan Allah. When the rice grows and ripens, they harvest…