Stories from Deli

Dr. J.H. Druif was a pivotal figure in the development and governance of football in Medan, serving as the chairman of the Medan District of the Oost Sumatra Voetbal Bond (O.S.V.B.) for a decade. His tenure, which began in the early 1930s, was characterized by strong leadership, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to building…

Deli Courant 10-10-1936 Great interest from all circles. This morning, under great interest, the marriage was solemnized in the Roman Catholic Church on the Paleisweg between Miss Tjong Sce Yin, daughter of the late Major of the Chinese, Tjong A Fie, and Mr. M. Lemye, accountant at the Société Financière and Belgian vice-consul in this…

Rewritten from The Sydney Morning Herald 11 Jun 1938  Professor Pieter Vincent van Stein Callenfels, the eminent Dutch anthropologist and preeminent authority on the prehistory of Southeast Asia, was a figure as renowned for his scholarly contributions as for his larger-than-life persona. Known across the “Far East”—including the Netherlands Indies, Malaya, the Philippine Islands, Siam,…

Tubantia 14-04-1877 A Talk About Sumatra On the eastern coast of the richly blessed Sumatra, south of the Aceh States, and bordered to the east by the Strait of Malacca, to the west by the independent villages and districts of the Bataks, and further by the mountains that separate them from the Padang highlands, lie…

Java Bode 03-04-1869 Deli (East Coast of Sumatra) We extract the following details about the state of this kingdom from a report by the Resident of Riouw from January of this year. The current Sultan of Deli is a wise ruler, aware of the superior quality of European systems of governance and administration. He is…

In the Pinang Gazette of April 4th, we read the following regarding the actions of the Dutch on the East Coast of Sumatra. From this, it becomes clear that the Resident of Riouw is still making all possible efforts to bring the various pepper ports along that coast under the exclusive control of the Dutch:…

Letters about Sumatra’s East Coast from a “Wanderer.” Deli, June 8, 1876 Recently, I read the peace message from the “Mail-Courant” and came across two letters—one from a settler, written in very polite terms, but with a shocking twist, addressing the resident and asking about 16 questions, upon the answers to which he would depend…

The Hague, 17 September. Everyone will remember that a few years ago, private agricultural enterprises were established on the Northeast coast of Sumatra under the name of the Deli Company, initially employing Chinese laborers brought in from Singapore or elsewhere. If we are correctly informed, it should come as no surprise that there has been…

Java Bode 13-12-1897 Medan, November 1897 Long before Tandjong-Poera, also known as Klambir, the capital of the Beneden-Langkat district and the residence of the Sultan of Langkat, gained the significance it holds today, an enterprising merchant established there built a sturdy, large bridge over the Batang Serangan and created the road to the petroleum facility…

Java Bode 06-12-1897 Medan, November 1897 Things are anything but quiet here with all the festivities and celebrations. As soon as one event ends, another is already being announced. In my previous letter, I had to devote considerable space to one such event, and once again, I must start with a party. However, the story…