Sonbai

Sonbai

Sonbai (also spelt Sonnebay, Sonba'i, or Sonbait) was an Indonesian princely dynasty that reigned over various parts of West Timor from at least the 17th century until the 1950s. It was known as the most prestigious princedom of the Atoni people of West Timor, and is the subject of many myths and stories.

According to most legends, Sonbai originated from Wehali in the Tetun-speaking central parts of Timor, the classical political and cultural centre of gravitation on Timor. The ancestor of the line, who was a brother of the Liurai (ruler) of Wehali, migrated to the highlands of West Timor, where he married a daughter of a local Atoni lord, Kune, and inherited his lands. The various Atoni principalities tended to relate themselves genealogically to Sonbai, although they did not acknowledge him politically as their lord. Other legends assert that the first Sonbai descended from the sky. [H. G. Schulte Nordholt (1971), "The political system of the Atoni of Timor", pp. 262-74.]

Historically, Sonbai is documented in European colonial sources since 1649. At that time it was a politically expansive realm which allied with the Portuguese, who had by this time started to establish their direct influence on Timor. In 1655 Sonbai switched sides and made a contract with the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC), the enemies of the Portuguese colonialists. Serious defeats in 1657-58 at the hands of the Portuguese, led to a division of the realm. One part of the Sonbai population migrated to Kupang, where the Dutch kept a fort since 1653. [A. de Roever (2002), "De jacht op sandelhout", pp. 248-69.] This group, known as Lesser Sonbai (Sonbai Kecil), was one of the so-called five loyal allies of the Dutch, together with the princes of Kupang-Helong, Amabi, Amfoan and Taebenu. This group was finally merged with other principalities to form the larger zelfbesturend landschap (self-ruling territory) of Kupang in 1917. The new Kupang principality was governed by members of the Nisnoni family, a side-branch of Sonbai, surviving the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in 1942-45 and the Indonesian Revolution in 1945-49. Its population was 49,168 inhabitants in 1949. [H.G. Schulte Nordholt (1971), "The Political System of the Atoni of Timor", pp. 155.] In 1955 the new Indonesian republic ended the rule of governing princes (raja) in Kupang.

In the interior of West Timor, a Sonbai principality remained under Portuguese suzerainty after 1658. The rulers, known to the Europeans as "emperor", usually had an inactive role, while the executive governance was done by their main lieutenants of the Kono family. Therefore the inland principality was often known as Amakono (Ama = father). The realm was also known as Greater Sonbai (Sonbai Besar). In 1748-49 the ruler of Greater Sonbai defected from Portugal and escaped to Kupang, submitting to the Dutch. Later on, in 1782, the Greater Sonbai congregation again broke with the Dutch and re-established an autonomous realm in the interior. It approximately covered the regions Fatuleu, Mollo and Miomaffo. After 1867 this realm began to break up, as minor rajas asserted their independence. The last pretender-ruler was captured by Dutch colonial troops in 1906, bringing a definite end to the principality. [ [Media:www.royaltimor.com/Sonbai_Article.html] ]

References

Sources

* H. Hägerdal (2007), 'Rebellions or Factionalism?', "Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde" 163:1, pp. 1-33.
* P. Middelkoop (1938), 'Iets over Sonba'i, het bekende vorstengeslacht in Timor', "Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde" 78, pp. 392-509.
* A. de Roever (2002), "De jacht op sandelhout: De VOC en de tweedeling van Timor in de zeventiende eeuw", Zutphen: Walburg Pers.
* H.G. Schulte Nordholt (1971), The Political System of the Atoni of Timor, The Hague: M. Nijhoff.
* F.A.E. van Wouden (1968), "Types of Social Structures in Eastern Indonesia", Den Haag.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sonba'i — Timor und Nachbarinseln im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert Sonba i (Senobay, Senobai Sonnebay, Sonbait, auch: Zerviaen oder Sorbian) war ein Reich im Westen Timors, das von einem Liurai (in niederl. Quellen: Raja) regiert wurde. Nach ihm wurde der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mirch Masala — Directed by Ketan Mehta Written by Chunilal Madia, Ketan Mehta, Shafi Hakim Starri …   Wikipedia

  • List of Indonesian monarchies — This is a list of the several hundred monarchies, past and present, in Indonesia:A* Aceh: In the northern region of Sumatra, the Sultanate of Achin or Atjeh was founded at the end of the 15th century. A powerful Islamic state in the 16th and 17th …   Wikipedia

  • Noimuti — Die Enklave von Noimuti in Westtimor im Jahre 1911. Orange: Niederländisch Timor; Grün: Portugiesisch Timor Noimuti ist ein Ort im Norden Westtimors, der früher das kleine Reich eines Liurai bildete. Ursprünglich war Noimuti kein eigenständiges… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Westtimor — Lage Westtimors Karte der Insel Timor Westtimor ( …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Amabi — was a traditional principality in West Timor in the currently East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. From at least the seventeenth century to 1917, Amabi played a role in the rivalries between the Portuguese and Dutch colonials on Timor Island …   Wikipedia

  • Geschichte Osttimors — Flagge von Osttimor Die Lage Osttimors …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kupang — Lage in Nusa Tenggara Timur Kupang (in alten port. Quellen Cuppão) ist die Hauptstadt der indonesischen Provinz Nusa Tenggara Timur und des Regierungsbezirks Kupang, auch wenn die Stadt eine eigene Verwaltungseinheit mit 160,34 km² in der Provinz …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste des souverains de Kupang — Principauté de Kupang Les princes (raja) de Kupang, aujourd hui chrétiens catholiques et nobles d Espagne, ont d abord fait partis de la dynastie des Tanof puis de la famille des Nisoni, descendante d un certain Sonbai, un grand noble indonésien… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Principauté de Kupang — Les princes (raja) de Kupang, aujourd hui chrétiens catholiques et nobles d Espagne, ont d abord fait partie de la dynastie des Tanof puis de la famille des Nisoni, descendante d un certain Sonbai, un grand noble indonésien du XVIIIe siècle …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”