Sarangan (Dutch East Indies) - Westwoud 1937

Sarangan - Java

In the years before the devastating Second World War and the Indonesian National Revolution in the 1940s, some previously economically inviable areas of the Indonesian archipelago began to thrive due to Dutch technological innovation in tropical agriculture and forestry. Apart from Java, the other islands (Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes, numerous other small islands and especially the vast area of Dutch Guinea) had previously not been colonized at all. In the 19^th century the Dutch governor-general of the Indies was supported by Dutch ‘residents’ who had to supervise the local native rulers, known as ‘regents’. On Java this system worked quite well most of the times, although there were obviously various uprisings throughout its existence. Dutch rule (i.e. supervision) outside Java was less stringent and to a certain degree less important as the other islands couldn't sustain an extensive Dutch bureaucratic apparatus yet.    

This all changed in the early 20^th century when spectacular innovations in technology, infrastructure, agriculture etc. reached the Indies as well. Increasing numbers of students at the Technical University of Delft and the National Agricultural College in Wageningen caused recently graduated engineers and agricultural experts to move to the Indies. The cultivation of large area’s outside Java became priority number one: mining of raw material and the cultivation of rubber figs (ficus elastica) was perceived as extremely lucrative.      

The increase of economic activity in the Indies triggered or activated other processes as well: in the Netherlands it was felt that education of children in the Indies should be similar to the Dutch system. Since a lot of Dutch people which moved to the Indies in these years had received some kind of degree back in the Netherlands, they wanted to be sure that their children would receive sufficient education as well. Besides education for European children, the Dutch government accepted an ethical policy in 1901 which had as purpose to stimulate welfare and progress amongst the native people. Education was seen as a key to unlock this process and therefore many schools for Indonesian children opened in subsequent years. I might – unnecessarily – add that the goal of educating every Indonesian child was utopian and thus never reached. In the end only children of the higher ‘regent’ classes received education and then primarily on Java.      

Reverse of the card with address details 

Now we should return to this particular picture postcard. Besides that it captures a fabulous view of the Sarangan mountain, a mountain which attracted many Dutch tourists from the 1930s (below you'll find more information about this place), the sender and especially the address caught my attention when it appeared on my screen online. The card was sent to a certain miss (Mej.: Mejuffrouw) Schaper in Westwoud. This village neighbours Hoogkarspel where I grew up. Apart from this surprise, I was intrigued that before the war and revolt (card was sent in July 1937) someone who was probably related to miss Schaper lived on Java. The people of Westwoud were mainly catholic back then (I know that the Schaper family was for sure) and this collided with my views of the Dutch rule over the Indies. I thought that almost all civil servants, engineers and agricultural experts were of protestant descent. At least I didn’t know anyone from the catholic villages in West Frisia to have moved to the Indies.           

So I went online and to little surprise I discovered that the sender Dirk is in all likelihood the brother of A. Schaper. After some more research I found out that Dirk Schaper had been a teacher on Java! This took away all my doubts who the sender could have been. 

Sarangan Typenrader Langebalk (longbeam) postmark reading 7.7.37.10-11V

In 1937 Dirk Schaper (1892-1962) sent this postcard to his sister Aagje Schaper (1889-1965) who then lived in the Halfweg (Halfway) inn. Together with her brother Piet Schaper (1895-1965) and her sister Catharina (Ka) Schaper (1878-1949) she run this inn from 1919 (death of her father) till its closure in the 1950s or ‘60s. The family originally came from the Binnenwijzend (small hamlet south of Westwoud), but their father quit his job as farmer because of his health. As his son Piet Schaper wrote in the Westfrisian chronicle of 1965: “In 1894 kocht mijn vader de herberg. Hoi was boer in Binnenwoizend, maar deur tongblaar, longziekte, varkenspest en houge huur en drougte kon dat niet langer. Nei m’n vaders dôôd in 1919 bin ik kasteloin worren en dat bin ik nou nag…” (Translation: "My father bought the inn in 1894. He was a farmer on the Binnenwijzend, but because of footh-and-mouth disease, lung disease, swine fever, high rent and drought he wasn’t able to continue. After his death in 1919 I became innkeeper and that’s my job still…").

Schaper family of the Halfweg Inn in Westwoud: f.l.t.r. Piet Schaper, Ka Schaper, Mother Schaper (Maartje Snip) and Aagje Schaper (receiver of our postcard). © Het Geheugen van Westwoud

My father pointed out that Dirk, Aagje and all other Schaper family members are related to me. The grandmother of my great-grandmother Maartje van der Gulik (1897-2000) was called Maartje Schaper (1842-1915). Subsequently her grandfather was called Sijfert Schaper (1779-1829). Sijfert Schaper is our common ancestor. So after all, this philatelicly not so interesting postcard has proved to be an extraordinary postcard history- and familywise!

Café Halfweg (Halfway Inn) with allegedly father Dirk Schaper in the doorway. Picture taken in 1918 or 1919 since the rails of the famous horse-drawn streetcar had already been removed (service stopped on the 31st of December 1917). Father Dirk Schaper passed away in 1919. 

Sarangan 

Dirk Schaper stayed in Sarangan in July 1937 and I think it's likely he enjoyed his holidays there. From the early 1920s on Dutchmen gradually found there way to this hidden gem, located on the green eastern slope of the Lawu volcano thus basically being isolated from western Java. It took until 1937 before a road was opened from Sarangan to the west. And only 10 years earlier the last kilometers from the town of Magetan to the east were only accessible by horse or foot. No easy place to reach. Which raises a question: why were the Dutchmen and other Europeans so eager to come to this mountain lake? The following Dutch account might give you the answer:

“Toen de bestuurder de auto aan de voet van het hotel tot stilstand bracht, aanschouwden wij voor het eerst het meer van Sarangan. Veel hebben wij gereisd: door China en Japan, door Amerika, door de Europese Alpen, genietende van de schitterendste natuurtaferelen. Van dít oord kunnen wij echter verklaren dat het door zijn schoonheid, zijn liefelijkheid, zó’n wondere indruk op ons maakte dat we onszelf beloofden, hier onze vakantie eens door te zullen brengen. [….] Sarangan, met zijn meer, zijn eilandje, zijn omringende heuvelen en bossen, is voor ons een openbaring geweest.”

"When the driver parked the car right on the curb of the hotel, we saw the lake of Sarangan for the first time. We've travelled a lot: we've been in China and Japan, in America and the Europeans alps, enjoying the very best of nature. We could state of this place though that due to its beauty and sweetness it made such a marvelous impression on us that we promised ourselves to celebrate our holidays here once. [....] Sarangan, with its lake, its islet, its surrounding hills and forests proved to be a revelation for us."  

Besides its stunning location, natural swimming pool and lush forests, one distinct feature lured many Europeans to the resort: its cool climate. At 1500 meters above sea level they could cool down there overheated bodies in the lake and its surrounding rain forests. A truly European refuge. 

Sarangan - view to the northeast

Manokwari to Budapest - Netherlands New Guinea

Postcard from Manokwari (NNG) to Budapest on the 18th of April 1962 with the postage stamps 'Veilig Verkeer' applied

My next post will be devoted to this extraordinary postcard which was sent from Netherlands New Guinea to Budapest, Hungary. In philatelic circles modern, post-war items rarely make the stage in exhibitions and - especially in the case of picture postcards - collectors of older material simply despise 1950s and 1960s material. And than I'm not even daring to mention postcoded covers and cards...

This item will hopefully prove otherwise. I think it is an extremely rare postcard because of two facts: the country of origin (Netherlands New Guinea) and its destination (Hungary) and the set of postage stamps used to make up the rate to Hungary. We will return to the stamps later on, but first we have to return to Netherlands New Guinea in 1962. In short: the Dutch were willing to hand their last colony in Asia over to Indonesia in the early months of that year. To read more about the circumstances in which this transfer took place and the history of this short-lived colony, click here. About 12.000 Dutch citizens still lived in NNG by mid 1962, but they were all due to return to the Netherlands. The Dutch army labelled this repatriation task operation spectrum. There were few other Europeans around, especially since the large part of this colony was never 'properly' cultivated by the Dutch before. They possessed and exploited Java, Sumatra and Celebes, but Guinea only became of any interest after they lost these more populated islands to Indonesia in 1949.       

Front of the postcard with a contemporary view close to the capital of NNG: Hollandia

Now we return to the stamps. In the last 9 months when New Guinea was still a Dutch possession, 9 stamps were issued. Two of them are shown here and were issued in March 1962. The other stamps had the following topics: 1) a single 55c stamp commemorating the silver wedding anniversary of Queen Juliana and Bernhard; 2) 2 stamps commemorating the 5th South Pacific Conference in Pago Pago and 3) 4 semi-postal stamps depicting shellfish.

The stamps applied to our card were devoted to road safety (veilig verkeer). A bit odd since there existed only a small amount of motorized traffic in NNG, but entirely understandable when taking into account the Dutch 'campaign' to educate the native people in building their own future. However, by March 1962 it would have been absolutely clear in the Hague that Indonesia would simply annex NNG, rendering this self-awareness campaign quite futile... Nonetheless, the stamps were issued on the 16th of March. They were designed by P.M. van Lienden based upon photographs of A. de Vos. As Hungary was such an extraordinary destination the complete series was needed to make up the sufficient postage. Either the sender didn't want to use the regular 55c Juliana 'En Profil' stamp or the 'Veilig Verkeer' stamps were the only stamps available in Manokwari at the time to make up this scarce rate.   

Netherlands New Guinea 25c blue Road Safety stamp - 1962

It's more likely though that the sender didn't think about the stamps at all; he had more important matters to take care of. E.A. Polansky (according to the Nieuwe Leidsche Courant of 28-11-1960) wanted to study 'Indology' in Delft or Utrecht after his secondary education. Since this study became seemingly futile after the loss of the Dutch Indies, it was discontinued after 1949. Polansky left for Asia nevertheless and became a junior civil servant in NNG in the early 1950s. He studied at the NNG governing institute in Hollandia and    

Netherlands New Guinea 30c green Road Safety stamp - 1962

became a senior civil servant in Sorong and Selawati. The article in the Nieuwe Leidsche Courant states that Polansky studied non-western social studies at the time of writing (i.e. in 1960) and that he hoped to return to NNG after his graduation. The article itself features a summary of a panel discussion between 5 NNG experts about a potential independent future of New Guinea. Only a year later this utopia was smashed down by constant threats of Indonesia. This ultimately resulted in the UNTEA-government and annexation.

Mr Polansky probably witnessed these events with profound regret as he truly seemed to have believed that NNG could have become a successful sovereign Melanesian nation. The poignant power play of Indonesia and the U.S.A. aside in the early 1960s, Dutch politics was only starting to invest time and money to take care of the numerous problems which so often troubled underdeveloped colonies back then. A combination of both factors led to the detested annexation.

At the time of writing Polansky resided in Timinabuan, a small semi-coastal settlement relatively close to Indonesia. In this area (Bird Head's Peninsula) the were some skirmishes between Dutch and Indonesian troops in the early 1960s and especially in 1962. He was senior civil servant in the area and had to inform the Dutch public about the escalating moves of Sukarno in the 'hot' May days of 1962. Earlier that year he still lived in the Netherlands, so I expect that he wrote this postcard in Manokwari on his way to his destination. Timinabuan escaped the destructive force of warfare in the last year of Dutch rule, but nevertheless was shamefully bombed in 1967 by Indonesian troops. By that time Polansky did not interfere in New Guinean state of affairs anymore. During the 'transfer' of power (UNTEA) in late 1962 and the beginning of 1963 he acted as one out of eleven Dutch senior civil servants responsible for a fluid transmission of the civil apparatus into Indonesian hands. 

E.A. Polansky during a panel discussion in 1960