Ancient Chinese Cemeteries of Indonesia as Vanishing Landmarks of the Past (17th-20th c.)
Despite the incessant expenditures over time, both individually and collectively, by the Chinese of Indonesia to conserve and secure their graves, they have never been really protected from destruction. As early as 1668, the community of Batavia lodged a complaint against a group of Ambonese who res...
Tallennettuna:
| Julkaisussa: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/archipel, |
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| Päätekijä: | |
| Aineistotyyppi: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Kieli: | Anglais |
| Julkaistu: |
Archipel
2017
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| Linkit: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Yhteenveto: | Despite the incessant expenditures over time, both individually and collectively, by the Chinese of Indonesia to conserve and secure their graves, they have never been really protected from destruction. As early as 1668, the community of Batavia lodged a complaint against a group of Ambonese who resided near the cemetery and who had desecrated some four hundred graves. During the following century, another danger came in addition to the risk of looting; by following the development of the towns of the Northern coast, some cemeteries once plotted in the countryside were enveloped by settlements and gradually threatened with demolition. Here we focus on the historical development of certain cemeteries including those of Batavia, Banten, Cirebon, and Semarang which to some extent mirror the evolution of the Chinese communities that founded them. In so doing we also give attention to the tombs which escaped destruction and have become the subject of a genuine worship by the part of the populations, newcomers, local born Chinese and even Indonesians who do not hesitate to spend to maintain the sites. Last but not least we reflect on the way burial grounds were granted in concession by the authorities, and how they were managed. |
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