 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
Orang Tionghoa Benteng,Orang Cina Benteng | |
|---|---|
 Mass wedding ceremony of Benteng people,Jakarta 2012. | |
| Total population | |
| 480,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia (Tangerang)[a] | |
| Languages | |
| Betawi,Peranakan Malay,Banten Sundanese,Indonesian | |
| Religion | |
| Confucianism,Buddhism,Taoism,Christianity,Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Peranakans,Chinese Indonesians,Bantenese,Betawi,Sundanese |
Benteng people (Indonesian:Orang Cina Benteng orOrang Tionghoa Benteng) are aChinese Indonesian community of 'Peranakan' or mixed descent, native to the historical region ofTangerang in Indonesia, its current distribution includesJakarta,Banten, andWest Java.[3][4][5]
The name 'Benteng' is derived from the Malay word for 'fortress', used formerly to refer to the historic Tangerang area. It refers to a colonial fortress on the banks of theCisadane River, built by theDutch East India Company in the seventeenth century as part of their defence system against the neighbouringSultanate of Banten.[3][5]
According to aSundanese manuscriptTina Layang Parahyang (Notes fromParahyangan), the Chinese community of Batavia and Tangerang has existed since at least 1407 CE.[6][7][8] This manuscript recounts the arrival of among the earliest Chinese migrants to the area, led by a certain Tjen Tjie Lung, also dubbed 'Halung'.[6] They landed at the mouth of the Cisadane river, now calledTeluk Naga (Dragon's Bay).[6]
Subsequent waves of Chinese immigration from the seventeenth century onwards took place under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company.[9][3]Boen Tek Bio, the oldest Chinese temple in Tangerang, was built by the community in 1684.[8] Some Benteng Chinese trace their origin to those fleeing Batavia during theChinese Massacre of 1740.[10]
Many ethnic-Chinese allies and officials of the Dutch colonial authorities held office (see:Kapitan Cina), and owned landed estates (particuliere landerijen) in the historic Tangerang area.[3] The historianMona Lohanda, herself a Benteng Chinese, goes so far as to say that "Tangerang was practically a Chinese private domain" (p. 258).[3] These landlords and bureaucrats also sponsored a large-scale migration of Chinese indentured laborers, who played a crucial role in the agricultural and economic development of the region.
In theIndonesian Revolution from 1945 to 1949, tension rose between indigenous Indonesians and Benteng Chinese, who were perceived to be in favour of the Dutch colonialstatus quo.[11][12] On 23 June 1946, riots targeting Benteng Chinese homes broke out in Tangerang, where revolutionary militiamen sympathetic to the Indonesian republican cause looted Chinese possessions, includingChinese prayer tables.[12] These riots were apparently triggered by placement of an Indonesian flag with a Dutch flag by aDutch colonial army soldier ofChinese descent.
Indonesian journalistRosihan Anwar wrote in theMerdeka daily on 13 June 1946 that relationship between native and Chinese Indonesians had reached an all-time low. Conditions worsened afterPao An Tui, a pro-Dutch Benteng Chinese youth group, mobilized armed groups to evacuate Benteng Chinese residents to Batavia. Anti-Chinese rioting was successfully suppressed by the alliance ofPao An Tui and Dutch colonial troops.
At the time, nearly the entire Benteng Chinese population was displaced, and upon returning, they found that their properties were no longer intact: their land holdings had been confiscated or their homes had been looted.
UponIndonesian independence, Tangerang was the last part of Java to be handed over to theRepublic of Indonesia by the Dutch.[citation needed]
The traditional dress of the Benteng people is a mixture of the Chinese traditional dress mostly ofHokkien heritage and theBetawi traditional dress. The males wear a black shirt and long pants with a traditional hat inconical shape. The female dress called 'hwa kun' is a blouse with headdress and veil. An alternative costume is the 'kebaya encim' ofPeranakan heritage.
Benteng culture today is a mixture of Betawi, Sundanese, and Chinese cultures. One example iscokek, a dance featuring a male and female couple set togambang kromong music. Religiously, the Benteng Chinese adhere toConfucianism,Buddhism,Taoism,Catholicism,Protestantism, ancestor worship, and few adhere toIslam.
Although most Benteng people do not speakChinese, they maintain a number of Chinese traditions, including the use ofQing wedding costumes.
Notable people with Benteng Chinese heritage or ties include:
