 A Mardijker family | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Indonesia (Jakarta) | |
| Languages | |
| Predominantly Betawi • Indonesian • Mardijker Creole(historical) Also Malay • Portuguese | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Belanda Hitam • Klingalese • Betawi • Indo • African Indonesian • Indian Indonesian • Portuguese Indonesian |
TheMardijker people refer to an ethnic community in theDutch East Indies (present-dayIndonesia) made up of descendants of freed slaves who spoke or were culturally Portuguese. They could be found at all major trading posts in theEast Indies. They were mostly Christian, of various ethnicities from conquered Portuguese and Spanish territories, Some are of European ethnicity, while some others are natives from various Portuguese controlled territories. They spokeMardijker Creole, aPortuguese-based creole, which has influenced the modernIndonesian language.[citation needed]
The ancestors of the Mardijkers had been mostly made up of slaves of the Portuguese in India, Africa, and the Malay Peninsula, with a minority being European (usually Portuguese) prisoners of war that were brought to Indonesia by theDutch East India Company (VOC), especially after the 1641 Dutchconquest of Malacca, whereby Portuguese speakers in the city were taken as captive. Some were also Christian slaves captured byMoro raiders from thePhilippines and sold in slave markets inBatavia during the height of theSpanish–Moro conflict and theSulu Sea piracy.[1][2] In theSpanish Philippines, they were called "Mardica", as recorded in theMurillo Velarde Map.
The term Mardijker is a Dutch corruption of the Malay word Merdeka, which originates from theSanskrit Maharddhika meaning "rich, prosperous, and powerful". In the Malay archipelago, this term had acquired the meaning of a freed slave, and now means "independent".
The Mardijkers mostly clung to their Catholic faith and continued to attend Batavia's Portuguese church, although many were eventually baptised by theDutch Reformed Church. They were legally recognized by the VOC as a separate ethnic group and kept themselves apart from the nativeJavanese.[3][4]
During the VOC era, there was already considerable intermarriage with theIndos in pre-colonial history, who were often also ofPortuguese descent. During the colonial era, the Mardijkers eventually assimilated completely into the EurasianIndo community and were no longer registered as a separate ethnic group.
Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the Mardijkers exchangedtheir Portuguese-based creole forthe Betawi language.
A part of Jakarta is called "Kampung Tugu" an area where Mardijker people had been allowed to settle for after their freedom, the neighborhood retains its Portuguese distinctiveness. Historically these people also settled in Old Batavia's Roa Malacca district near Kali Besar; however, little historic buildings remain of what had been the historic quarter.
Common Mardijker family names are De Fretes, Ferrera, De Mello, Gomes, Gonsalvo, Cordero, De Dias, De Costa, Soares, Rodrigo, De Pinto, Perreira, and De Silva. Some Mardijker families also took Dutch names such as Willems, Michiels, Bastiaans, Pieters, Jansz, Fransz, and Davidts.
When the Indonesians fought for independence from the Dutch they used the sloganMerdeka ("freedom"), which has the same root as Mardijker. This word had considerable political significance also inMalaysia andSingapore. The term Mardijkers is also used for the so-calledBelanda Hitam, soldiers recruited in theDutch Gold Coast who served in theDutch East Indies Army and gained their freedom afterward.
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