Revising the Colonial Image of Javanese Women

Ratu Kencono Wulan was only the third consort of Sultan Hamengkubuwono II, but thanks to her beauty and intelligence, she became very powerful in the sultanate of Yogyakarta in the early 19th century.

Anyone who wanted to rise in rank or get lungguh, an arable land in lieu of salary, should come to the Queen, but under one condition: they should bring enough money. The Queen was indeed known to be fond of accumulating her wealth and making crazy profits, which was also mentioned in Babad Jatuhnya Yogyakarta (the Chronicle of the Fall of Yogyakarta). The Queen's behavior was already known to the Sultan, but he didn't budge because Ratu Kencono Wulan was his favorite consort.

Not only in the economic aspect, but the Queen's shrewdness could also be seen in politics, including the matter of succession.

Sultan Hamengkubuwono II had three consorts: Ratu Kedaton, who is of Madurese blood; Ratu Mas, the daughter of Prince Pakuningrat of the Mataram era; and Ratu Kencono Wulan. Regarding the candidate for crown prince, Ratu Mas insisted that her descendants were the most entitled because she was of Mataram descent. However, Ratu Kencono Wulan resisted and continued to conspire with many parties so that her son-in-law, Notodiningrat (later Pakualam II), would be promoted as the Sultan's successor.

This attitude of Ratu Kencono Wulan quite upset H.W. Daendels, the governor-general of the Dutch East Indies. In fact, an English commentator said in a mocking tone that Ratu Kencono Wulan was the only Javanese woman who could make the “Thundering Marshall” afraid.

Ratu Kencono Wulan is just one of the powerful women discussed in a book authored by Peter Carey and Vincent Houben. The book also features women warriors, military officers in the Java War, businesswomen, and poets.

Dutch archives generally reflect a male-dominated colonial reality of the Dutch East Indies, with strong male chauvinist sentiments.

The Pacification Lawsuit

This book was originally a short article written by Peter Carey and Vincent Houben when they started their careers as Indonesian historians. It was titled "Spirited Srikandhis and Sly Sumbadras: The Social, Political and Economic Role of Women at the Central Javanese Court in the 18th and Early 19th Centuries", which was published in the anthology Indonesian Women in Focus: Past and Present Notions (1986) edited by Elisabeth Locher-Scholten and Anke Niehof. To provide a historical context for the role of women in the Reformation era, Peter Carey decided to translate and publish it as a book.

In his introduction, Carey mentioned that Dutch archives generally reflect a male-dominated colonial reality of the Dutch East Indies, with strong male chauvinist sentiments. This was especially prominent during the Daendels era, as seen from Daendels' notes in the margins of the Yogya Resident's letter: "women have no place in public respect, and towards women there is only private business!".

"This reality can also be traced in the romances and memoirs of Dutch East Indies authors," Carey wrote.

In the first chapter of this book, Carey and Houben review the presence of Javanese women portrayed in Dutch East Indies colonial literature. They chose Heilig Indie (the Sacred Indies) by J.B. Ruzius in 1905 and De Stille Kracht (Magic Power) by Louis Couperus published in 1909. In both works, Javanese women, especially from the elite, are portrayed as dolls who smile and negate themselves; the type of woman who is beautiful but has an empty head.

Carey and Houben open with a discussion of powerful women from the precolonial era, Ken Dedes and Dewi Mundingsari. Both had glowing vaginas, and only men with extraordinary magical powers could marry them. Ken Dedes eventually became the wife of Ken Angrok, the famous king of Tumapel-Singhasari. Meanwhile, Dewi Mundingsari, the princess of Pajajaran, became the wife of Baron Sukmul, the mythical father of Jan Pieterzoon Coen, who founded a new kingdom in Sunda Kelapa Harbor. In fact, the mystical figure of Ratu Kidul is presented as a form of connection between the enforcement of royal sovereignty and women with extraordinary magical powers.

In the following chapters, Carey and Houben present prominent figures of Javanese women in the political, social, economic, and cultural spheres in the 18th and 19th centuries, who are the main study of this book. From the estri or female warriors of the Mangkunegara I period to the role of Ratu Kedaton, the consort of Sultan Hamengkubuwono V, as the 'brain' in the failed rebellion in Kedu.

In one part, they discuss the role of women in the Java War, giving the spotlight to two female officers: Raden Ayu Yudokusumo and Nyi Ageng Serang.

Raden Ayu Yudokusumo, one of Sultan Hamengkubuwono I's daughters, became one of Prince Diponegoro's senior cavalry commanders in the eastern provinces who later joined Raden Tumenggung Sosrodilogo in the Jipang-Rajegwesi region. In the Java War, they burned down the Dutch defenses on the north coast.  

Nyi Ageng Serang, one of the descendants of Sunan Kalijaga, took up arms to support her son, Pangeran Kusumowijoyo or Sumowijoyo, who in Dutch sources is called Prince Serang II, in the Java War.

Revising the Image

The nature of Javanese women depicted in this book proves that the image of Javanese women in colonial literature needs to be revised. This book shows that there are still stories of freedom of action and independent initiative in Javanese women.

"We only need to compare the story of Raden Ayu Serang at the beginning of the century with that of Raden Ajeng Kartini at the end," Carey and Houben wrote. "Raden Ayu's contemporaries had a vastly different life sphere and opportunities than her post-Java War successors, when Javanese culture seemed to have been tamed into a kind of museum culture."

Carey and Houben call this book a brief introduction to the history and contributions of Javanese women. They suggest further research, especially based on Javanese archives and literary works, to make informed conclusions about the role of Javanese women in history. Despite being a thin book, it is definitely worth reading.