Child of All Nations

by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

  “Yes, he’s the one, May,” answered Marais.

  Maysoroh now realized what this meeting was about. She went silent as she stared at Engineer Maurits Mellema. Suddenly her two hands seized her cheeks and the cheeks went red. Two tears launched forth across them.

  “Sis Annelies is dead! Dead!” she screamed; she pushed out her lower lip as she moaned.

  Engineer Maurits Mellema rose, moved to her, tried to caress her hair. Sorrow and rage defeated the little girl’s fear. “Murderer!” she screamed, and ran inside. From where I was sitting I could hear Minem’s mother ask in Javanese: “What is it?”

  Rono, still in Mama’s arms, struggled to get free, voiceless as always.

  “Sis Annelies, dead, dead, killed by that man in there—the visitor, killed by him.”

  I couldn’t hear whether Minem’s mother said anything; all sound was drowned out by May’s protests to heaven and earth.

  Everyone in the front parlor was silenced as they listened. Mama turned towards the inner rooms and called to Minem’s mother: “Quiet her!” Then she soothed Rono, took the bottle of milk wrapped in one end of the sash, and gave some to him.

  The guest seemed confused, listening for a moment to May’s cries as they faded into the distance, then glancing across to the baby in Nyai’s arms.

  “Even that little child knows how to grieve for her sister,” Kommer went on. “But you want only to profit from her death.”

  Engineer Mellema didn’t reply. His eyes focused on the baby.

  “Everyone here loved Miss Annelies,” Darsam added. “Only a devil would have the heart to kill her.”

  “Tuan Mellema,” Mama began her accusation, “Tuan needed to have the guardianship of my daughter in order to gain control over her inheritance. Why did no one even visit her before she died? Even when she was buried, there was no one.”

  “Who said so? That is a lie, she was well looked after and as she should have been.”

  “Do I need to bring in witnesses? The person, for example, who escorted and looked after my daughter from when she left Surabaya until Huizen and B.?”

  “I’ve a letter from the Huizen Hospital; she was well looked after.”

  “Who doesn’t believe that the hospital looked after her well? But what about yourself and your mother? Tell me it’s a lie! Or tell me you were in South Africa. It is no one other than Tuan yourself who knows. Whatever my faults might have been as her mother, I could look after my own daughter better than a thousand women like Amelia Mellema-Hammers.”

  Sitting in the corner, Darsam was listening attentively to all the conversation, even if he could not understand it all. Every now and then he twirled his mustache or rubbed his machete.

  “I don’t believe you treated Annelies in the way that even European custom dictates that a sister, even a half-sister, should be treated.”

  The sound of Minem’s mother taking May outside floated in from the back parlor. We could see people trying to peer inside. Perhaps Marjuki had told everyone there was going to be a big party.

  Maysoroh was still shouting and crying out, calling for Annelies and cursing her murderer.

  Some of the people who were peering in through the windows withdrew from view. Perhaps they wanted to hear what May was crying about. Soon the village people began to gather around the front of the house, men and women, children too, swarming around everywhere. Several women were being shooed out of the back parlor by Minem’s mother. Maysoroh’s crying wasn’t as loud as a minute ago. Coming from not far behind us we could hear her weeping, interspersed with Javanese: “That’s him, yes, that’s the one, he killed Sis Annelies! That’s the one who did it, him!”

  The women pushed forward, closer to the door that led from the back to the front parlor. Engineer Mellema lifted his head to look at them. He stood up. But before he could go, Nyai quickly spoke again: “So when do we have to get out of here?”

  “I’ve already appointed someone to manage the business.”

  “So when do we have to leave?”

  “I’ve decided on a postponement.”

  “Good. A postponement. And what about this child? Rono Mellema?”

  Maurits Mellema looked at the baby. His eyes blinked: “Who is Rono Mellema?”

  “You had better take the child with you now. The baby will be easier to kill. If you don’t, you’ll get a smaller inheritance. You couldn’t possibly let him live. The child has never cried. Perhaps he has been mute since birth.”

  People began to push closer to the door, both at the front and into the back parlor.

  Mama held out the baby to him: “Take this baby with you, your own nephew, Robert Mellema’s child, also a Mellema heir.”

  Maurits Mellema looked confused.

  “Don’t think of him as a rival, Tuan Mellema,” said Jean Marais in Malay, in a clear voice so that everyone could understand. “And don’t murder him—for the Netherlands.”

  “You can’t even bring yourself to touch your own nephew,” added Kommer. “He too has property, Tuan; you’re not going to give up his wealth, are you?”

  “Why do you hesitate?” pressed Mama, “Take the baby. We believe you’ll be a good guardian.”

  The guest didn’t know what to do.

  It was then that Maysoroh ran back into the front parlor. Her eyes were red and wet. Crying out, weeping uncontrollably, she lifted her little hand to point at Engineer Mellema: “Yes, here he is, Engineer Maurits Mellema. He stole Sis Annelies. He killed her!”

  May lost control of herself. She ran up to the big marine engineer and threw her little punches onto his thighs and stomach. “Give Annelies back! Give her back!”

  Some of the women behind us could now also be heard crying and sobbing. Then somebody asked in Javanese: “Miss Annelies is dead? He killed her?”

  “He killed her.” Maysoroh pointed accusingly, exhausted from her punching.

  “Why is Darsam doing nothing?” someone whispered.

  “I will not throw you out, Tuan Mellema, because this house is your property,” said Nyai. “Go now, before there’s a riot. They know how to feel sorrow, they are all sorrowful and angry.”

  “Give her back, give her back!” cried Maysoroh, panting.

  Engineer Maurits Mellema pointed to the parcel at his feet, but no voice came from his mouth. The tip of his finger trembled. He turned his back to us and strode heavily out of the room. His left hand gripped his scabbard.

  We remained seated.

  Maysoroh followed him, pulling at his trousers and groaning, “Give back Sis Annelies! Sis Annelies! Sis Annelies!”

  Mellema did not look back. His two arms did not swing. His body was stooped as he descended the front stops. He looked like a frog lost among a crowd of humans. He looked small, insignificant.

  The crowd parted to make way for him. You could hear them buzzing beneath the shouts of Maysoroh, who was still tugging at him: “Murderer! Murderer of your own half-sister!”

  Darsam jumped up, pulled out his machete, and began swinging it about: “Animal! Evil, filthy animal!” he roared.

  “Miss Annelies, oh Nyai, we didn’t realize.” The people expressed the sorrow they shared.

  Mama didn’t answer. She gave Rono to one of the women and opened the parcel the guest had left behind. In it was an old tin suitcase, dented and rusty. She opened it. There were a few sets of Annelies’s clothes.

  “Good,” she sighed, and stood up.

  For only the second time ever, I saw Mama shed tears. She could not bear the sight of her daughter’s clothes, packed in the suitcase she herself had taken with her when first she was sold to Herman Mellema.

  She quickly wiped away the tears.

  “Just as we will always remember this day, he too will be haunted by it, all his life and into the grave.”

  “Yes, Ma, we fought back, Ma, even though only with our mouths.”

  Buru Island Prison Camp, spoken 1973 written 1975

  GLOSSARY

  Acehn
ese the people of Aceh, the northernmost province of Sumatra, well known at the time for its militant Islamic sentiments

  arak Javanese liquor

  assistant resident for each regency there was a Dutch assistant resident in whose hands power over local affairs ultimately resided

  azan the call to prayer at the mosque

  babah a term referring to Chinese shop-owners, which also has connotations of boss

  Babad Tanah Jawi a classical Javanese literary work, claiming to trace the history of the rulers of Java

  bahu a measure of area equivalent to 7096.5 square meters

  bang older brother, comrade—friendly but respectful

  Banowati a character in wayang, a queen renowned for her beauty

  Bapak literally Father, used to indicate respect

  Batara Kala Hindu god of death

  batik a process for decorating cloth by using wax to prevent some areas from absorbing dye

  Betawi the Malay name for Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies, now Jakarta

  Bharatayuddha a famous Hindu epic, depicting a great war between two families of nobles

  biawak iguana

  blangkon traditional Javenese headdress made from batik and worn mainly by the nobility, or those with pretensions to an elite status

  boerderij (Dutch) firm, company

  Boerderij Buitenzorg the Buitenzorg Agricultural Company, the name of Nyai Ontosoroh’s late husband’s firm, which Nyai had always managed

  bupati the title of the Native Javanese official appointed by the Dutch to administer a region; most bupatis could lay some claim to noble blood

  camat the title of the native official in charge of several villages

  carambol a kind of billiards

  Chinese officer a member of the Chinese community appointed by the colonial government to supervise tax collection within that community

  chiu Chinese wine

  Culture System This was a system of forced cultivation of certain crops enforced by the colonial authorities; under this system, Javanese peasants had to grow export crops such as coffee and sell them to the Dutch authorities at extremely low prices.

  Daendels Governor-General of the Netherlands East Indies, 1807–1811

  dalang the puppet-master of Javanese shadow puppetry

  destar an East Javanese form of headdress; a kind of headband

  dukun traditional Javanese magician and/or healer

  Dutch East Indies Company (VOC); the Company Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie, United (Dutch) East Indies Company

  Eighty Years’ War a sixteenth- and seventeenth-century war between Holland and Spain, ending in the Peace of the Hague in 1648

  Roorda van Eysinga a writer (1825–1887) expelled from the Indies in 1864 because his writings were regarded as harmful to the colonial government

  forum privilegiatum the right to appear before the court for Europeans

  G. Francis Eurasian author of the early Malay-language novel Nyai Dasima

  gamelan traditional Javanese percussion orchestra

  gapit the stick, made usually from buffalo horn, that keeps the leather shadow puppet rigid

  garuda the mythical magical bird upon whom the gods rode

  Gatotkaca a character from wayang stories who had the ability to fly

  gus a term of affection used among the families of the Javanese aristocratic elite by parents towards their male children

  haji the pilgrimage to Mecca or someone who has made the pilgrimage

  Hanchou a city regarded by the Chinese as one of the most beautiful in the world

  harvest-time fever an illness induced by extreme expectations and hyperactivity prior to harvest

  H.B.S. the prestigious Dutch-language senior high school

  Dr. Snouck Hurgronje a Dutch scholar who was an influential adviser on Native Affairs to the colonial government

  Indisch a Dutch term referring to racially mixed persons or cultures

  Indische Bond Founded in 1898, this was an association of Indies Eurasians demanding an end to discrimination against them by the Dutch colonial elite.

  Indo a term used to refer to Dutch-Indonesian Mixed-Bloods (See also Indisch)

  Japanese gardens houses of prostitution

  Java Doctor someone trained in the Dutch-run special medical school set up exclusively for Indies Natives

  kabupaten the formal local term for the administrative area that an assistant resident (through the bupati) administers

  kain traditional dress worn by Javanese women; a kind of sarong wrapped tightly around the waist and legs

  kain wulung a blue-black head-cloth usually worn by Moslem students

  Kartini Most famous woman in modern Indonesian history, regarded as a pioneer of women’s emancipation and forerunner of Indonesian nationalism. Best known for the letters that were collected under the title Door Duisternis tot Licht (Through Darkness to Light).

  Katasura, Court of The court of the sultanate of Mataram. In 1740 a rebellion by the Chinese population, backed by a sultan of Madura, attacked Katasura and annihilated the Dutch East Indies Company troops guarding the court.

  kebaya a Javanese woman’s traditional blouse, worn always in combination with a sarong

  keris traditional curved-blade Javanese dagger

  kliwon one of the days of the Javanese five-day week

  kowe familiar form of you in low Javanese, considered an insult if used by a lower-class person to a member of the elite

  KPM the Dutch shipping company operating in the Netherlands Indies

  kris see keris

  Kyai Moslem scholar or religious leader

  lasting a kind of plain material

  legi one of the days of the Javanese five-day week

  Marechausee the elite troops of the colonial army in the Netherlands Indies

  mas Javanese term of address literally meaning “older brother.” Used by a young woman towards a man, it indicates an especially close, respectful affection. It can also be used between men, indicating respectful friendship; by a sister to her older brother; and also by a wife to her husband.

  Max Havelaar novel by Eduard Douwes Dekker (Multatuli)

  mevrouw Dutch for “Madam” or “Mrs.”

  Multatuli pseudonym of Eduard Douwes Dekker, an outspoken humanist critic of Dutch colonialism and author of Saidja and Adinda and the anticolonial novel Max Havelaar

  Mylord (English) a luxuriously outfitted horse-drawn carriage

  ndoro an honorific used by a lower-class person when speaking to someone in the feudal class or of similar status

  noni miss

  nyai the Native concubine of a Dutch man in the Indies

  Nyai Dasima the heroine of G. Francis’s popular Malay-language novel

  nyo abbreviated form of sinyo

  Oranje Vrijstaat small Boer (overseas Dutch) states in South Africa

  Oriental status inhabitants of the Netherlands East Indies were divided into three categories: European, Oriental, and Native. European and Oriental status conferred special privileges on those concerned; included in the Oriental category were Chinese, Jews, and, for a time, Japanese.

  pak short for bapak, literally father, used to indicate respect

  Panji stories a collection of stories of knightly heroism, based on the legendary activities of an eleventh-century Javanese prince

  patih the chief executive assistant of a bupati

  peci small black velvet cap, originally a sign of Islam

  perak a Malay term for one rupiah (100 cents)

  plikemboh a nickname, slang for ugly, disgusting penis

  priyayi members of the Javanese aristocracy who often became the salaried administrators of the Dutch

  raden ayu title for aristocratic Javanese woman, especially the first wife of a bupati

  raden mas raden and mas were titles held by the mass of the middle-ranking members of the Javanese aristocracy; raden mas is the highest

  ringgit 21⁄2 rupiah or 21�
��2 perak

  rupiah basic unit of currency (100 cents)

  sausing Chinese wine

  SIBA high school to train Native boys for the civil service

  sinkeh term used to refer to a Chinese immigrant

  sinyo form of address for young Dutch and Eurasian men or Europeanized Native young men, from the Portuguese senor

  Speceraria the name of Nyai Ontosoroh’s new spice-trading business

  talen or tali Dutch East Indies currency, a quarter of a rupiah

  thau-cang the traditional long braid worn by Chinese men

  Tong Chinese secret societies

  tricolor the Dutch flag

  Trunajaya A prince of the island of Madura who led a successful rebellion against the Javanese nobility in the late seventeenth century. The nobles of the Javanese sultanate of Mataram only succeeded in defeating Trunajaya when Dutch military might was thrown against him.

  tuan Malay word meaning master or sir

  Tuan Besar Kuasa Great Powerful Master, a term used for a Dutch administrator or other powerful official

  Tuan Raden Mas the title of nobility of lesser rank

  TVK abbreviation for Tijdeman and Van Kerchem, the company that owned the sugar mills in Tulangan, Tjandi, and Krembong in the Sidoarjo area; called Te-pe-ka by the Madurese

  VOC Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie: Dutch East Indies Company, the major power in the Indies until 1798, when it was taken over by the Dutch government

  Vorstenlanden the region covered by the kingdom of Surakarta and Jogjakarta in central Java

  Vrizinnige Democraat a liberal democratic party whose members were known as radicals because its first name had been Radicale Bond (Radical League)

  wayang shadow puppets