Angke

Slipping through time, let’s journey back to 15th-century Jakarta. Long before the Dutch set foot here, a traveler named Bujangga Manik sailed from Pemalang to Sunda Kelapa. His crew included someone from a place already known as Angke. Angke. This vibrant area we stand in today, part of Tambora in West Jakarta, boasts a history far older than many realize. Positioned near Sunda Kelapa port, Angke has witnessed the ebb and flow of civilizations for centuries. One theory suggests Angke was named after Prince Tubagus Angke, a 16th-century ruler and Fattahilah’s son-in-law. However, Bujangga Manik’s travel logs predate Prince Angke’s time, proving Angke’s existence even earlier. The name echoes in his words: “Nu badayung urang Tanjung, nu neem urang Kalapa, nu bobosek urang Angke” – “The one who rowed the Tanjung, the one who drew the Kalapa, the one who paddled the Angke.” In 1618, Angke stepped onto the stage of recorded history. Prince Jayakarta ruled, but the ambitious Prince Ranamenggala of Banten secretly desired the land. Ordered by the Sultanate of Banten, Ranamenggala joined forces with Jayakarta’s troops to attack the Dutch VOC trading partnership. On December 22, 1618, four thousand soldiers marched along the Angke River, then called Rivier van Angkee. This marked the first bloodshed on the river. Though reluctant, Ranamenggala succeeded, forcing VOC Governor-General Jan Pieterszoon Coen to flee to Maluku for reinforcements. But the Angke River, or Kali Angke, would forever be associated with a far greater tragedy. In 1740, a Chinese uprising against the Dutch East India Company turned into a massacre. Over ten thousand Chinese were killed. Their bodies, filling the river, stained its water red. This gruesome event is etched in memory as the “Chinezenmoord,” the killing of Chinese people. Kali Angke became a symbol of this tragedy, sometimes called the “Angke Tragedy” or “Geger Pacinan.” The river’s name, some say, reflects this bloody history, “ang” meaning red and “ke” meaning river in Hokkien. From a quiet village mentioned in ancient travel logs to a key player in power struggles and a silent witness to unspeakable tragedy, Angke’s story is woven into the very fabric of Jakarta’s history.