Might you be curious about the story of Cipinang Melayu? This Jakarta village holds a tale woven from rivers, trees, and the blending of cultures. Cipinang Melayu is a kelurahan. That means it is like a village within the city of Jakarta Timur.
The name Cipinang itself speaks volumes. “Ci” means water or river in Sundanese. “Pinang” refers to the betel palm tree. So, Cipinang once described a river lined with these graceful trees. The “Melayu” part likely comes from the Malay people who settled here.
Imagine this area long ago. The Sunter River flowed through low-lying land. Rice fields and fish ponds dotted the landscape in Cipinang Melayu. But as Jakarta grew, the rice fields transformed into homes. People built on the land. They raised it to prevent floods during the rainy season.
Old maps from the Dutch East Indies era reveal much about Cipinang Melayu. In the 19th century, the maps showed many private landholdings with the name “Tjipinang.” There was Tjipinang Besar, Tjipinang Ilir, and even Tjipinang Udik. Over time, some names changed. New ones appeared such as Tjipinang Pisangan and Tjipinangmelajoe.
Before the Japanese arrived, even more names emerged. Tjipinang Kampoeng Gedong and Tjipinang Djembatan Kompeni were some of them. Today, Cipinang exists as names of urban villages in East Jakarta. Cipinang Melayu is one of them, located in the district of Makasar.
Cipinang is the most common name. Many areas around the former Dutch East Indies kept the name Cipinang. One of them is Tjipinang Rawa Bangke. It is now known as Kelurahan Rawa Bunga.
The Cipinang River begins in the Cimanggis swamps. It flows into the Sonthar River. The VOC, or Dutch East India Company, adopted the local name Cipinang. The river existed long before the Dutch arrived.
The Cipinang River once served as a vital transportation route. Sugar plantations thrived along its banks. Sugar mills processed sugarcane. From there, the sugar was transported down the Cipinang River. It went into the Sunter River. Then it finally arrived at the VOC warehouses.
But as the sugar industry declined, the Cipinang River lost its importance. New roads replaced the river. Only the people living along the river remembered its significance. They still used its water.
In the 1980s, the Cipinang River gained notoriety for a different reason. Flooding became frequent. Uncontrolled development along the riverbanks caused the problem. The river lost its swamps and water absorption areas. The Cipinang River became the scapegoat for floods.
The land around Cipinang did not attract much attention from the VOC. Andries Teisseire, a major landowner, barely mentioned Cipinang. He only noted that it emptied into the Sunter River.
Land exploitation in Cipinang began in the 19th century. After the Java War and the forced cultivation system, the Dutch needed revenue. Although land titles existed, Cipinang’s land was not used for export crops.
In 1867, the government listed five Tjipinang lands. They produced coconuts and grass. Only a few were rice fields. Tjipinang Vrededal briefly became a vanilla plantation. But floods made it unsuitable for anything other than hardy plants.
Today’s Cipinang neighborhoods are no longer private estates. Urban planning has erased those old boundaries. Comparing old maps with current ones reveals hints of the past. Cipinang Muara was once the Tjipinangmoeara estate.
Cipinang Besar Selatan and Utara were once Tjipinang Besar and Tjipinang Vrededal. Cipinang Cempedak remains similar to the old Tjipinangtjempedak estate. Kampung Melayu and Rawa Bunga once had “Tjipinang” in their names. The city removed it when they became kelurahan.
Cipinang Melayu is the same as the old Tjipinangmelajoe estate. Today, Cipinang Melayu stretches to the Duren Sawit District in the north. Cipinang Melayu started as part of Jatiwaringin Village. It belonged to Bekasi Regency. In 1974, Jakarta expanded. It incorporated northern Jatiwaringin. This area became Cipinang Melayu.
So, as you stand here in Cipinang Melayu, remember its history. From a riverbank with betel palms to a bustling urban village, Cipinang Melayu has transformed. It is a place where water, trees, and people have shaped its identity.