by Roderick C. Wahr
This article was originally published in Dutch; due to heavy interest in its topic, the author has provided an English translation.
Before I get into my opinion and thoughts on the Njai, I’d like to share a little bit about myself and my own origins, as that context is important.
I was born on January 5th, 1942, in Sumbawa Besar, a town on the island of Sumbawa, which is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands in eastern Indonesia. My father was a Swiss-Manadonese man who held British nationality, since he had been born in Hong Kong. My mother was an indigenous Minahasan woman from Amoerang, where her father had been Hukum Besar, or the Head of District. I share these details to explain my origins and deep-rooted connection to the East Indies. The Manadonese, my father’s people, are from Minahasa, North Celebes. We lived mainly in the eastern part of today’s Indonesia, on the islands of North and South Celebes, Timor, and Bali.
Editor’s note: The Minahasans, also known as Minahassa or the Manado people, are an indigenous ethnic group from the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia. North Sulawesi was formerly known as North Celebes as part of the Dutch East Indies.
What is a Njai?
The term njai originates in the Dutch East Indies, and derives from the Malay/Javanese word nyai, which means “housekeeper.” In the Dutch East Indies, it was used as a title. Among natives, a nyai is the concubine of a foreigner – specifically, a western foreigner. Nyai can also refer to an elderly woman, a derivation of kyai, which means “lord” or “teacher.”
In the Dutch East Indies, the word Muntji was sometimes used in place of njai, especially amongst the military. Muntji derives from the Malay word Munci, which means “whore” or “prostitute.” In the eyes of natives, any woman living unmarried with a foreigner was a muntji.
Origins of the Njai
Now, I’d like to get into my view on the origins of Njai since the arrival and settlement of the Dutch in the former Nusantara, the island kingdom that would become the Dutch East Indies, before finally becoming Indonesia.
Editor’s note: Nusantara derives from the Old Javanese words for outer islands (nūsa, meaning “island”, and antara, meaning “between”). “Nūsa-antara” appears in the 14th century Old Javanese manuscripts Pararaton and Nagarakretagama. In 1920, Nusantara was proposed as a new name for the country.
The arrival of the Dutch in 1596 triggered a lot of lasting changes. The Dutch came for one purpose only – control of the spice trade. Jan Pietersz Coen eventually gained control of the spice trade, after subduing the Moluccas and massacring the people of Banda. Batavia flourished because it was the repository of all goods, before they were shipped to faraway Europe.
The practical-minded Dutch excelled at trade. All their actions were geared towards earning money through trade, with spice trade being paramount. To achieve this, they set up a complex infrastructure to connect the islands. Ports were built on the larger islands to support the shipment of goods to Batavia. Roads and bridges were built on islands to transport goods from the interior to those ports.
To execute this infrastructure, they needed people. Over the years, more and more people were recruited from the Netherlands – traders, civil engineers, adventurers, and fortune-seekers came to the East Indies in ever increasing numbers. The vast majority were single men (and the occasional woman), who settled here for several years, some even permanently.
The Guling
In the beginning, these single men had no entertainment outside their work, so they turned to the bottle for solace. The following popular song arose amongst the natives: “Hujan datang, kambing lari / Belanda mabok sepuluh hari…” Its translation is: “When it rains, the goats flee / the Dutchman is then drunk for ten days…”
But even with the distraction of alcohol, many men still felt lonely at night. They missed having a companion, someone to hold at night. Thus came the rolling pillow, an elongated round cushion which you could wrap your arms and legs around while sleeping. It was called the guling, its name derived from the Malay word for “rolling.” This guling is so associated with the Dutch that the English nicknamed it “the Dutch wife”.
The East Indies Woman
Some time ago, I translated Beschryving van Batavia met des zelfs Kasteel, a booklet published in 1741, into modern Dutch, English and Indonesian. Outside of detailed descriptions of buildings within the Castle of Batavia, the booklet contained stories about the haughtiness of the East Indies women, the arrival of adventurers of fortune-seekers of the time, and the mass murder of the Chinese population in 1740 (an estimated death count of 10,000).
For those interested, I have uploaded my three translations, as well as the original text, to Facebook:
The Javanese Caste System
At that time, legal marriage of a westerner to a native was unthinkable, even forbidden initially. Besides, women from the West usually already had a spouse with whom they had come to the East. The bachelor foreigners, however, liked to have a steady female partner, and thus entered into relationships with their female servants, their housekeepers. These housekeepers were initially slaves that people acquired to do the household chores. Companionship became an additional task.
In Java, a caste system existed from earlier times. It likely originated during the migrations of Hindustanis from India, long before Nusantara was discovered by the Portuguese and the Spanish, possibly even before Hayam Wuruk, the king of the Javanese-Hindu-Buddhist kingdom of Majapahit. This caste system is still present in modern Indonesia, mainly in East Java (Yogyakarta and Surakarta specifically).
The Javanese caste system has two layers in the population. The higher caste own land and retain power; the lower caste serve the higher caste. This separation even extends into the language; the higher caste knows Highborn Javanese, and the lower caste knows Lowborn Javanese. The social distinction is abundantly clear; different languages for different people.
The slaves known in Batavia were from the lower caste and also often came from the smaller Sunda islands to the east. [correction 1]
Mardijkers
Later, these slaves became Mardijkers, or freed slaves. The term Mardijker is derived from the Portuguese word mardicas, which derives from the Sanskrit maharddhika, meaning “very rich, prosperous or powerful.” At that time in Java, a Mardijker meant a free man, and it is from that word that Merdeka would be derived, after Indonesian independence, evolving to mean not just free, but independent as well. The Mardijkers in Java were mainly Christian slaves, and their descendents. In modern Indonesia, the term preman, derived from the Dutch vrij man, is used, though it carries a negative connotation that the person is rough and uncivilized.
So the Dutch in Java kept housekeepers with whom they lived in concubinage, and the rest of the population turned a blind eye to it, because of the prevailing caste system. The lower caste was meant to serve the higher caste; there was nothing to do about it. If you were born for a dime, you will never become a quarter.
Unfortunately, it was often the case that these Dutch men returned to their homeland, leaving behind the njai and their children, under the guise of “whoever gets the baby can keep it.”
The Dutch soldier stationed in the East Indies is the typical bachelor who also “took” a njai.
The Njai, Not in All of the Dutch East Indies
I’d like to emphasize that njais, as we have come to understand them in this article, only occurred in Java, because its prevailing caste systems created the necessary conditions for it to happen. The term njai is typically Javanese, and there were no njais on other islands in the Dutch East Indies. As someone who has traveled most of the islands in Indonesia, I have not come across this term anywhere else.
The Minahasa
The Minahasan are predominantly Christian, with most of the population having been baptized. They were an independent people from early on, and the Minahasan region experienced a completely different form of growth and development compared to other parts of Indonesia. For example, they never had a king or sultan.
The Minahasan originate from a large group of small, independent settlements that banded together around the 7th century, forming internal alliances and vowing to support each other against outside forces. This alliance was called Mina Esa, which translates to “one from many, unity for diversity,” and evolved to be the name of the region (Minahasa).
In Minahasa, there were no slaves and everyone was independent. Most wives were against keeping housekeepers, as they would only tempt their husbands. The influence of the Portuguese, German, and Dutch Christian clergy discouraged concubinage, and there is no evidence it ever occurred there.
Reflection on Legacy and Cultural Impact
The legacy of the njai offers a powerful lens through which we can examine the cultural, social, and personal impacts of colonial rule in the Dutch East Indies. While often marginalized in their own time, the experiences of these women underscore the complexities of identity, resilience, and adaptation within a colonial society. Understanding their stories deepens our awareness of how colonialism shaped, and sometimes fractured, the lives of indigenous communities, leaving a lasting imprint on Indonesia’s cultural and historical landscape.
About the Author
Born in Indonesia in 1942, Roderick has lived in the Netherlands, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom and is currently based in the Netherlands. As an ICT and Multimedia Consultant, he has created several multilingual websites in Dutch, English, and Indonesian. One notable project is a site dedicated to the Minahasa region, where his parents are from, sharing its history, culture, and people. Additionally, he runs a website, www.wahrweb.org, that curates Indonesian and Indo culture music. Roderick is gradually documenting his family’s biography, starting in Dutch and translating it into English and Indonesian. Readers can explore stories of his family, including his father’s descent and the beginning of his father’s youth on his website. He also shares old family photographs from 1910 onwards on his Facebook page. A chronological picture album is also in progress to complement these biographies, with additional content available in Dutch here.
The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of the information and content of this article.
Corrections:
Thanks for your work. My four grandparents emigrated to the US from the region around the city of Groningen, and nearly all their progenitors whom I can identify came from that general region, with some from Friesland. Yet my results from Living DNA show that I have an unusually high component of Denisovan (99th percentile among Living DNA users, presumably most of European background). The only way I can account for this is to suppose that one or more of my distant male ancestors was associated with the Dutch East India Company and, while somewhere in Oceania, where Denisovan genetic presence is highest, took as “housekeeper” an indigenous woman and had one or more children with her that he brought back to the Netherlands where they joined my line of descent.
I’m aware, though, that few of these children were claimed by their father. Do you know of any narratives or records that would indicate the numbers or identities of those who did return? I would like to get closer to and honor this ancient mother.
Incidentally, if you know of Indos who have had their DNA checked for Denisovan component, I’m curious to know whether a high level is a consistent theme.
Thank you.
Thank you. There is so much to learn, consider and know about the 300 years of Dutch ruled Indonesia. My family immigrated to the US from Nederland in 1960. My education about the place of my birth are from books, memories and stories from my mother mostly and some family members. Most of my paternal family members live in the US; maternal family live in Nederland and one first cousin in Jakarta. Fairly typical of Indo European descendants I think. Most of the books were written by Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Being raised & educated in Colorado until going to school in California for a JD – Asian history studies were not offered, let alone Indonesia History. Any history books in English that you recommend ? Thank you.
Hello Margie, Books, specifically about the history of Indonesia, Java and other islands, I have about 2 dozen titles, mostly in Dutch and about 2 or 3 in Indonesian. The most complete (excluding encyclopedia’s) is:
“De Geschiedenis van Nederlands Indië” (6 volumes at 400 pages each) praehistory – 1940s. It is a formal language document, available in pdf format.
I can also recommend “Indonesian Heritage”, a pictorial collection, published by Groiler, of 10 volumes (approx. 150 pages each). This is a beautiful collection of books, which I bought when I was still working for the Indonesian government in Indonesia from 1987-2003. The first 3 books are about Ancient History, the Human Environment and Early Modern History. You may try to obtain them by searching through Google, but they are hard to find, and expensive.
Of course I have many, many more titles, but most are about culture, medicine, the various islands, architecture, the languages, etc. Many mostly in Dutch, from approx. the 17th century, which I do not recommend, as they are a pain to read in the original formats.
But, if you have trouble finding any, leave me a message at my FB site at: https://www.facebook.com/roderick.wahr/ . I’ll make sure you will get a pdf version which you can download via one of my sites or via wetransfer.com . The Groiler collection unfortunately I have only the original books. Best regards and thank you for appreciating the read.
Good Morning Roderick. Thank you for the information.
I will do some research. Please confirm that there currently are no history books about Indonesia and Indonesian history in English.
I can read Dutch at grade school level and could use an English Dutch dictionary – although it would be more challenging. Thank you.
Hi Margie, good morning! Could you tell me what you are precisely looking for? Trying to find your family roots or particular aspects of culture, art, or lifestyles of certain communities, certain specific events in history timeline etc. Which area of the Indies, particular islands or island groups etc.
If you can give me a direction of the information you’re looking for, then I can perhaps give you better advice.
To help you with translations from Dutch to English or any other language, I would suggest translation software (free). The best I have found to date is https://www.deepl.com/en/translator . You can copy text into it and the software does the rest. For professional use (not free of charge) you can feed whole books into the translator and it will deliver.
I have yet not found the need to search for specific English language literature with regard to History of the Dutch East Indies, and have found mostly articles or subjects regarding specific parts, not much meaningfully covering general history of the Dutch East Indies in depth. Of course the English had only limited involvement in the DEI. This, contrary to the Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese. The Dutch have a very large library on the subject.
Let me know what you’re think. Best regards!
Hi Margie,
We have compiled a book list on Good Reads that should help you discover the history of the Dutch East Indies and Indonesia:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/194809.Dutch_East_Indies_and_Indo_History_Culture (it is linked on our Indo Knowledge Library:
https://theindoproject.org/indo-knowledge-library/
Hello and Happy New Year / Gelukkige nieuwjaar allemaal !
Thank you for the email and reference.
I would like to make a comment about the last paragraph in the story, “About the Author”. I had started my website Wahrweb in 2003, after I had retired. It covered general stories about Indonesia and the Minahasa, and it had over 1000 songs, the majority of which were traditional Indonesian songs like Keroncong music, as well as predominantly older western song from the 30′-60’s. Anyway, the website was very popular and very often frequented bij people with a Eurasian, Indo or Indonesian background. Very often it would be referenced by many Dutch, English and Indonesian Wikipedia resources (even today). Unfortunately I had to close down the website a few years ago, because I found it harder, as age progressed, to maintain it. So it only cost me financial resources, since I never used any advertising.
I discovered that some advertising bureau took over the website’s name because of the high frequencies it was visited. Sorry about that!
Should you wish to know more about my background, please see:
English language: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936811067882676
Dutch language: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1087833799192466
Bhs Indonesia: https://www.facebook.com/groups/766809391717801
On these sites I publish my biographs and other history articles etc. about the Dutch-East Indies and Indonesia.
I’m curious about the literary or storytelling resources you use. What resources or foundations do you rely on for your writing?
I speak and write 3 languages fluently: Dutch, Indonesian and English. So, I have access to a lot of sources on the internet, besides books I have collected over the years. I possess a large number of Dutch language literature (over 500 books about Indonesian history and it’s culture), mainly collected from delpher.nl, as well as a number of universities in Holland (I live in Amsterdam). For the past 17 years I have been retired as a consultant in ICT, so I have had lots of time on my hands to do research on the subject of history, culture and life style in the Dutch-East Indies. From my early youth I have been told about the culture and life style in Indonesia, by my mother, who was an educated lady from the Minahasa (N.-Celebes – Sulawesi). In the Minahasa the saying “Si Tou Timou Tumou Tou” (mankind lives to educate others) is an important part of life. My mother was the daughter of the Hukum Besar (district head) of Amurang, the largest district in the Minahasa. She managed to teach me how to read fluently from the age of 5, and was the source of my hunger for books and knowledge. You can read a little about my family background at one of my FB sites at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936811067882676/posts/936835737880209/
I try to keep my stories light, not scientifically formal, while trying to back it up with facts.
Sorry, Roderick, but your article is pure fiction. Please do better research, as this is beyond ridiculous.
First, the Mardijkers were not from the Lesser Sunda Islands, nor were they Javanese. They were brought to Batavia and even the Moluccas from Melaka after the Portuguese defeat during the Dutch-Johor alliance and the siege of Melaka in 1641.
The rest of your article is too full of misinformation to take seriously.
I urge both you, your audience and the Indo Project to do better research.
This is about more than your personal family history—it concerns the wider Dutch Indo diaspora.
Spreading misinformation and logical fallacies does nothing to improve our understanding of history.
Well now, X! That was quite a comment! I hope it brought relief to your pent up emotions.
Perhaps I should explain how such an article comes to pass. The article is of course to fit in a constrained space. The one I sent in was edited by The Indo Project to fit the requirements of the magazine. So, the wordings and sentences were edited, unfortunately not always in context. Mistakes can be made. Also, not everyone reads the same way, namely “while understanding”.
But, clever you, you noticed!
“The slaves in Batavia were from lower caste, and often (not always!) from the Lesser Sunda Islands, the same region my mother is from.” (But of course you already noticed something is missing… The Minahasa is not the region of the Lesser Sunda Islands! I can imagine you thinking – “you’re fired”)
In my original script I of course did not write that, because I am educated too!
Anyway here’s what I think of your comments: “your article is pure fiction” “do better research” “beyond ridiculous” “article is full of misinformation” (no specifics).
And then the inflammatory language to my “audience and the Indo Project” to agree with you!! A Trumpian quote worthy! Something must be itching badly…
The accusation of “Spreading misinfiormation and logical fallacies”! Wow, you made sure that everyone will agree that the article is not even fit for the furnace to disperse some warmth in winter….
Well, you did not really expect an answer from me, did you? Where I come from grown ups strike a different tone. Generally I am always ready to learn from mistakes, after all, researching means “constant education”. Ofcourse I understand that in today’s Socmed, for youngsters, it is fashionable to rant anonymously, but I’m still oldfashioned (made in Dutch East Indies). I leave rants to the Trumps of the world.
Just a link: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardijkers , to further your education.
Pardon?
I’m not a Colonial settler from Trump country, like yourself.
Talk about a RANT.
All that because you felt “Op je pik getrapt” after I made some critical comments on your article.
Do us a favour and educate yourself before writing nonsense about the collective history of Dutch Indo people.
Roddy mate, it appears the only thing you’re truly an expert at is making logical fallacies and spreading misinformation.
Your idiotic Nyai story isn’t exactly original either, just a knockoff from that other EMO-damaged Indo figure, Reggy Baay. I hope both of you get the attention you’re so desperately craving..
Thank you. Neeeeeext.
Thanks for your appreciation. It is nice to know that I’ve been a little helpful. If I can be of any further assistance in your ‘piecing together’ any loose ends, please let me know.
fascinating and so helpfull. I was born in indonesia…..surrvived a japanese concentrarion camp and now as an old woman try to put all the confusing pieces of my past together.
thank you for your article.i NEED to KNOW!!!!
Bedo
Thanks for your appreciation. It is nice to know that I’ve been a little helpful. If I can be of any further assistance in your ‘piecing together’ any loose ends, please let me know.
Hi Bedo,
If you want to share your story, please send it to us at stories@theindoproject.org. That way you can help others piece their life-puzzle together.