FROM MINING REPUBLIC TO COLONIAL DISTRICT: THE POST COMPANY WAR TRANSFORMATION OF MONTERADO 1850-1879

Dari Republik Tambang Ke Distrik Kolonial: Transformasi Monterado Pasca-Perang Kongsi 1850-1879

Authors

  • Hendar Prayoga Universitas Tanjungpura
  • Andang Firmansyah
  • Mohammad Rikaz Prabowo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36526/santhet.v10i2.7727

Keywords:

Monterado, mining kongsi, Dutch colonialism, migration, institutional transformation

Abstract

This study examines the transformation of Monterado, Bengkayang Regency, from a gold mining center managed under the kongsi system to a Dutch colonial administrative region during the period 1850–1879. While previous research has touched on this aspect, there is a historiographical gap regarding an in-depth analysis of the drastic transition from a consensus-based governance system to a hierarchical colonial bureaucracy, and the impact of this transformation until the late 1870s. Using historiographical methods through economic, political, and sociological approaches, this study analyzes the dynamics of the collapse of the gold kongsi and its impact on the socio-economic structure of the community. The findings indicate that internal conflicts between kongsi due to the depletion of gold reserves, Dutch military intervention through the Kongsi War (1850–1854), and the formal dissolution policy in 1854 were the main factors behind the collapse of the kongsi system. The dissolution triggered a mass migration of approximately 4,000 refugees to Sarawak and thousands more to coastal areas of West Kalimantan. This transformation ended the democratic kongsi government that had existed since 1776 and replaced it with a hierarchical colonial bureaucracy, placing the assistant resident as the highest authority. The main contribution of this research is to fill the narrative gap regarding the process of social disintegration and demographic reorganization, and to explain the roots of the formation of a hybrid Chinese-Malay identity in the coastal region by tracing three waves of post-war migration. These fundamental changes not only reshaped the political landscape but also created economic decline and structural dependence on the colonial government with long-term consequences.

References

Cardoso, F. H., & Faletto, E. (2024). Dependency and Development in Latin America. University of California Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.13083432

Castles, Stephen., Haas, H. de., & Miller, M. J. (2014). The age of migration: international population movements in the modern world (5th ed.). Guilford Press.

Elvira Aprilia, U., Dwi Harnum, S., & Liya. (2023). Perang Kongsi di Kota Tambang Emas Kalimantan Barat Pada Abad Ke 19. https://doi.org/10.26418/jdn.v1i3.72098

G. B. Hooyer. (1896). De Krijgsgeschiedenis Van Nedeklandsch-Indië Van 1811 Tot 1894 (2nd ed.).

Gottschalk, L. R. (1969). Understanding History; A Primer Of Historical Method. Alfred A. Knopf. Hartini, S., Buwono, S., Wiyono, H., Aminuyati, A., & Atmaja, T. S. (2022). Interaksi Sosial Etnis

Tionghoa dan Etnis Melayu di Kelurahan Sungai Bulan Singkawang Utara. Jurnal Pendidikan Sosiologi Dan Humaniora, 13(2), 643. https://doi.org/10.26418/j- psh.v13i2.57295

Heidhues, S. M. (2008). Penambang Emas, Petani, dan Pedagang di “Distrik Tionghoa” Kalimantan Barat (S. Mihardja, Ed.). Yayasan Nabil.

Kartodirdjo, S. (1992). Pendekatan Ilmu Sosial Dalam Metodologi Sejarah (S. Pusposaputro, Ed.). Gramedia Pustaka Utama.

Kuntowijoyo. (2003). Metodologi Sejarah (M. Yahya, Rosidik, Ramyari, & W. Ong, Eds.; 2nd ed.). PT. Tiara Wacana Yogya.

Madya, S. (2011). Teori dan Praktik Penelitian Tindakan (Action Research). Bandung: Alfabeta.

Munandar, A. (2020). Pengaruh Candu Terhadap Aspek Sosial-Budaya dan Ekonomi Etnis Tionghoa di Sambas Tahun 1909-1942.

Osterhammel, J. (2005). Colonialism: a theoretical overview. Markus Wiener Publishers.

Rahmayani, A. (2015). Montrado 1818-1858: Dinamika Kota Tambang Emas.

Reid, Anthony. (2015). A history of Southeast Asia: critical crossroads.

Wiley Blackwell. Rivai, M. (2000). Pecahnya Perang Monterado (Nanang, Ed.). Romeo Grafika.

Schaank. (2015). Kongsi-Kongsi Di Montrado (Supradah Sigit & Setyoseno Bimo, Eds.; OFM. C. P.Yeri, Tran.; 1st ed., Vol. 1). Pohon Cahaya.

Van Rees. (2016). Montrado (S. Supradah & M. Krismi, Eds.; 1st ed.). Pohon Cahaya.

Veth. (2017). Borneo Bagian Barat (OFM. C. P. Yeri & R. Fransiskus, Eds.). Institut Dayakologi.

Yogi, P. P. B. I. (2016). Lanskap Pertambangan Penambang Tiongkok Di Montrado, Kalimantan Barat: Pendekatan Arkeologi Sejarah.

Downloads

Published

2026-04-30

How to Cite

Prayoga, H., Andang Firmansyah, & Mohammad Rikaz Prabowo. (2026). FROM MINING REPUBLIC TO COLONIAL DISTRICT: THE POST COMPANY WAR TRANSFORMATION OF MONTERADO 1850-1879: Dari Republik Tambang Ke Distrik Kolonial: Transformasi Monterado Pasca-Perang Kongsi 1850-1879. Santhet (Jurnal Sejarah Pendidikan Dan Humaniora), 10(2), 670–677. https://doi.org/10.36526/santhet.v10i2.7727