mr contrast agents act principally through changing

The writer has illustrated and completed the contents of these documents from the oral tradition of the Achehnese. They contain decrees having the force of law and are ascribed to Sultans Meukuta Alam or Iskandar Muda (1607–1636) and to Shamsulalam, who reigned for a period of one month only (1726–27) according to the Achehnese chronicles. He takes as his chief sources of information one or two manuscript documents, known in Acheh under the name of sarakata. Van Langen in his essay on the system of government in Acheh under the Sultanate. Significance of the manuscript documents respecting the institutions of the country.Our purpose differs from that aimed at by Mr.

In the present chapter we propose to give a review of the distribution of population, the government and administration of justice as they existed before the Achehnese war introduced an element of confusion.Īs a matter of fact, however, the disorder thus created has left the main features untouched and anyone who has some knowledge of the public institutions of other kindred nations will if he follow our description be brought to the conclusion that these institutions in Acheh are in a large measure genuinely indigenous and of very great antiquity. 60 et seq., where the principal historical traditions are set forth in detail. As regards history, then, we limit ourselves to what our discussion of existing institutions brings to light en passant and for further information refer our readers to Prof. As the present has ever its roots in the past, a retrospective glance over the earlier history of Acheh might be of great service to us in this enquiry were it not that, for the reasons just stated, this history is to a great extent wrapped in obscurity. Our present purpose is to describe how the Achehnese live and how they are governed, what they think and what they believe. They are but collections of fabulous genealogies, legends and tales dressed up to suit the author’s fancy, which must be subjected to a careful process of filtration before they can be brought into unison with more solid materials. Malayan chronicles and the native oral tradition, though furnishing us with much of interest as regards the methods of thought of the writers and their coëvals, cannot be relied on as the groundwork of history. European sources of information, such as accounts of travels and extracts from old archives, can only furnish us with very fragmentary materials yet it is to these that we should have to look for the basis of such a work. History of Acheh.The history of this “triangular kingdom” and of the coast-states and islands which constituted its dependencies remains yet to be written. the three angles of Acheh, and the three ulèëbalangs or chieftains who stand or are supposed to stand at the head of these three districts, are called panglima sagòë, or heads of sagi or angles. A comparison with the three angles of a triangle has still more deeply engrafted itself into the language these three confederations or congeries of mukims are called the thèë sagòë (Mal. Proceeding down stream, we have the territory of the XXV Mukims on the left and that of the XXVI Mukims on the right, the intervening space up to the broad belt of outlying country being occupied by the XXII Mukims. The debouchement of the Acheh river ( kuala Acheh) suggests to their fancy the somewhat sharply pointed mouth of the winnower, whence all unclean particles adhering to the husked rice are shaken out. THE ACHEHNESE COMPARE THE FORM OF TRUE ACHEH TO THIS.

Mr contrast agents act principally through changing