As she already wrote in her blog, Ren嶪 totally surprised me with a copy of e Atlas van Tropisch Nederland?(Atlas of Tropical Netherlands, facsimile of the original 1938 edition). She really got herself an excellent deal on a book that Ie been looking for for almost a quarter of a century! It doesn matter if it an original or facsimile edition; both versions are equally rare, and is considered an incredible find by aficionados of rare books and prints, especially if youe one of those nerds who into maps and atlases like me.
So what so special about this particular atlas? First of all, to me its title alone is THE MOST politically incorrect statement Dutchies have ever put into print. To refer to the vast, pre-war Dutch colonial empire as if they were mere overseas provinces, is akin to adding a footnote in a British history textbook casually referring to the US as ome former territory of the British Realm?
This atlas charts the colonial history of the Netherlands in incredible detail. During the so-called Golden Age of the Netherlands (17th century), our humble, calvinist little nation not only brought forth painters like Rembrandt and Vermeer, and gave shelter to thinkers like Descartes and Spinoza. It also expanded its territory through the ruthless exploits of the infamous Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (abbrev. V.O.C. ?United East-Indian Company).
The V.O.C. started out as a trading company, backed by the then Dutch national authorities. Its ships sailed around the world in search of exotic and precious goods and spices. You can still trace the maritime routes of the V.O.C. through anomalous cultural phenomena. The South-African language for instance, is a variant of Dutch. This is hardly surprising, since South-Africa was an important stop on the way to the ast-Indies? or the Far East as we call it today. The first white South-African settlements were made by Dutch farmers who travelled along on V.O.C. ships and took advantage of the fertile soil, and effectively started what was later to become the South-African apartheid regime. Even today, Dutch and South-African people can communicate without too much difficulty, each using their own language. Another stop was Sri Lanka, or Ceylon as it was called back then. The Dutch took over from the Portuguese and some of them settled in the coastal areas. Some of the older buildings as well as part of the Sri Lankan vocabulary still echo our former presence.
Although the V.O.C. was primarily a trading company, it had an almost military hierarchy, and its merchant fleet was heavily armed. This brutal show of force and the ruthless methods of our forefathers resulted in one of the largest colonial empires in modern history. By 1900, The Netherlands possessed the whole of modern Indonesia, Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles, with an area covering more than fifty times the size of the Netherlands itself. Countless millions of people of all races on either side of the planet spoke Dutch, gathered under the Dutch flag and sang the Dutch national anthem, paid taxes to Dutch government officials, and answered to Dutch laws. And were ruled by one and same monarch.
In the wake of the 2nd World War, Indonesian separatists fought a bitter war against Dutch marines and in 1948 the Netherlands granted independence to what is now the Indonesian Republic. Surinam followed, but it was not until 1975 that The Netherlands granted this South American republic full independence. The Netherlands Antilles still form part of the kingdom until this very day, although the various islands that make up the Antilles have been given various degrees of self-governance. And although the Dutch Ministry of Colonies closed its doors in 1949, our equivalent of the State Department or the UK Home Office, is still called Ministry of the Interior and Relations of the Realm.
And what did the Dutch do during four centuries worth of colonialism? Like any other western imperialist power (in the historical rather the lobal activist?sense of the word), they imposed their values upon the native population, and plundered the economic resources of an already poor population. To add insult to injury, the Dutch were better than most when it came to maximizing the profits that came from their colonies.
For history buffs like me, the tlas van Tropisch Nederland?is so much more than just a beautifully made atlas, it the document that visually leads you through some of the darkest chapters of our past.
(l.) Aceh, Indonesia, (r.) map detail (click to enlarge)
But not all facts associated with this atlas have been stained by unbridled colonialism and harrowing tales of exploitation. Cartography has always been important to a seafaring nation like ours, and the resulting high level of Dutch map-making expertise is reflected throughout this atlas. According to some, its detailed maps, the accurate scientific data and surveying techniques still make it the best geographic source of information on Indonesia and Surinam. For that reason, some of the silk escape maps of the Pacific theatre worn by US World War II pilots simply were unaltered reprints of the maps in this atlas, complete with commentary and legends in Dutch. And it also safe to assume that the maps used to coordinate help in the Aceh (spelled Atjeh in Dutch) area which was struck hardest by the last year tsunami, are direct descendants, if not reprints, from those included in this atlas.
Ren嶪, I love you for putting up with so much of my nerdiness. Thanks again.
Recent Comments