SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Banjarmasin was one of the chief sources of pepper in South East Asia during the period 1700-1747. The need for this commodity attracted the English, Dutch, Chinese and Indonesian merchants to the area. This study, therefore, is not only concerned with the development of Banjarmasin as a commercial mart but also with the activities of the traders, particularly the Europeans in the region, and the response of the local rulers to their coming. Since the commercial policy of the rulers was shaped to a large extent by political forces, special attention is paid to the role of the Bugis in local politics and an attempt is made to examine the effect of their intervention in the Civil War of the 1710's on the pepper economy. In tracing the course of English and Dutch activities, stress is laid on the strategic and political considerations which besides the commercial ones, led the Europeans to enter the area. This study also presents a detailed narration of the mechanics of trade in the port. In this connection, particular reference is made to the important part played by the Chinese merchants, and finally, the commercial and political activities of the aboriginal tribes, the Biajus, and the repercussions of Banjarese rule over these people.