Mara

Sulbarkita.com — The struggle against Dutch colonialism has also colored the long history of West Sulawesi. This struggle began in the days of the kingdom, when the Dutch wanted to put a grip on their power in monopolizing the spice trade that was there.

One that is quite famous is the struggle of Mara'dia Balanipa named Tokape, whose historical traces have been recorded since the 1860s or about 160 years ago. Because he did not want to submit to the Dutch, he had to be exiled to Pacitan, East Java, until the end of his life.

However, Tokape was a figure recognized for his resistance by the Dutch. In Political Contestation: Political Elite Contestation Of Balanipa Kingdom And Netherland Colonial Government In 1870-1905 by Abd. Karim, Governor of Celebes J.L.Couvreur said that the resistance led by Tokepe was the 5th biggest resistance of the Mandar people to the Dutch (2017: 7).

On this 17 August moment, Sulbarkita.com is trying to re-explore the fragments of his origin to his struggle against the invaders, through literature review of various research results at home and abroad.

In the Mandar language, Kape means paralyzed hand. However, it needs more in-depth research whether the name describes the condition of the body of Mara'dia Tokape or just a title. To be sure, Mara'dia Tokape is called the 46th king of Balanipa (Karim, 2017: 6).

In a study entitled The Mandar Conflict with the Netherlands In 1862 by Muhammad Amir, Tokape is called the brother of Mara'dia Matoa named Tokeppa alias Baso Saunang. They are the children of Mara'dia Balanipa Ammana I Yangge Tomatindo Di Lekopadis (2017: 244).

Tokape initially served as the commander of the Balanipa war or called Mara'dia Malolo, under the rule of Mara'dia Ammana Ibali. It was Ammana Ibali who succeeded Tokape's father as king because the royal leader died in 1851. Ammana Ibali himself was Amanaa I Yangge's brother. So that Tokape and Ibali have blood relations as nephews and uncles.

Around 1861, Tokape was later shifted to become Mara'dia Matoa replacing Tokeppa, his brother, who was fired by Ammana Ibali because he was considered insubordinate (Muhammad Amir, 2017: 244). According to the Chairman of the Indonesian Historian Society (MSI) West Sulawesi (Sulbar) Darmansyah, in Enchantment of Cakkuriri is Not a Traditional Ritual, Mara'dia Matoa is a position equivalent to the coordinating office for Government Affairs inside and outside the Royal Palace (Mandarnesia.com, 2017).

The appointment of Tokape as Mara'dia Matoa was inseparable from Ammana Ibali's hope that government affairs would run smoothly again after being colored by political conflicts when Tokeppa held him. This was because Tokeppa was not happy with Ammana Ibali's alliance with the Dutch. Moreover, Ibali signed a political contract that was detrimental to Balanipa because it contained a trade monopoly by the Dutch. So that Tokeppa often tried to coup his uncle from the throne of the king.

But hope is just hope. Equivalent to Tokeppa, Mara'dia Matoa Tokape also secretly supported the resistance against Mara'dia Ammana Ibali and the Netherlands (Muhammad Amir, 2017: 244). The thesis entitled Perjuangan Rakyat Mandar to Defend Indonesian Independence 1945-1950 by Marsupian mentions Tokape's resistance peaked in 1870 when I Mandawari ascended the throne to become Mara'dia Balanipa replacing Ammana Ibali (2017: 27).

I Mandawari in the head of the Mandar Pirates in the Celebes Sea and the Dutch Colonial Reaction in the 19th Century by Ali Ismail was called the biological son of Mara'dia Ammana Ibali and was the brother of Mara'dia Majene Mararabali (2014: 348). This means that I Mandawari is Tokape's cousin.

The resistance of Mara'dia Matoa Tokape got a breath of fresh air because I Mandawari was not very well liked by the Balanipa Kingdom because he followed in his father's footsteps in supporting the Dutch government. He is also said to be fond of condensing opium, so that government affairs are neglected (Marsupian, 2017: 27). So that finally Tokape succeeded in overthrowing the power of I Mandawari in 1872 and then seizing the throne of the kingdom.

News of the overthrow of I Mandawari reached Governor Celebes J.L. Couvreur. The Netherlands is getting hotter because Tokape in leading the Balanipa Kingdom ignored the political contract with the Netherlands. One of them was by refusing to sell agricultural products in the form of copra and silk from the Mandar people to the Netherlands.

Tokape instead chose to ally with traders from Makassar, Surabaya, and Tumasik (Singapore) (Kumparan.com, 2020). Even in Adi Arwan Alimin's writing entitled Di Pacitan, Tokape with the title Ki Ahmad Yahya Tokape dared to send 50 tons of copra and 5000 silk sarongs with the Balanipa royal stamp to Tumasik (Jurnalwarga.net, 2020).

However, the Balanipa Kingdom under Tokape's control is said to be safe and prosperous. Even in a lontaraq it was noted that under the leadership of Raja Balanipa Tokape there would be no theft in Balanipa, even though the house door was not closed (Abd. Karim, 2018: 6).

The piracy incident also became more violent in the Mandar Sea against merchants who were allied with the Dutch. So that the Governor of Celebes then gave a warning to Tokape by letter (Muhammad Amir, 2017: 245). However, Tokape ignored this.

In November 1867, Governor Celebes sent a fleet of Dutch troops to Balanipa. The fleet was led by Lieutenant Colonel van Daalen (Muhammad Amir, 2017: 245). He was known as a Dutch commander who was quite cruel and often led troops to overcome resistance in the country. He was also involved in the Aceh War which killed 2,902 people in June 1904 (Tirto.id, 2018).

In a lontaraq, it is described how the Dutch army surrounded the Kingdom of Balanipa by anchoring its three warships in a number of ports close to access to the Kingdom. Here's the excerpt:
"A ship docked in Ba'bana, one in the direction of Marica, and one in the direction of Manjopai '. Early in the morning boarded a boat to Mara'dia, got off with a rifle. Then they returned to the ship, asked for thousands of money, after sufficient money was delivered by Hamang's grandmother to the ship. Crowded with large canoes loaded with ringgit and rupiah money. Before Hamang's grandmother got to the ship, he was ordered by Putang. As soon as Hamang's grandmother returned, cannon fire boomed. The Tannga-Tannga fled to Lambanan. The next day Balanipa burned. Plumes of smoke in Tannga-tannga, Manjopai ', Karama, Lambe and Da'ala. Pambusuang was not burned because it raised a white flag. After shooting and burning all of Manjopai 'to Parang, they headed to Banggae, Mara'dia Banggae fled to Pua'abang. Said Mara'dra Banggae "I hope I don't meet the Dutch". The palace was empty and immediately burned. Only the mara'dia palace was burned "(Ismail Ali, 2014: 349).

However, this does not mean that Tokape will immediately give up. He put up a fierce resistance which was quite troublesome for the Dutch. One of them was blocking the Dutch using allied royal troops from Karaeng Bonto-Bonto in Segeri, Pangkep and the Kingdom of Sidenreng.

When the Dutch ships managed to moor at the port of the Balanipa Kingdom, Mara'dia Tokape also deployed troops equipped with rifles to return fire along the Balanipa Coast. However, due to a lack of adequate weapons, Mara'dia Tokape and his troops retreated to the hinterland of Allu and Taramanu.

Although they managed to take control of Balanipa, the Dutch army did not find Mara'dia Tokape. It was only in the middle of 1873 that Mara'dia Tokape was finally captured and then exiled to Pacitan, East Java. That's where he lives the rest of his life (Marsupian, 2017: 27).

According to Adi Arwan Alimin, Tokape then joined the Pajajaran Kingdom which was marked by his marriage to a daughter of a Pajajaran noble named Raden Ayu Ningsih. Tokape also has a new title in Pajajaran, namely Ki Ahmad Yahya.
The Tokape tomb is still well preserved at the Kucur grave, Barehan, Sidoharjo Village, Pacitan. On Sunday 9 February 2020, West Sulawesi Governor Ali Baal Masdar visited Tokape's grave. "The visit is in the context of tracing the traces of Mara'dia Tokape whose grave is in Pacitan," wrote the West Sulawesi provincial government public relations officer. "He was one of the fighters from Mandar who was exiled to Pacitan for fighting against the Dutch."

Meanwhile, Tokape's struggle in Balanipa did not just fade away. I Mandawari, who was later reappointed by the Dutch as mara'dia, could not do much because the people, most of whom were followers of Tokape, refused to comply with his policies. So that in the end I Mandawari was unable to maintain power under the pressure of the customary council around 1880 (Abd. Karim, 2018: 8). He then left Balanipa and headed to Campalagian for refuge. Tokape's struggle was then continued by one of his sons namely Tammanganro, Parumasi, and Simanangi who supported Ammana I Wewang who fought against the Dutch (Marsupian, 2017: 27).

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