Colonial informants and the Acehnese-Dutch war

ABSTRACT This article discusses the contribution of colonial informants during the Acehnese-Dutch war (1873–c.1912) in responding to Teuku Umar’s collaboration with the Dutch authorities. The object of this study is a collection of letters from the Chief Penghulu of Kutaraja (1893–1895), Haji Hasan Mustapa, to his colonial friend, C. Snouck Hurgronje. These letters are held at the Leiden University Library (Cod. Or. 18.097). Hasan Mustapa’s name is rarely mentioned in studies of the Acehnese-Dutch war. He constantly provided information relating to the war to Snouck Hurgronje who was living in Batavia at the time. This study confirms that Hasan Mustapa’s position was significant in gaining information about Teuku Umar’s collaboration with the Dutch authorities. Hasan Mustapa acquired information from both Acehnese informants and Dutch officials, and believed that Teuku Umar could not be trusted. Hasan Mustapa’s information on Teuku Umar was important for Snouck Hurgronje’s advice to the Dutch authorities in the East Indies. This is therefore a study on the closeness of informants and their patrons during colonial times in the East Indies archipelago.