Benjamin Thomas Sigar
Benjamin Thomas Sigar | |
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.webp.png) Portrait of Benjamin Thomas Sigar as the Tulungan troops officer | |
| Born | c. 1790 Langowan, Dutch East Indies |
| Died | c. 1879 Langowan, Dutch East Indies |
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Benjamin Thomas Sigar (born c. 1790 – died c. 1879) was a traditional leader and military officer of the Minahasan ethnic group with loyalty to the Dutch Colonial Government in the 19th century. He was known as an officer of the Minahasan ethnic assistance troops (Dutch: Hulptroepen, Manado Malay: Tulungan) who served in the Dutch colonial military structure and later served as Hukum Besar ('Major Law'; equivalent to district head) of Langowan.[1]
Background
Benjamin was born in Langowan, Minahasa (under the rule of the Dutch East Indies), around 1790. In 1841, he was baptized into Protestantism by the German missionary from the Nederlandsch Zendeling Genootschap (NZG), Johann Gottlieb Schwarz.[2]
Military career
Benjamin's name is recorded in military history as the officer who led the Minahasan assistance forces (Tulungan or Hulptroepen) in facing Prince Diponegoro during the Java War (1825–1830). Based on archival research in Indonesia, the troops he led were involved in a series of operations that culminated in the events in Magelang in March 1830.[3]
Leadership in Langowan
He held the honorary title of Major (Dutch: Majoor; Manado Malay: Mayor) and served as the Hukum Besar (lit. 'Major Law') of Langowan until around the 1870s. During his tenure, he acted as a mediator between the Dutch Colonial Government and the local indigenous community, in this case the Minahasan people.[4]
Genealogical relationship
Benjamin is the ancestor of the Sigar–Masinambow clan of the Minahasan ethnic group. His lineage has significance in contemporary Indonesian history as the great-grandfather of Dora Marie Sigar, who was the biological mother of the 8th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ Kojongian, Adrianus (2013-03-22). "Tentang Kepala Minahasa". adrianuskojongian.com (in Indonesian). Adrianus Kojongian Blog. Retrieved 2026-02-17.
- ↑ Graafland, N. (1869). De Minahassa: haar verleden en haar tegenwoordige toestand (in Dutch). Batavia: J.H. de Bussy. p. 210.
- ↑ Kojongian, Adrianus (2010). Minahasa: Sejarah dan Tokoh (in Indonesian). Manado: Penerbit Lokal.
- ↑ Almanak van Nederlandsch-Indië voor het jaar 1870 (in Dutch). Batavia: Landsdrukkerij. 1870. p. 155.
- ↑ "Silsilah Keluarga Prabowo Subianto di Langowan". www.detik.com (in Indonesian). Detik. 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2026-02-17.