The Story of Mbah Sakinem, a 103-Year-Old Grandfather Witness to the Dramatic Journey of Javanese Immigrants to Suriname Feels Deceived by His Own People

Kisah Mbah Sakinem, Kakek 103 Tahun Saksi Hidup Perjalanan Dramatis Imigran Jawa ke Suriname Merasa Dibohongi Bangsa Sendiri

The story of Mbah Sakinem, a 103-year-old grandfather, Witness to the Dramatic Journey of Javanese Immigrants to Suriname Feels Deceived by His Own People.

Dream - Suriname is a country in South America that is famous for its ethnic diversity. One of the prominent ethnic groups in Suriname is the Javanese people. They were able to be in Suriname after a massive immigration that took place for almost half a century from 1890 to 1939.

Among the approximately 33 thousand Javanese people who were relocated by the Netherlands to Suriname was Mbah Sakinem. He became one of the living witnesses of the dramatic journey of Javanese immigrants to Suriname.

The Story of Mbah Sakinem, a 103-Year-Old Grandfather Witness to the Dramatic Journey of Javanese Immigrants to Suriname Feels Deceived by His Own People

The current age of Mbah Sakinem is 103 years old. This means that she was born around 1921 and departed for Suriname in 1934. When she was only 13 years old, Mbah Sakinem sailed to Suriname with her parents and two younger siblings.

Quoting the Surindo Family YouTube channel, Mbah Sakinem claimed to come from Krasak Village. This village is possibly in Tempel, Muntilan, located on the border of Yogyakarta and Central Java. Together with their parents and two younger siblings, they embarked on a long journey to Suriname.

"Iming-iming dari Lurah" translates to "The Temptation from the Village Head" in English.

"Mbah Sakinem still remembers the beginning when she and her family were able to 'stranded' in Suriname. At that time, the local village head tempted the villagers who wanted to improve their fate. He said, if you want to migrate and work in Suriname, the wages received are quite substantial. 'If the father is paid 6 ketip, while the mother is paid 4 ketip,' recalls Mbah Sakinem."

Attracted by the words of the village head, the group of Mbah Sakinem and her sister Waginem left the village at night on foot. After reaching a certain point, they were transported by truck to Depo Gondomanan, Yogyakarta.

"Naik Kapal Djember Selama 2 Bulan" translates to "Boarded the Djember Ship for 2 Months" in English.

From the depot, Mbah Sakinem and his entourage continued their journey by a ship named Kapal Djember. They went through a tiring sea voyage for 55 days, or less than two months.

The translation of the given text from Bahasa to English while preserving any HTML tags is as follows: "The journey of Mbah Sakinem to Suriname is faster than the departure of Javanese immigrants in previous years. The problem is, the departure of the Djember Ship does not stop in the Netherlands as before, which takes 3 months of sea travel."

"Eating Rations 2 Times a Day Without Vegetables"

According to Mbah Sakinem's memory, around 500 Javanese residents were brought by the Dutch to Suriname. During the journey, these Javanese immigrants were provided with two meals a day, in the morning and in the afternoon. Their meals consisted of rice rations and side dishes of canned fish or corned beef without any vegetables at all.

The ship convoy of Mbah Sakinem finally arrived in Suriname, precisely in the port city of Prelan. Upon arrival, the family of Mbah Sakinem was temporarily accommodated at Warehouse Stat Number 10.

"Until the port deposit, I was immediately given a machete and a sickle to clean up. My father is working, while I am not allowed to work."

Remember Mbah Sakinem when he first arrived from Java in Suriname.

"Left to Survive Alone"

"Mbah Sakinem is not allowed to work because she is still too young. She is only asked to take care of her younger siblings. After three months living in the port depot, Mbah Sakinem and her family were transferred to a village. There, they were left to survive on their own with other immigrants from Africa."

"Mbah Sakinem felt that the village head in Java had lied to her about a better life in Suriname at that time."

The problem is, after moving to the village, Mbah Sakinem's parents were asked to find their own jobs among the Indian people. "My late father worked for days and only earned 5 talens," said Mbah Sakinem.

Tidak Memiliki Keturunan

Currently, Mbah Sakinem lives with her adopted daughter who accompanies her during interviews. Her adopted daughter tells that she has been living with Mbah Sakinem since she was a baby. At that time, Mbah Sakinem was 48 years old and still had a husband.

However, Mbah Sakinem's husband passed away when their adopted child was 20 years old. Since then, Mbah Sakinem has been living alone and has not remarried until now.

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