NUSA
TENGARA BARAT
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Nusa
Tenggara Barat (Southeastern
Islands West) often abbreviated to NTB, is a province in south-central
Indonesia. It covers the western portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, except
for Bali. The two largest
islands in the province are Lombok in the west and the larger Sumbawa island
in the east. Mataram, on Lombok, is the capital and largest city of the
province. The province is administratively divided into eight regencies (kabupaten)
and two municipalities (kotamadya). Formerly
Sumbawa was a part of Timor Residency. Lombok was a part of the Balinese monarchy from
1750 until 1894. It was liberated from Balinese rule by the K.N.I.L. in 1894
and annexed by the Dutch in 1895.as a part of Bali and Lombok Regency. In
1938 both residencies became a part of the Groote Oost province which, after
Japanese occupation in WWII, became the Negara Indonesia
Timoer in 1946. The Negara Indonesia Timoer became a part of the Republik
Indonesia in 1950. In 1958 Nusa Tenggara Barat province was established by
law No 64/1958. |
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In colonial
times the national emblems of the
Netherlands, Japan and East Indonesia respectivelely were also valid on the
Lesser Sunda Islands. On Lombok the Balinese heraldic system
was valid until 1894. An emblem
specific for the province was adopted after its establishment in 1958.
The arms of
Nusa Tenggara Barat are: Arms: Per fess Azure and Vert, a volcano
smoking, charged with a deer saliant proper, in base a chain of nine shackles
Gules. Crest: A five-pointed star Or Garland: A branch of cotton and an ear of rice
proper. Motto: NUSA TENGGARA BARAT. Backshield: Azure ð See illustration in the head of this
essay. The volcano is
Gunung Rinjani (3726 m) on Lombok, the deer is living in Gunung Rinjani
National Park. The crest is for the five national philosophical principles, the Pancasila. The garland and the chain make the date 17. August 1945, the date of the proclamation of the Republik Indonesia. |
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Bima was an
ancient Hindu kingdom on the eastern seaboard of the island of Sumbawa.
According to legend the Bimanese dynasty was founded by Sang Bima, grandson of
the deity Bantara Sang Bima, in the 13th century (Bima is the wayang
warrior prince among the Pandawa princes in the Bratayudha
cycle). Early in the 17th century
the kingdom of Makassar, newly converted to Islam, subjugated Bima and
converted it to Islam as well. Only in 1792
the Dutch persuaded Sultan ‘Abdul’Hamid Muhammad Shah to sign a definitive
contract, making Bima a protectorate, first of the VOC (indirect rule by
charter) and later of the Netherlands Indies, but the colonial hand weighed
lighter than in most Indonesian princely states.[1] Several parts
of the royal treasure of Bima have been preserved. They are of Makassarese
manufacture thus illustrating the relations of Bima with Makassar. A crown, a keris,
tombaks and a ritual knife (golok), partly dating from
the time before Islamisation, are
preserved in several collections. They are published by Helen Ibbitson Jessup
in Court Arts of
Indonesia, 1990 from which I borrow the following: |
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Crown |
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Crown of Bima, 1790 or earlier 22-carat
gold stained red, diamonds, cloth lining. 17.2 Í 10.5 cm Kabupaten Bima, East Sumbawa, for the Sultan of Bima. [2] The name
of this crown, the state crown of Bima, is Songko Masa Sangajikai
(king’s golden crown). Symbolizing the precept of dou la-o dana na (the raja upholds society and the state), it is
one of the three pusaka (heirlooms) legitimizing the installation of the
ruler as Sangaji, or Sultan. The others are the state kris and the ceremonial umbrella of lontar (palm leaf) decked with gold fittings symbolizing the
ruler’s protection of the realm. The form of the crown shows Bugis influence,
but it was made in Bima, either copying an earlier one dating from the
sixteenth century (made by the twelfth Raja of the pre-Islamic dynasty known as Dewa Maja Paruwa) or restoring
it. The first ruler to be consecratred with it was Syafuddin (1791-95) Sultan
IX of the Dewa Dalam Bawa dynasty of the colonial era. |
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A. State Kris |
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State Kris “Tatarapa Sangajikair” or
“Samparaja”, 1634. Iron, nickle, gold, diamonds. 50 Í14.4 Í
6.1 cm. The
precise date of this kris is contained in the cryptic symbols of a chonogram
(candra sangkala). The sheath shows the influence of Makassar which had
the hegemony of Bima and Sumbawa. The influence of Bali which dominated
neighbouring island of Lombok is apparent in the anthropomorfic grip
representing a Bima
figure. This image invokes the protection of Sang Bima. [3] |
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B. Tombaks |
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Arms
of State of Bima Sultanate. 17th Century. Gold, iron, nickel pamor, silver, sawo
wood. 204 Í
4.2 Í 3
cm Tombaks, spears or lances used both for fighting and ceremony, are prominent in collections of court pusaka weapons. This pair, probably made in Makassar, once flanked the ruler of Bima on formal occasions. [4] |
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C. Golok |
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Golok “La Nggunti Rante”. Iron,
silver alloy, copper, horn or wood. 28.5 Í 5.4 Í
2.3 cm. Knife
belonging to the regalia of the royal family of Bima, 15th century
(?). This golok (knife) probably came from Bali where its first user is claimed to have been the deity Bantara Sang Bima, grandfather of Sang Bima. It was the official weapon of the Sultan before the existence of the State kris. Its name means “cutter of chains”. [5] The crouching lion on the blade suggests that it belonged to a high-ranking warrior of Ksatriya (warrior) caste, probably the commander-in-chief of the Bima army. The phoenix on the hilt is the symbol of the head of state or governor (not necessarily the ruler) in hindu-buddhist heraldic symbolism.
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After 1895 the islands were supervised by the K.N.I.L. and in WWII by the Japanese Navy. After the war the Dutch Army Command Timor and Onderhoorigheden was stationed on West Timor. Today Nusa Tenggara Barat is controlled by TNI Kodam IX/Udayana. |
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Arms of Troepencommando
Timor and Onderhoorigheden |
Arms of Kodam IX /Udayana |
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The horse and horse-shoe were chosen because good carrying horses for the army were bred on Timor. The bird in the arms of Udayana is the Sang Raja Walik from the achievement of the Republc. On its breast is a corrupted version of a viśvajra or double thunderbolt, the arms of the (buddhist) heaven, from the Acintya-sculpture in the Bali Museum. |
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© Hubert de Vries
2011-03-10
Heraldry of the World
