Page 284 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

diminishing the commercial ports in the surrounding areas and to turn Tallo and Sombaopu
into the most important trading center. The plan was realized so that the two ports finally
became one city, and since then it has been called the Port City of Makasar, and the Gowa-
Tallo kingdom who ran it was called the Kingdom of Makasar. As a result of that policy,
Malay traders who previously resided in the commercial port city of Siang, Bacokiki,
Suppa, asked for permission to settle in Makasar. They were then allowed to settle in the
Mangngalekana area.
Before the government of Tunipalangga Ulaweng, sailing trading activities conducted
by the people of South Sulawesi called Makasar traders covered only western areas:
Malacca, Java, Kalimantan, Siam, and all places between Pahang and Siam by trading their
products such as white rice and some gold. But after the arrival of the Malay traders, they
also began to engage in the trade of spices in the Moluccas. The research conducted by
Christian Pelras shows that Makasar exported spices and rice to Malacca in 1559 (Pelras,
1979/1983: 63). This indicate that the sailors and traders from South Sulawesi were also
involved in trade in the Maluku Islands and the island that produed sandalwood, Timor.
The development of Makasar lured European merchants who had been involved in the
world of maritime trade in Indonesia to establish trade relations. Portuguese traders even
requested and were granted permission to establish lodges in Makasar in 1532, while the
Spaniards only strove to establish trade relations. Later in 1615 the new Spanish government
requested permission to establish lodges. In addition to the two foreign trade representatives,
request for establishment of lodges also came from other foreign merchants, among others:
the Netherlands in 1607, England in 1613, Denmark in 1618, and China in 1618. According
to F.W. Stapel, Europeans were attracted to stay in Makasar because of kingdom’s rulers
were forgiving. All foreigners were well received; Portuguese and Muslim were free to build
houses of worship (Poelinggomang, 2002: 28, Stapel, 1922: 8).
Makasar’s authorities and their sailors and traders had always been open to establishing
trade relations with all parties. This stance met resistance from Dutch traders who were
members of the East Indian Trade Association (van het Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie
- VOC). VOC merchants did not want Makasar’s sailors and merchants to be involved in
trade in Maluku. The rejection was certainly related to trading techniques applied. Van der
Chijs described that the trade relations between the rulers of the Kingdom of Makasar with
the authorities of the island of Banda as follows:
“....The ruler of Macassar had an “agent” on Banda for the spice trade whom he supplies
every year with rice, pieces of cloth, and everything that is liked there, in oder to gain as

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