Pontianak ‘s the resource of Indonesian state out of West Kalimantan, on area of Borneo, and you can bisected because of the Equator. The town is generally inhabited because of the cultural Chinese, Dayaks and you will Malays, and high variety of minorities for example Bugis and you can Javanese.

History [ change ]

The expression pontianak – most likely away from bunting anak, “expecting having youngster” – means the latest undead vampire out of a female which passed away throughout the childbearing. Disguised because the a pleasant lady, new pontianak encircles murdering unwary men when you look at the cooler bloodstream without showing one guilt, injuring women that are pregnant and you may dining newborns, however, she will be able to be controlled by plunging a nail towards the a good opening in the rear of their own shoulder. The current Indonesian title for this style of ghost are kuntilanak, while it’s referred to because of the unique word pontianak inside the Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.

According to legend, whenever Abdurrahman Alqadrie’s group arrived in the newest uninhabited area of Pontianak, it absolutely was troubled of the pontianaks/kuntilanaks, and therefore turned-off many of his companions with their frightening sounds at evening. In order to sweep these spirits aside, Alqadrie ordered their dudes so you’re able to fire its cannons into forest which was considered the ft.

Inside the 1771, Abdurrahman Alqadrie decrease the tree which was on crossing involving the Kapuas and you will Landak rivers, following compensated here. He had been issued the fresh identity Sultan. Below their management, the guy succeeded in the drawing of several investors, many ethnic Malays, and lots of Dayaks about upstream parts of brand new Kapuas River.

In early a portion of the 19th century, the fresh new Dutch filled Pontianak and also the rest of Western Kalimantan’s metropolises as part of the colonial venture. Pontianak is actually filled to become an investing blog post so you’re able to obtain steeped natural resources, generally rubber and you will timber, from the upstream are at of the Kapuas Lake. Opposition by the Malays and you will Dayaks went on occasionally and that forced brand new Dutch colonial army to seem to consult reinforcements out-of Batavia/Jakarta.

On account of war and you will extensive impoverishment for the China in the bottom of nineteenth century, of several Chinese moved to help you Indonesia, and some settled in the Pontianak due to the proper location for exchange. It after extra Chinese culture towards the reputation for Pontianak. Chinese when you look at the Pontianak are mainly out of Teochew, Hakka, and Cantonese lineage.

The fresh Dutch occupation finished from inside the 1941 during the The second world war, whenever Japanese Imperial forces overran Dutch angles about northern. Such basics were not able to help you deploy enough quantities of troops in order to protect the brand new proper area away from Java. When you look at the Japanese career, tens of thousands of civilians and you may intellectuals have been massacred, mostly people who refused to admit the fresh new emperor off The japanese.

In the event that Japanese retreated, the brand new Dutch beneath the Allied Pushes umbrella lso are-inserted West Kalimantan. Their colonial regulators more Pontianak concluded a few years afterwards shortly after a series of diplomatic missions and you can regional resistance that also freed one other Indonesian areas at the same time.

Anybody [ change ]

You might find that Pontianakians of each and every ethnicity usually real time homogeneously. Particularly, parts along Jalan Gajahmada is overwhelmingly Chinese while Sungai Jawi inside the the fresh new suburb is compensated generally by ethnic Malays. Intermarriage isnt popular, especially ranging from cultural Chinese therefore the native somebody (Dayaks, Malays, Javanese, Madurese, an such like.) But that’s not saying these people need to fight one another. Go to a cafe or restaurant somewhere in the middle of Pontianak while might find each other Chinese and you can Dayaks chatting hilariously with each other.

The latest locals regarding Pontianakians are typically easygoing, at the least than others off almost every other metropolitan urban centers particularly Jakarta and you may Surabaya. Its build regarding talking may not while the smooth as Jogjanese, but if you make an effort to blend on your own with these people you will almost without a doubt getting reciprocated.