Question

Why were the Kalangsof Java considered valuable ? When and Why did the Kalangsfirst rise against the Dutch ?

Answer 1

The Kalangs were a 'skilled community of woodcutters and shifting cultivators'. They were considered valuable due to their skills that were required to harvest teak and engage in other construction activities. Their value can be gauged from the fact that when the Mataram kingdom of Java split in 1755, the 6000 Kalang families were equally divided between the kingdoms. In 1770, the Kalangs resisted by attacking a Dutch fort at Joana , but the uprising was suppressed. Kalangs rebelled against the Dutch because the Dutch after establishing control over forests tried to make Kalangs work under them which compelled them to rebel against the Dutch.