The Culture-System (Cultuurstelsel)

Abstract

Tributational character: We have already seen that the word “cultuur” was used in the V.O.C.-period in the French sense of “culture” being especially the cultivation of the land. One could therefore also speak of coffee-culture or pepper-culture and the servile services in these “cultures” were called “cultuur-diensten”. The “Cultuurstelsel” of Van den Bosch was a system of government cultures, the produce of which served to provide tributes to the mother country. The culture system was not an imitation of the Spanish government’s tobacco-culture of the Philippines as Kolb asserts (59, Gesch. der Tabakkultur). Indeed, the similarity is striking and Kolb’s remark indicates his wide knowledge but it is not correct. The Dutch, who had their Priangan-coffee since 1720, had no need to wait for the example given by Don Jose Vasco Y Varas in 1782. Van den Bosch’ idea was not new. As far as perennial crops were concerned, it was a modification of the Priangan-system which in the Priangan continued to exist during the Culture-system. For annual crops, the example for Van den Bosch had been the “desah-lease” (G. H. v. Soest, 92, II, p. 45). What was new was the combination with the landrent system. This system was not abolished in Van den Bosch’ plan. In fact, it would be optional for the individual peasant to pay his landrent or to enter into a contract with the government to spend 1/5 of his soil and 1/5 of his labour on a certain “culture”. Any excess of labour would be paid. This might be tobacco and sugar in the plains and coffee in the mountains. The government during this time was considered to be the entrepreneur and to bear the risk of the crop. In case of perennial cultures which of course could not be fitted in a sawah crop-rotation the land was supplied by the government out of her uncultivated lands. The attentive reader who has read our treatise from the beginning will understand from these few facts that this could not be a voluntary system. Elout had seen through the scheme and had abdicated. It seems that the King had been informed by Van den Bosch about the forced character of his system (Burger, 24, p. 122). Of course, where landrent was assessed village-wise, it was understandable that the compensation of the claim because of work done by the amount of landrent due to the government could not be arranged individually. And where collective “contracts” were made with the desahs the freedom of the individual was sure to be sacrificed to the interests of desah chief and government.