Pepper, Power, and Resistance: The Keratuan Darah Putih and Global Trade Networks in South Lampung (17th–18th century)

Abstract

The purpose of the research paper is to examine the historical dynamics of the Keratuan Darah Putih, a traditional political institution in South Lampung (Indonesia), within the framework of 17^th–18^th century global trade networks. In this period, the pepper trade, Lampung’s most valuable commodity, was tightly controlled by the Banten Sultanate, a dominant Islamic polity on the northwestern coast of Java that served as the primary hub of the regional pepper trade and issued charters to local rulers to regulate production and exchange. The Keratuan Darah Putih, initially centered at Benteng Saksi before relocating to Kuripan Saka, maintained close relations with Banten but also developed its own strategies when confronted with the growing dominance of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Against this background, the study aims to trace how this polity adapted its economic and political position while engaging with competing foreign powers.

Scientific novelty. The research combines archaeological and historical approaches to reconstruct the role of South Lampung in wider maritime networks. Excavations at Benteng Saksi and Kuripan Saka yielded ceramics, local pottery, bronze slag, and numismatic evidence, including Chinese cash coins and an English East India Company (EIC) coin. These findings, supported by historical records and oral traditions, demonstrate that the Keratuan Darah Putih actively developed alternative trade relations beyond Banten and the VOC, particularly through connections with the EIC based in Bengkulu. Such material evidence provides new insights into the adaptive strategies of local elites who resisted monopolistic control by shifting their trade orientation westward, thereby maintaining access to global markets.

Conclusions. The study concludes that the Keratuan Darah Putih was not a passive subject of Banten but an active agent within Southeast Asia’s maritime trade networks. Its privileged status under Banten, exemption from forced pepper cultivation, and subsequent resistance to the VOC monopoly illustrate a trajectory of negotiation, adaptation, and resilience. Archaeological remains confirm that economic exchanges occurred through reciprocal, redistributive, and market mechanisms embedded in social and political institutions. By integrating archaeological discoveries with historical accounts, this research underscores the significance of South Lampung as a nodal point of pepper commerce, political contestation, and cultural transformation in the early modern period. It highlights how local polities leveraged geography, trade routes, and foreign alliances to assert autonomy in the face of regional and colonial pressures, thereby contributing to a broader understanding of the historical processes that shaped global trade in Southeast Asia.