Benjamin Thomas Sigar

Benjamin Thomas Sigar (born – died ) was a traditional leader and military officer of the Minahasan ethnic group with loyalty to the Dutch Colonial Government in the 19th century. He was known as an officer of the Minahasan ethnic assistance troops (, ) who served in the Dutch colonial military structure and later served as Hukum Besar ('Major Law'; equivalent to district head) of .

Background

Benjamin was born in , Minahasa (under the rule of the Dutch East Indies), around 1790. In 1841, he was baptized into Protestantism by the German missionary from the Nederlandsch Zendeling Genootschap (NZG), Johann Gottlieb Schwarz.

Military career

Benjamin's name is recorded in military history as the officer who led the Minahasan assistance forces (Tulungan or Hulptroepen) in facing Prince Diponegoro during the Java War (1825–1830). Based on archival research in Indonesia, the troops he led were involved in a series of operations that culminated in the events in Magelang in March 1830.

Leadership in Langowan

He held the honorary title of Major (; ) and served as the Hukum Besar () of until around the 1870s. During his tenure, he acted as a mediator between the Dutch Colonial Government and the local indigenous community, in this case the Minahasan people.

Genealogical relationship

Benjamin is the ancestor of the Sigar–Masinambow clan of the Minahasan ethnic group. His lineage has significance in contemporary Indonesian history as the great-grandfather of Dora Marie Sigar, who was the biological mother of the 8th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto.

See also

• Tulungan
• Prabowo Subianto
• Dora Marie Sigar