Diplomacy, Marriage Customs, and the "Tuan"

In 1933, the World War was 'brewing' all over the globe.  Germany was threatening and Germans abroad were suspect.  Mr. George M. Hanson, the former United States Consul at Sandakan, British North Borneo, was asked to replace the ousted German landowner as overseer at a rubber plantation in Borneo.  He declined to be the "master" but he agreed to check the plantation's accounts weekly.

FYI: Borneo is a large island south of Vietnam and China, and southwest of the Philippine Islands.

Hanson reported, "Upon my arrival on the first pay day, the accountant, a Singhalese from Ceylon, brought to my attention a plea from Alus, the house boy, who needed an advance of $10, Singapore currency, for wedding expenses.  Alus' prospective bride, the intermediary explained, was Canapa, daughter of Samat, the chief tapper (of rubber trees)," As the Tuan Had Said, National Geographic Magazine, p. 631).

Hanson was considered by everyone on the plantation to be the "Tuan," or master of the plantation, the one who made all decisions.  Knowing of the native marriage customs in which children as young as eleven years were married, Hanson inquired about the age of the bride-to-be.  "Eleven years old."  The Tuan decreed that she could be married when she was twelve years old, at the next full moon (how years were measured by the native culture).

Meanwhile, one of the native Mohammedan Sultans, Jamalul  Kiram II, was coming to the island for an official visit. "In Borneo, as elsewhere, the British are good colonizers.  They believe it is wiser to placate the Sulus on the Borneo side of the Sulu Sultanate than to run risk of trouble; consequently they still pay tribute to the sultan and accord him military honors on his visit to Sandakan," (p. 631).

With great ceremony, the Sultan, ruler of 300 islands who was educated in America, came with his retinue of wives and officials.  Hanson entertained him and had photographers take official portraits of the large group.  The Sultan was highly honored and encouraged Hanson to visit him; a 'wife' would be given to him on that occasion.

Hanson considered that it would be wonderful and advantageous to all if the Sultan would marry Alus and Canapa. Thus it was arranged for the time Canapa would be twelve years old.  When the time came for the wedding, the couple was nowhere to be found.  Actually, it was a week past the full moon.

Hanson asked about the whereabouts of Alus and Canapa.  He was told they were living in a small house in the back of the garden, that they were already married.  Apparently, when Hanson, the Tuan, had decreed that they would be married when Canapa turned twelve, that was that.  The full moon appeared, Canapa was then twelve, and the couple were now married!

Tuans learn something new every day!