Kilas Balik kisah(Mbok) Tarmi — buruh kontrak untuk pemerintah kolonial Belanda di Suriname

"My name is Tarmi. I was born in Jagapura village. But the land where I died is far across the ocean." In the silent waves of history, this name was almost lost: (Mbok) Tarmi—a young woman from Jagapura Village, her small feet once touched the rice paddies, her heart once learned patience under the hot Brebes sky. She was a simple Muslim woman, only 152 cm tall, and her cheeks were marked by unconcealable pigmentation—but that is precisely what makes her remembered in the ancient records. On May 5, 1925, at the age of 26, she stood at Tandjoeng Priok Harbor, staring out at an ocean she didn't know, but one that would steal her entire life. She boarded the steamship SS Blitar, bound for a distant land called Suriname, under the name of a work contract. She was not a traveler. She was not a trader. She was a contract laborer for the Dutch colonial government. --- Not a Story of Wealth, But of Tears Her contract began on June 17, 1925, and was scheduled to end on June 17, 1930. Her destination was the La Ressource Plantation in the Paramaribo region. She was hired by Kersten, C & C, not because of her skills, but because of poverty. She brought with her religion, her father's name, and the one treasure no one could take away: a longing for home. However, after her contract ended, Mbok Tarmi did not return home. She received a premium in exchange for a return ticket on December 7, 1936, but never used the money to buy a ticket back to her birthplace, Jagapura. --- She Became a Mother in a Foreign Country In a foreign land, she built a new life. She gave birth to three children, not only from her womb, but from the great decision to stay and survive. 1. Tarsi Born: June 10, 1929 Child of Bok Tarmi and Talip (YY546) 2. Karmi Born: November 3, 1933, in Ornamibo 3. Hariette Sainem Born: December 15, 1933, in Boxel She became a mother. She became the new root of the Javanese tree growing in Caribbean soil. --- She Never Returned Home. But She Was Never Lost. Her name remains recorded: Verification Date: March 27, 1931 Contract Number: AC72 Pekalongan, Brebes Department, Tanjung District (Not yet part of Kersana District), Djagapoera Village A journey without returning home, without a grave. She probably died in Suriname. But her homeland is Jagapura, and the village of Jagapura deserves to know that one of its daughters was once a silent fighter. Bok Tarmi is not only part of Javanese history in Suriname. She is the blood of Jagapura, Brebes Regency, spilled on foreign soil. She is a reflection of thousands of Javanese women forced to choose between life and loss. Source: Ga Het National Archives (Gahetna.com) National Archives of the Netherlands website with revised narrative by Karmin