The Kingdom of Siau was a kingdom located in the Siau Tagulandang Biaro Islands Regency, North Sulawesi. It was established in 1510 by Lokombanua II or Lokongbanua II [id], who was also its first king. The kingdom lasted until the end of Ch. David's reign in 1956. According to Barta1, Siau was one of the oldest Christian kingdoms in the Nusantara (Indonesian Archipelago).[1]
History
Establishment
Initially, Lokongbanua II established the Siau Kingdom in 1510 through consensus among the kulano (king). Lokongbanua II then ruled the Siau from 1510 to 1545.[2] The kingdom was introduced to Christianity through Catholic missionaries who arrived in North Sulawesi and North Maluku between 1511 and 1522. According to historian Pitres Sombowadile [id], in 1516, a Portuguese Catholic mission stopped by and conducted an Easter Mass in the Siau Kingdom's capital, Paseng. It was noted that King Lokongbanua attended the Easter Mass.[1]
Lokongbanua II was then succeeded by his son, Posuma.[3] According to historian Sem Narande in "Vadu La Paskah," King Posuma was baptized into Catholicism in a major river in Manado, along with 1,500 of his subjects and King of Manado, Kinalang Damopolii.[1]
From the reign of the third King of Siau, Don Geronimo Winsulangi, to the fourth King, Don Fransiscus Xavirius Batahi, the Siau encompassed territories in the southern part of Sangihe, Kabaruan Island (Talaud), Tagulandang, islands in Manado Bay [id], and the northern coastal areas of Sulawesi (now North Minahasa), as well as extending to the Kingdom of Bolangitang or Kaidipang (North Bolaang Mongondow) territory and even to Leok Buol. King Batahi's successor, King Raramenusa, became the first King of Siau to embrace Protestantism.[1]
The kingdom was successively ruled by 21 kings and left behind a legacy which is the Lokongbanua King's Tomb Complex.[4]
Foreign literature discussing the Siau Kingdom includes D. Brilman's work, "Onze Zendingsvelden De Zending op de Sangi- en Talaud-eilanden," translated by GMIST as "Our Missionary Fields, Missionary Work in the Sangihe and Talaud Islands." Other references include Antonio Pigafetta's "Primer Viaje en Torno del Mundo" (The First Voyage Around the World) and "The Suma Oriental of Tom Pires and the Book of Francisco Rodrigues" by Armando Cortesão.[3]
Downfall
During the national movement era, the King of Siau attempted to remain neutral as the kingdom was closely monitored by the Dutch. The courage of the Siau people to resist the colonizers was reignited after the arrival of a national movement figure, J.B. Dauhan, who was close to Soekarno. However, J.B. Dauhan was eventually killed by the Dutch after being discovered holding meetings and trying to inspire the Siau people with the spirit of independence. Following Indonesia's declaration of independence in 1945, the Siau became home to pro-republican supporters. Over time, the Siau Kingdom ceased to function as it once did, and its history came to an end in 1956 with its last king, C.H. David.[5]
