Kampung Tugu

Kampung Tugu grew from the land granted by the government of the Dutch East Indies to the converted Mardijker people in the 17th century.

The Mardijkers had been brought to Batavia as slaves or indentured labor after the Dutch East India Company (VOC) captured Malacca and Galle from the Portuguese in 1640.

[2] Before the Mardijkers were freed, most of them married to women from Banda Islands and settled in a neighborhood in Jakarta now known as Kampung Bandan.

[2] One of the reasons of their well-preserved distinct culture is because Kampung Tugu was relatively isolated from the hustle and bustle of Batavia for nearly 300 years.

Last names like Andries, Cornelis, Abraham, Michel, Quiko, and Browne can still be found in the enclave of Kampung Tugu.

[7][2] At early times, descendants of the Mardijkers could be found as far as Simpang Lima neighborhood about 500 meter west of Kampung Tugu, still within the Cakung River.

This creole culture has dwindled following the repatriation of the Dutch where many of the original Tugu people also moved to the Netherlands, or other places.

According to Erni L. Michiels, chairman of the Tugu Family Association, the purpose of holding Rabo-rabo is to strengthen the ropes of brotherhood among the citizens.