Tobacco plantation concessions and communal land rights in East Sumatra: Analysis of the four standard concessions in the colonial era (1877 – 1892)

This study examines the historical evolution of land law during the Dutch East Indian colonial period, with a particular emphasis on the land use management policy for the benefit of foreign plantations in East Sumatra. The introduction of foreign investment in tobacco plantations in the region provided the Sultan of Deli and local village leaders with a novel experience. They encountered the concept of long-term concession contracts for land that was formerly communally owned by the Malay people. Several issues arose due to signing these contracts, including the status of communal land now used for tobacco cultivation and the compatibility of these agreements with Western legal principles. Archival materials and colonial data were used to examine the historical aspects of the subjects. Ultimately, this study reached two significant conclusions. First, the implementation of long-term concession contracts diminished the autonomy of communal land administration among Malays. Second, the customary community, led by the Sultan of Deli, retained complete ownership rights over the land following the applicable principles of the civil law code.

本研究考察荷属东印度（Dutch East Indian）殖民时期土地法律的历史沿革，重点聚焦苏门答腊东部地区服务于外国种植园利益的土地使用管理政策。该地区烟草种植园引入外国投资后，为德利苏丹（Sultan of Deli）与当地乡村领袖带来了全新的治理体验，他们接触到了针对此前由马来族集体所有的土地订立长期土地特许合同的制度理念。签署此类合同引发了诸多争议问题，包括当前用于烟草种植的集体土地的权属性质，以及这类协议与西方法律原则的兼容性。本研究依托档案资料与殖民时期官方数据，对该主题的历史维度展开分析。最终，本研究得出两项重要结论：其一，长期特许合同的推行削弱了马来族集体土地管理的自主权；其二，由德利苏丹领导的习惯法社群，依据当时适用的民法典原则，仍保留了土地的完整所有权。