Nicolaas Jouwe
Encyclopedia
Nicolaas Jouwe is a Papuan leader who was elected vice president of the New Guinea Council
that governed the Dutch
colony of Netherlands New Guinea
. As the president of the New Guinea Council
was the Dutch civil servant Frits Sollewijn Gelpke, Jouwe was the highest ranking Papuan politician in the colony. After the colony was ceded to the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority
in October 1962 and subsequently to Indonesia
six months later, Jouwe left New Guinea for the Netherlands, where he settled in the town of Delft
. He vowed never to return to his native land if it were still occupied by Indonesia, but nevertheless resettled to West Papua in 2010 to die there.
In October 2008, a documentary was broadcasted on Dutch television about Jouwe's life. In the documentary, Jouwe reiterated his stance not to return to Indonesian occupied West Papua. In January 2009, however, he was invited by the Indonesian government to visit his ancestral land. Jouwe responded positively, and visited Papua and Indonesia in March 2009. About this visit a follow-up documentary was made by the same director.
New Guinea Council
The New Guinea Council was a unicameral representative body formed in the Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea in 1961. The council was inaugurated on 5 April 1961 with 28 council members, 16 of whom had been elected in elections held during January 1961....
that governed the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
colony of Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea refers to the West Papua region while it was an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. Until 1949 it was a part of the Netherlands Indies. It was commonly known as Dutch New Guinea...
. As the president of the New Guinea Council
New Guinea Council
The New Guinea Council was a unicameral representative body formed in the Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea in 1961. The council was inaugurated on 5 April 1961 with 28 council members, 16 of whom had been elected in elections held during January 1961....
was the Dutch civil servant Frits Sollewijn Gelpke, Jouwe was the highest ranking Papuan politician in the colony. After the colony was ceded to the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority
United Nations Temporary Executive Authority
The United Nations Temporary Executive Authority / United Nations Security Force in West New Guinea was established during October 1962 in accord with Article two of the New York Agreement to administer the colony of West New Guinea until the 1st May 1963.-History:Western New Guinea became the...
in October 1962 and subsequently to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
six months later, Jouwe left New Guinea for the Netherlands, where he settled in the town of Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
. He vowed never to return to his native land if it were still occupied by Indonesia, but nevertheless resettled to West Papua in 2010 to die there.
In October 2008, a documentary was broadcasted on Dutch television about Jouwe's life. In the documentary, Jouwe reiterated his stance not to return to Indonesian occupied West Papua. In January 2009, however, he was invited by the Indonesian government to visit his ancestral land. Jouwe responded positively, and visited Papua and Indonesia in March 2009. About this visit a follow-up documentary was made by the same director.
External links
- Hollanddoc.nl - Koning zonder land: documentary about Jouwe's life.
- Hollanddoc.nl - Land zonder koning: documentary about Jouwe's visit to Papua and Indonesia in March 2009.