Indonesia - Princely States (A)

Former Indigenous States of Indonesia (Dutch Protectorate)

Last modified: 2026-10-31 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: princely states | amar | amar aworu | aboru | aru | ampat |
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2:3 image by Željko Heimer, 2 Jan 1996

• Aboru
• Amar
• Amar Aworu
• Ampat
• Aru
• Asahan

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• Indonesia

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Aboru

Very unusual is the "flag" of Aboru on Haruku Island, being a withered branch, presumably of a coconut palm, hoisted on a pole. For obvious reasons it is only known by a painting.
Source: photo shot by Klaus-Michael Schneider in Leiden in August 2023
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 Oct 2026

Amar (Manawaka)

Raja´s Standard

Amar was a Princely State on Manawaka Islands.
The pennant was abolished around 1942.
Source: rul52
Jaume Ollé

Raja´s Standard Variant

It is a red triangular pennant fimbriated blue. On central panel is a blue cross patty. On fimbriation are nine red 4-point sars. Alongside hoist is a white stripe containing five red 4-point stars. The pennant has a thin outer fimbriation surrounding all.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Oct 2026 and John Ayer, 27 Oct 2026

Manawaka

The pennant was abolished around 1942.
Jaume Ollé, 6 Dec 1997

Amar Aworu

It is a red triangular pennant fimbriated blue. On central panel is a blue "rounded cross". On fimbriation are alternating white waning crescents and squares. Alongside hoist is a white stripe containing seven red lozenges. The pennant has a thin red border surrounding all. Anonymus 1865 Flag Chart
It was abolished around 1942.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Oct 2026 and John Ayer, 27 Oct 2026

Ampat

The Papua Islands (Dutch: Papoe Eilanden), are an archipelago located directly west of the Bird Head Peninsula of Papua or New Guinea.

Ship Pennant of Raja

Ratio between head and red tail is between 1:5 and 1:6. The head is verticallly parted of red and white. On the white rectangle are two red vaning crescents in pale besides two blue voided blue 3-point stars in pale.
This pennant is also used by local chiefs of Maba, Weda, Gebe and (to me unknown) Petame.

Triangular Pennants

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Oct 2026

image by Jaume Ollé, 6 Dec 1997

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Oct 2026

Ampat (Kapiboi & Ampat), Native state on Waigeo Island, capital: Lam Lam.
Raja´s standard: red over white pendant
Jaume Ollé, 6 Dec 1997 and Jorge Candeias, 8 Dec 1997

It is a white triangular pennant with smaller white triangle stitched on (see left image above). The inner triangle contains four voided red 3-point stars. Alongside the hoist are three voided 3-point stars red-black-red. Alongside the fly are five more voided 3-point stars black-black-red-red-black. Alongside the bottom are two more voided 3-point stars black-red. The stars here have the appearance of voided trefoils. The pennant has an additional swallow tail steamer horizontally parted of red and white. At hoist is a vertical tricolour red-white-blue.
According to source four to be flown on prow and four on stern. It is not revealed, whether it is valid for the streamers only or for the whole ensemble.
A variant (see central image above) shows blue 4-point stars instead of black ones, a thin blue border around the inner triangle and a slightly different order of the stars.
This variant (see right image above) is a blue triangular pennant cotised white-red with an additional streamer, horizontally parted of red and white.
This flag is also flown by the local chiefs of Waigama and the rest of the island of Misool, on Salawati Island and Waigeo Island (or Waigeö Island).
Sources: Anonymus 1865 Flag Chart
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Oct 2026

Aru

The archipelago of Aru is located south of the Bird Head´s Peninsula. It had been under suzerainty of the Sultans of Tidore for a long time but gained more independence after the arriival of the Dutch. It had a red banner with a white zulfiqar and white inscriptions at top, being presumably Arab acc. to the filing card of the museum. At bottom is a diamond of dark blue and white in batik. Its height is approximately 160cm, its width more than 4m. The flag was in use before 1904 and made of cotton.
Source: Wereldmuseum (department Leiden) filing card with archive no. RV-1446-1
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 Oct 2026

Asahan

State that gained its independence from Siak on 1765. The last effective sovereign was Saibun Sjah (1915-46). Bendera Sultan Asahan

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