The Karimata Strait: Heritage of Network System and Socio-political History of Malay Sultanate

Indonesia's maritime historiography so far has focused more on socio-economic interactions, such as: shipping-trade history, ethnic identity, downstream-upstream connections, and the politics of harbor workers. Meanwhile, sea, strait, river function to connect people, goods, ideas have made their own history which unfortunately be neglected in Indonesian historiography. By using historical method, this study focuses examining a marine network system offered by historian A.B. Lapian. The Karimata Strait, an intangible heritage, produced its socio-political through social interactions various groups as Bugis, Malays, Chinese, Arabs, Dayaks Arabs. This article two groups, Bugis Arabs who had important role formation Malay sultanates maintain authorities East West Straits. was represented migration Opu his Five Son from Indonesia 17th 18th centuries, while were Syarif Abdurrachman's family coming West, Arab-Hadramaut set up sultanate Pontianak. Following movement these networks they form, shows that histories are complex, intersecting ways diaspora, religion, friendship, kinship, intermarriages, diplomacy war. intersection became capital gain political power economic control sultanates. where operated blurred territorial boundaries Strait.