As we all know, Sang merah putih or literally translated as The Red and White is a flag which symbolizes our beloved nation, Indonesia. It was simply named after its color, red and white. Red represents bravery and white represents purity. Those are the values our country intends to preserve and instill in the soul of every Indonesian citizen.
Sang Merah Putih was sewn by Soekarno's wife, Fatmawati, and was flown shortly after the proclamation of Indonesian independence was read by Soekarno. At the beginning, only that particular flag was addressed as Sang Merah Putih. However, every red and white national flag that is used in all types of flag ceremonies were addressed the same way afterwards. But long before that, there was a legendary history of Sang Merah Putih.
Before colonialism took place, the history of the red and white flag had already been found inscribed by the ancient kingdoms of Indonesia. Some people believe that Sang Merah Putih was taken based on the colors of the Majapahit kingdom. There were also reports that stated that there was a red and white flag flown in 1292 during a war between Jayakatwang and Kertanegara.
The use of the red and white flag in the Majapahit Kingdom can be found in a book written by Mpu Prapanca entitled Negarakertagama. In the book it was told that the red and white flag has become a sacred object that is used every time there is a ceremony celebrating big days held by King Hayam Wuruk when he was in power (1350-1389). Mpu Prapanca also believes that for the Kingdom of Majapahit, red and white are noble colors. He reached this conclusion because he found out that red-colored pictures always decorated the chariots which brought the kings to major ceremonies.
Besides Majapahit and Singosari, the war flag owned by Sisingamangaraja IX, one of the national heroes who came from Batak also chose red and white as his war banner. The shape of his banner was a white-colored double sword with a background of red and white colored flag. The two swords depicted on the flag represented the heirlooms belonging to the descendants of Sisingamangaraja, namely Piso Gaja Dompak.
The history of the pre-colonial red and white flag also occurred in Aceh where Acehnese fighters used a red and white flag with patterns of swords, suns, crescents, and the holy verse of the Qur'an. In Bugis, their red and white flag was known as Woromporang and is a symbol of the greatness and power of their kingdom. Likewise, in the Diponegoro war(1825-1830) fighting against the dutch, they used the red and white flag.
In Minangkabau, there is a Book of Tembo Alam, which is an 1840 copy of an older book. The book described that the Minangkabau natural flag also has red and white as their basic colors, with a hint of black as well. This flag was known as a relic of the Minangkabau kingdom in the 14th century when it was ruled by Maharaja Adityawarman. The color red is the color of the hubalang, representing people who carry out orders whereas white is the color of religion that describes the scholars. Lastly, black is the traditional color of Minangkabau, which symbolizes the Minangkabau traditional leader.
In 1928, the red and white flag that was once used by ancient kingdoms in Indonesia was revived by students and nationalists. This they did as a form of protest and expression of nationalism against the Dutch. The raising of the red and white flag for the first time occurred on the island of Java in 1928, at that time, Indonesia was still under the rules of the Dutch colonial and the raising of the flag was actually prohibited by the Dutch soldiers.
The history of the newly revived red and white flag continued with the defeat of Japan and the proclamation of independence by Sukarno on August 17th, 1945. Until now, it is still flown every time there is an independence ceremony. And that is the history of our treasured national flag, Sang Merah Putih which brings us hope and faith for a better future of our beautiful nation, Indonesia.
Written by Cherry Igraine T. 11MIPA3
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