Historiography and Ulu Identity in South Sumatra

Abstract

This study is an attempt to reconcile the meaning of Ulu as a community identity in the interior of South Sumatra by re-examining the sources of writing about it in the past. It is believed that the study of local identity is a small reflection of a national identity. In the reality of everyday life, especially in the past, the identity of the Ulu is considered equivalent, even not infrequently positioned under the identity of the Ilir.  This historiographic study was conducted by re-analyzing the colonial and local sources that studied the Ulu. Based on this will be seen the concepts of what is in the religious, political, economic and cultural perspectives on the Ulu of these writings. What perspective dominates and becomes a reinforcer in the ulu concept. Why the writings that exist can be as a marker of the identity of Ulu, so it looks like what ulu concept, both in the head and mind of foreign authors and also local writers.  According to Sutherland, national history is closely linked to the legitimacy of the state and national identity.  National history is closely linked to the legitimacy of the state and national identity, so local history will be related to the legitimacy and identity of an existing locality, then reconceptualizing the concept of ulu, will be traced to what Ulu identity is.  Some facts of foreign and local writings themselves indicate that there is an equalization effort to other identities that become dichotomy, Ilir.  However, it turns out that there is also a narrative that is actually a "weakening" of the equivalent effort so that the visible identity of the concept of Ulu in a long time is always under the hegemony of the concept of Ilir.