Gezicht op Tondano met versierde bamboepalen, Noord-Celebes c. 1821 - 1824

This pencil drawing of Tondano in North Celebes was made by Adrianus Johannes Bik, likely in the first half of the 19th century. At this time, Celebes, now known as Sulawesi, was part of the Dutch East Indies, a colony that was a source of enormous wealth for the Netherlands. Bik’s drawing depicts a tranquil village scene with bamboo poles adorned with decorations. These poles may have had ritual significance, and their prominence in the image invites us to consider the cultural practices of the local population. As a European artist, Bik occupied a privileged position, and his gaze was inevitably shaped by the colonial context. His images participate in a long history of European artists representing non-European cultures. To fully understand this drawing, we need to explore the social history of Dutch colonialism and the power dynamics between colonizers and colonized. We can use sources such as colonial archives, travelogues, and ethnographic studies. These sources help us understand the complex relationship between art, power, and representation.