Page:Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje - The Achehnese - tr. Arthur Warren Swete O'Sullivan (1906).djvu/126

 what else could be expected in Acheh—of quarrels and even petty wars between ulèëbalangs and imeums belonging to the same confederacy, and the people under the jurisdiction of the same ulèëbalang have always felt more united in mind and purpose with one another than with their other brethren of the same sagi. Still the great mass of chiefs and dependants of any one sagi are understood to form a single united body. This may be regarded as due to propinquity, similarity of manners and dialect and above all community of interest.

The origin of such confederacies is to be ascribed to the force of circumstances. From ancient times, and still more in former years than at the present day, internal conflicts and wars of every description have been the order of the day in Acheh. Just as the gampōngs which standing alone would have lain at the mercy of the first freebooter, protected themselves by uniting under a single ulèëbalang, so must the ulèëbalangs in their mutual strife have perceived the usefulness of offensive and defensive alliances with their neighbours.

It of course remained open to all of them in case of need to seek their allies where they would. Nor was the federation so close as to prevent an occasional defection, or an absence of readiness to burn their fingers on behalf of their allies—a characteristic by no means confined to Acheh. Self-interest has always been the ruling motive, but for this very reason we must admit that the ulèëbalangships which united themselves into sagis had in reality abiding communities of interest; otherwise the very name of the institution would scarce have survived.

That each federation felt the necessity for a single head, and chose to this end the most powerful and influential ulèëbalang from their midst, is an obvious result of what has been said. The authority of such a panglima sagi extended however only to matters of general interest. For the rest the remaining ulèëbalangs governed their own territories just as though there were no sagi in existence.

All authority in Acheh is in the highest degree personal. Rank is acquired by inheritance, but whether its possessor exercises the influence that attaches to it depends on his individual characteristics. Thus although the rank of panglima sagi became heritable in the