Nusantara is not only as migration area for the Arabs, but also to be the determinant of the destiny for Hadhramaut society. Desire and dream to awake from despodency accompanied their journey to East-Indies. Their homeland will not ensure anything to reach a welfare of life.

The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are crucial era of the Arabs migration to Nederlands-Indies. The existance of steam travel in 1869, which offered cheaper cost than previous trips, becoming the cross inter-land for all circles either wealthy class or dhuafa (Alatas, 2011).

For the Arabs, Nusantara is an economic field. They pursue various roles as long as they could get the maximum outcome. Start from being a trader, street vendor, intermediary figure between colonial and local society, property rental, established a factory, until being a loan shark.

The economic activities profits which provided for them is also to support their family. Besides, the migrants who’s live being more stable in foreign are tempting for others. This is a possibility for them to migrate.

The migrant’s families in Hadharamaut showed themselves no longer as lower class. They lived with lavish lifestyle and what they need was satisfied. They got it all from a remittance who was given by the family out of there, including in Dutch-Indies or who get back to the homeland for enjoying their old ages.

Firstly, the money remitted by family or friend who went to hometown. But, since last 1930s, they preferred to send their money by transfer through Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij (NHM) or British banks (de Jonge, 2019). Finance supply that maintained economic ecosystem in Hadhramaut, and created their life to become more modern.

In their expedition who crossed the Hadhamaut valley in 1931, D. van der Meulen and Herman van Wismann (in Mobini-Kesheh, 2007) amazed by something they saw. The houses fulfilled by European furniture and sayids travels around by modern transportation. These facts had countered perception that judged the area was left behind and over poor.

W. H. Ingrams gave similar impression, when he attended to the success trader’s house in 1930. Its interior was using modern furnitures, like fan, electric lamp, refrigerator, etc.

Furthermore, rich entrepreneurs built the great mosques in their towns. They also built roads and introduced some projects in order to develop local irrigation system. All of that are the blesses which was earned by migrants from Dutch-Indies and Singapore (Mobini-Kesheh, 2007).

Instead of economy, educational aspect also influenced from migrants. Modern open-mindedness growth in their community. Certainly, its spread to their watan either through newspaper circulars (the press) or themselves who obtained modern education in al-mahjar (hijrah region; migration land) (Mobini-Kesheh, 2007; Haikal, 2025).

In East-Indies, the Arab organizations which operated in educational field being formation receptacle of this consciousness resurgance or development. For instance Al-Irsyad, it’s not only spread its network in Nusantara, but also attempt to get in Hadhramaut. Nevertheless, Al-Irsyad which has a modernist paradigm, must faced to sayid conservative community who have influence fairly dominant in Hadhramaut. It became spread of modernization ideas are challenging there.

However, it does not mean Hadhramaut do not get an education development. Many schools established with funded by both sayid community and otherwise. Besides as form their caring to watan, also because pressures from brethren of Hadhramaut homeland. Firstly the migrants judged ignore to watan, so they involved to care along with Hadhramaut local figures start from struggling reformation, education, until economy (Mobini-Kesheh, 2007). Surely, monetary condition became vital element in attempt to develop in various sectors.

As mentioned above, financial of Hadharamaut society depend on remittance relatives in foreign. Nevertheless, the occurence of World War II at 1939-45 and occupation of Japan in Indonesia, was interrupting mobilization of remittance and lost contact for migrants families in Nederlands-Indies. Such troubles also provoked the vulnarable of economic Hadhamaut society because its lost of financial support (de Jonge, 2019).

Hadhramaut which barren and arid difficult the society to earn income in their homeland. Another side, unpredictable rainfall makes them difficult to farm. Moreover, the prolonged inter-group conflict threatens their safety (Haikal, 2025)

There are aspects which generated humanity crisis, famine, and economic collapse. At the same time, when remittance faced obstacles, the rain especially rarely coming during three consecutive years. Thereby, famine occurred and snatched many victims in Hadhamaut. This accident has happened around in 1943-44 (de Jonge, 2019).

This phenomenon reveals that Hadhramaut society depends on migrants who working abroad. They tend to be passive in economic aspect, and when faces with the fact like early portrayed, they will find it difficult to adapt.

Van der Meulen said in Huub de Jonge (2019) that, the more frequent contact with Indies, the more secure Hadhramaut material condition will be. Thus, clearly if inconnected remittance activity from Nederlands-Indies led to economic crisis, and culminated seriously famine which sacrifice many victims.

Such hard times were compounded by repatrian arrival from migration land. Their money who brought just enough for some times. After that, they depend on financial ecosystem similarly with society generally (de Jonge, 2019).

Repatriation of the Arabs in Nusantara never happened, unlike in other some regions (Alatas, 2011). But, the repatrians frequently used fleet service by Indies which anchored at Al-Mukalla and Aden harbor. Mentioned it, the local authority forbidden repatrian to come to Hadhramaut without brought much money during crisis era (de Jonge, 2019).

After the end of World War II, which drove Japan out of the Indies, instead of fresh air blowing, that situation faced new challenges. The political climate of the Indies was totally transformed following the declaration of Indonesian independence.

The remittance that completely based on Nederlands-Indies government met a difficult path. Recovery of the economic ecosystem in colony is a prominent focuse of government, though especially incondusif considering conflict of territorial dispute was continuing. And finally ended in 1949. Then responsibility of remittance policy handled by Indonesian government (de Jonge, 2019).

Thus, this reflection explains how Nusantara played a vital role in deciding of the fate in Hadhramaut society through its migrants. Commonly, Indonesians always treated to a narrative that, Nusantara received a blessing from the presence of holy people from Hadramaut. Whereas Nusantara brought blessings for the land, in the past. However, at the certain historical moment, it was also capable of bringing a disaster.