Interestingly, the Indonesian word "preman" (often meaning thug or freelancer today) is believed to have originated from the Dutch "vrije man" , originally referring to people who were free from the colonial workforce. 3. Societal and Philosophical Contexts
In the Middle Ages, a "vrije man" was a vassal who owed loyalty to a lord but, unlike a serf, retained certain personal freedoms and was entitled to protection and maintenance by that lord. vrije man
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the term distinguished individuals from those in bondage. In places like Suriname and the Dutch Cape Colony (South Africa), "vrije man" was used in official records—such as baptismal and military lists —to denote free people of color or formerly enslaved individuals who had gained their liberty. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the term