"Minahasa adalah salah satu Kabupaten Daerah Tingkat II di Sulawesi Utara. Kultur masyarakat Minahasa telah membentuk sistem kehidupan masyarakatnya. Kata Mina'esa yang akhirnya menjadi Minahasa yang berarti "tanah yang dipersatukan", adalah sebutan lain dari "Musyawarah Para Ukung" (Vergadering der Doopshoofden) atau "Dewan Wali Pakasaan" (Raad der Doopshoofden). Dewan ini merupakan "lembaga" tertinggi dalam masyarakat Minahasa yang bertahan hingga akhir abad ke-19.
Dewan Wali Pakasaan dalam fungsinya, dapat menangani berbagai permasalahan yang muncul, utamanya seperti konflik dalam masyarakat Selain itu, lembaga ini berfungsi sebagai sarana untuk menampung aspirasi yang datangnya dari masyarakat serta yang terpenting lagi, lembaga ini dapat melawan apa yang disebut "musuh bersama" yaitu bajak laut Mindanao.
Adat-istiadat/tradisi, selalu menjadi dasar bertindak lembaga ini, karena setiap musyawarah dan apa yang dihasilkan dalam musyawarah itu, selalu didasarkan atas prinsip kebersamaan, yaitu prinsip Mina'esa.
Idealisme L Wenzel selaku Residen pertama di Keresidenan Manado sejak tahun 1824, yang mengedepankan adaptasi program pemerintahannya dengan tradisi Minahasa, tidak terwujud. Wenzel sebaliknya menerapkan sistem pemerintahannya itu dengan mengacu pada sistem hukum Barat, yang secara nyata bertentangan dengan kultur Minahasa.
Kondisi yang diciptakan Wenzel tambat laun menjadi pemicu bagi masyarakat Minahasa, khususnya bagi mereka yang telah berpendidikan Barat, untuk menuntut kepada pemerintah Hindia Belanda agar memberikan otonomi seluas-luasnya bagi Minahasa. Alasannya, pertama, telah ada undang-undang desentralisasi (decentralisatieweb) 1903 tentang otonomisasi di Hindia Belanda; kedua, kuatnya "dorongan" tradisi Mina'esa bagi masyarakat Minahasa; ketiga, walaupun ada beberapa orang anak Minahasa yang duduk sebagai anggota Volksmad, akan tetapi kepentingan Minahasa tidak terakomodasi dalam lembaga itu. Tiga hal inilah yang telah menjadi faktor penentu, sehingga pada tahun 1919, lahirlah apa yang disebut Minahasa Raad (Dewan Minahasa), yang menggantikan fungsi dari Dewan Wali Pakasaan yang telah diselewengkan oleh J.Wenzel dan para penggantinya sepanjang pemerintahannya di Hindia, khususnya di Minahasa.
From Mina'esa to Minahasa Raad (Minahasa Council) the end of Nineteenth Century to the Early of the Twentieth CenturyMinahasa is one the counties in North Sulawesi. The culture of Minahasan society has formed and built their systems and ways of lives. "Minahasa" another name for Vergadering der Doopshoofden (The Forum of the Llkungs) or Rued der Doopshoofden (The Council of Pakasaan). This council was the highest representative in Minahasan society which last until the end of the nineteenth century.In its function, the council of Pakasaan could overcome kindsof problems such as conflicts which emerged from the people. Furthermore, this council was the place where the people could convey their voices and the most important thing it could fight against the pirates coming from Mindanao that was known as "the enemy of all the Minahasan people".The customs and the traditions of the people were always the basic principle for the council in taking any decision for the sake of the people. Thus all the results taken this council always reflected their unity and togetherness. This basic principle known as the philosophy of Mina'esa.Since 1824, J. Wenzel became the first resident in the residence of Manado. As the resident, Wenzel ran his government by applying the mixing of traditions in Minahasa with his own administration program, but unfortunately it did not work. On the other hand, Wenzel ran his government administration system by putting priority on the western law, which obviously contradicted to the culture of Minahasan people.The condition created by Wenzel eventually became the major source for the Minahasan people especially for those who had received western education to sue their right for governing their own land, claiming the autonomy from the Dutch government. The Minahasan had three reasons for their claim; first, they had already got the law for decentralization (decentralisatieweb) in 1903 which was about the autonomy in Netherlands Indies; second the strong will to conservate the Mina'esa's tradition for the Monaha_san people; third the lack of ability of the Minahasan people who sat in the representative to fight for the sake of Minahasan people. These three reasons became the basic affect that in 1919 they gave birth to the founding of Minahasa Raad (Minahasan Council) which replaced the Pakasaan Council which had been misled by Wenzel and also those who took over his position during his government in Netherlands Indie especially in Minahasa."
Depok: Fakultas Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Budaya Universitas Indonesia, 2000
