INDONESIA CULTURE

THIS COUNTRY HAS THE WORLD'S POPULOUS NATION, 203 MILLION!  THEY LIVE ON 1000 ISLANDS.  THEY HAVE ABOUT 2 TO 300 ETHNIC GROUPS ON ISLANDS.  THEIR PEOPLE ARE MULTI-CULTURAL.THE NATURE OF THE THIS ISLAND IS SIMILAR TO INDIA.  THEY STRUGGLE FROM HAVING EUROPEANS  TAKE OVER THEIR COUNTRY.  TODAY THEY HAVE OVER 200  MILLION FOLKS IN THE ISLANDS.  THE NATURE OF THE CULTURE IS SIMILAR TO INDIA. THEIR CLIMATE IS HOT AND NEAR THE EQUATOR.

INDONESIANS ARE SHORT AND HAVE BLACK HAIR AND BROWN SKIN.  THEY MINGLE WITH OTHER POLYNESIANS THERE.  INDONESIA IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.  THE NAME MEANT INDIAN ISLANDS. THE NAME WAS GIVEN WAS GIVEN IN 1850.  IT IS DERIVED FROM THE GREEK.  INDOS AND HAS PARALLELS IN MELANESIA, MICRONESIA AND POLYNESIA.  THE CULTURE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS UNDERGOING PARTICULAR STRESSES.  MOST FOLKS ARE MULTIETHNIC.  LARGE CITIES MAY CONSIST OF MANY ETHNIC GROUPS AND SOME CITIES HAVE DEVELOPED CENTURIES OF INTERACTION OF PEOPLE AND POLITICAL ADMINISTRATION.  SOME REGIONS SHARE A LONG TERM MALAYO-MUSLIM INFLUENCE.  UPLAND AND UPLAND AND UPRIVER PEOPLE IN THESE REGIONS HAVE INDIFFERENT SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS ORIENTATIONS.

INDONESIA IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST ARCHIPELEGO NATIONS.  IT IS SURROUNDING BUY OCEANS AND STRAITS.  IT'S LOCATION HAS PLAYED A PROFOUND ROLE IN ECONOMICS, CULTURAL, AND RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENTS.

TRADING SHIPS FOR OVER 2000 YEARS HAVE SAILED FROM INDIA AND CHINA TO THESE ISLANDS WITH SPICES AND FOREST PRODUCTS.  SMALL AND LARGE KINGDOMS GREW AS A RESULT OF GREAT TRADE.  INDONESIA HAS SOME OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST ISLANDS.  THEY HAVE MOUNTAIN PEAKS OF 9000' AND THEY HAVE 400 VOLCANOES.  THERE HAVE BEEN 29 ERUPTIONS, SOME WITH TRAFFIC EFFECTS.
JAVA IS THE WORLD'S MOST DENSELY SETTLED AREA, WITH 60% OF THE COUNTRIES POPULATION.

THEY HAVE TWO TYPES OF AGRICULTURE:  PERMANENT IRRIGATED RICE AND FARMING  AND ROTATING SWIDDEN AND SLASH AND BURN FARMING OF RICE, CORN, BEANS, AND OTHER CROPS.  THEIR RELIGION IS MUSLIM, HINDUS, AND BUDDISTS WHICH UNIFIES THEM .

INDONESIA HAD A LONG TIME OF COLONIAL CONTACT.  THESE ISLANDS WERE UNDER DUTCH RULE.  FROM 1670 TO 1942.  THEY WERE INTERESTED PLANTATION CROP AND DID LITTLT DEVELOP SOCIETY.  IN 1942 A JAPANESE INVASION LED TO THEIR INDEPENDENCE IN 1949.  THE ISLANDS OF JAVA , MADERA, AND BALI MAKE UP 7% LAND AREA.  THESE ISLANDS HAVE 63%THE POPULATION AND IS THE CENTER OF MODERN TOURIST INDUSTRY.  THERE ARE A DOZEN DIFFERENT CULTURES.

MOST ISLANDS ARE FORM GEOGRAPHICAL ENCLAVES.  FORESTS IN THE INNER ISLANDS ARE NOW LARGELY GONE.  SOME ISLANDS HAVE RICH JUNGLES.    MANY OF THEIR AGRICULTURAL FIELDS HAVE FIELDS HAVE VEGITABLES, TROPICAL FRUITS, SAGO, AND CULTIVATED OR FOREST CROPS AND CULTIVATED OR FOREST CROPS.  THEY HAD PLANTATION  CROPS OF RUBBER, SISAL, COFFEE, TAX AND TOBACCO AND COCONUTS.    OTHER ISLANDS HAVE MINES OF GOLD, TIN, AND NICKLE.  SOME HAVE LIQUID GAS.

NATIVE LANGUAGE IS USED IN THEIR HOMES, BUT INDONESIAN IN PUBLIC.  THEIR MOTTO IS UNITY AND DIVERSITY.  THE CHILDREN SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AND BEGIN THEIR DAY WITH RAISING THE FLAG.

ABOUT 200 C.E. THE SMALL STATE'S DECLINATION ABOUT 1400 C.E THERE WERE MUSLIM TRADERS. THE AREA'S ARCHITECTURE WAS DEEPLY INFLUENCED BY INDIA, BUDDHISM, AND HINDUISM.  DURING NEXT TWO HUNDRED YEARS DUTCH AND EAST INDIA HAD LOCAL BATTLES AND EAST INDIA COMPANY HAD LOCAL BATTLES TO TRADERS.  THE COMPANY WENT BANKRUPT.

IN 1942 THE JAPANESE TOOK OVER THE INDIES AND IMPRISONED DUTCH UNDER HARSH CONDITIONS.  BY 1945 THE INDONESIANS DECLARED INDEPEPENDANCE  THE DUTCH DID NOT WIN.

PAST CIVILIZATIONS ARE BY ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS.  THERE ARE 4 TO 6 MILLION CHINESE HERE.  THEY HAVE MOSTLY STAYED IN THEIR SMALL COMMUNITIES.  THERE HAS BEEN PERIODIC VIOLENCE TOWARD CHINESE.

INDONESIA HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST CORRUPT NATIONS MANIPULATION OF CONTRACTS.  BECAUSE JAVA HAS SO MANY FOLKS, THEY HAVE MOVED FOLKS TO OUTER ISLANDS.  BUT IT HAS NOT EASED POPULATION PRESSURE IN JAVA.  BOTH MEN AND WOMEN SHARE THE VILLAGE CHORES.  MEN PLOW FOR AGRICULTURE.  AND MEN AND WOMEN HARVEST PLANTS.   MEN PREDOMINANTLY HUNT AND FISH.  IF MEN SEEK LONG TERM WORK OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE WOMEN MAY DO ALL THE FARMING.  WOMEN  ARE IN STORES , SMALL INDUSTRIES, AND MARKETS.  TEACHERS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES  ARE MOSTLY MEN.  THERE ARE BOTH HETEROSEXUAL AND HOMOSEXUAL COUPLES.  SOME MARIAGES. ARE ARRANGED.  MOST FAMILIES ARE NUCLEA4R.

INHERITANCE PATTERNS ARE CHANGING AND CAN PRODUCE CONFLICTS.  THEIR GOVERNMENT  SYSTEM FOR YOUNG CHILDREN ARE POORLY EQUIPPED.  MANY INDONESIANS HAVE GAINED ADVANCED DEGREES ABROAD AND HAVE RETURNED TO SERVE COUNTRY.

WOMEN WALKING ALONE ARE SOME TIMES HARRASSED.   IN HOMES PEOPLE ARE TREATED WELL.  PATIENCE IS AWARDED AND THEY ARE GIVEN A SUMPTUANCE MEAL BY A HOST.  THE MUSLIMS HAVE DIFFERENT CUSTOMS.  SOME SHAKE HANDS.  PEOPLE LEARN CORRECT BEHAVIOR THROUGH AGE.

80% OF FOLKS HERE ARE MUSLIM.  IN 1990 ABOUT 10%  ARE
CHRISTIAN FOLKS WITH TWICE AS MANY PROTESTANTS AND A FEW  HINDUS.  THERE ARE WITCH  CRAFT PRACTICES.  CHRISTIAN MISSIONS CONVERTED FREELY AMONG NON MUSLIMS.

MOST PEOPLE LIVE IN SMALLSTONE ANS WOOD BAMBOO HOMES IN URBAN VILLAGES OR COMPOUNDS.  THEY HAD POOR ACCESSTO CLEAN WATER.  TRADITIONAL HOUSES ARE BUILT IN A SINGLE DAY WITH CERTAIN CHURCHES.  WINDOWS OF GLASS ARE PRECIOUS ARE PRECIOUS.  INDONESIAN CUISINE IS VERY DIVERSE.  THE WOMEN IN BALI  CARRY TOWERING BASKETS OF FRUIT ON THEIR HEADS DURING TEMPLE FESTIVALS.  WHITE RICE IS A STAPLE IN  MOST MARKETS.  IN OTHER PLACES IT IS SAGO OR CORN.  FISH PLAYS A SMALL PART IN THE DIETS.  REFRIGERATION IS SOMEWHAT RARE.  POOR FOLKS HAVE MUCH LESS ACCESS TO VARIOUS FOODS.

THE MOST STRIKING FESTIVAL IS THE MUSLIM MONTH OF FASTING OR RAMADAN.  THEY FAST DURING THE HOT DAY AND DRINK AT NIGHT.  AT THE END THEY VISIT EACH OTHER'S HOMES TO SHARE FOOD. SOME FOOD IS SHARED AND SERVED TO THE SPIRITS OF THE DECEASED AND EATEN BY PARTICIPANTS.  THEY HAVE CELEBRATIONS ON MARRIAGES AND FUNERALS.  SOME SPECIAL OCCASIONS HAVE STRANGE FOODS.  SOME HAVE BUFFALO FOR A FUNERAL OR MARRIAGE.

ABOUT 60% ARE FARMERS WHO PRODUCE SUBSISTANCE CROPS.  THERE ARE SOME LARGE PLANTATIONS.  COMMON FARM ANIMALS ARE CATTLE, BUFFALO, HORSES, CHICKENS AND IN MUSLIM AREAS THEY HAVE PIGS.  BOTH FRESHWATER AND SEA FISHING ARE IMPORTANT TO VILLAGE  AND NATIONAL ECONOMIES.  PROCESSED WOOD IS GOOD FOR EXPORT AND FOR PEOPLE HERE. IN COLONIAL TIMES THE COUNTRY HAD AGRICULTURE FOR SINGLE CRAFT AND THE OTHER WAS EXPORT ORIENTED.
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IN 1997 THEY HAD A SEVERE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN.  IN MANY AREAS OF INDONESIA CLANS HAVE LAND RIGHTS.   SOME OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HAVE BEEN WELL KNOWN TRADERS AS ARE THE CHINESE.  BUGIS SAILING SHIPS ARE BUILT BY HAND, AND ARE 30 TO 150 TONS AND FOODS TO MANY  ISLANDS HERE.  THEY HAVE COMPLEX MARKET SYSTEMS WITH VARIOUS WAYS TO TRANSPORT GOODS,

THESE ISLANDS HAVE CHIEFDOMS THAT WERE HIERARCHIALLY ORDERED.  THEY HAD CENTERS FOR ARTS.: MUSIC, POETRY, DANCE, THEATRE, POETRY. SILVERMAKING AND BATIKS.

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