The History of Indonesia

Brittany McGhaney
SOCI 200-D09
Mr. Robert Clark
December 12, 2011

The History of Indonesia
Abstract
Indonesia is a chain of islands located between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, with over 180 million people and 300 different ethnicities. Majority of the population are Malay or Polynesian. The minorities include China, India, Arabia, and Persia. Also included are European colonial powers such as Portugal, Holland, Spain, and England. The nation is largest Muslim country in the world. However, it does have other religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Although, Indonesia is one of many least industrializing nations, they are huge exporting partners with Japan and they get most of their goods imported from Singapore. Just like every other country, they have their own special holidays that they get together with family and friends and celebrate. Indonesia’s dress, customs, and beliefs all vary with the different cultures throughout the islands.

The History of Indonesia
There are about 200 nations all around the world, each of them having similarities and differences (Henslin, p 246-247). Each country has their customs, beliefs, traditions, foods, holidays, etc. Some are richer than others are, whether it is in monetary ways or having oil. The countries that are thought of as less fortunate are typically called third-world countries. Indonesia can fit into the category of a third-world country.

History, Culture, Lifestyle (Roles of the family)
Indonesia is chains of islands located between the Indian and Pacific Oceans in Southeastern Asia. In the seventh century, Buddhist Srivijaya was in Sumatra, while Hindu Mataram was in Java. The arrival of the Portuguese was the first sign of Europeans in Indonesia during the sixteenth century. They broke all Islamic holds and turned it into the Dutch East Indies. During the year 1825, Javanese Prince Dipinegoro, threatening Holland’s empire, led a revolt. However, the Dutch continued to have control until World War II and a Japanese invasion. Through the first decade, there was a lot of turmoil; Sukarno eventually unified power in 1957. Later in 1965, an attempted rebellion against Sukarno renewed that turmoil, but the army under General Suharto’s leadership restored order (InterKnowledge Corp, 2005).
Indonesia has various cultures. It is one of the world’s most diverse places to travel and the fifth most populous nation having over 180 million people and 300 ethnicities. Majority of the population are Malay or Polynesian. The minorities include China, India, Arabia, and Persia. Also included are European colonial powers such as Portugal, Holland, Spain, and England. There are several languages spoken and different dialects; the most common being Bahasa Indonesia. Others are English and Dutch (InterKnowledge Corp, 2005). The art forms are influenced by religion. Java and Bali are dance dramas, which come from Hindu mythology. Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Pekalongan, and Cirebon are some of several centers of Batik in Java. Batik, according to Collins English Dictionary, is a process of printing fabric in which parts not to be dyed is covered by wax (n.d). Indonesians use canvases, wood, metals, clay, and stone. They are known for their rich handicrafts; woodcarvings for ornamentation and furniture, silverwork and engraving from Yogyakarta and Sumatra, filigree from South Sulawesi and Bali with different kinds of clay, sandstone, and wood sculptures. Filigree, is delicate ornamental work of twisted gold, silver, or other wire (Collins, n.d). In Barbara Miller’s book, Cultural Anthropology, she states that, “Islamic teachings idealize women as wives and men as household heads. The modernizing Indonesian state has a policy of naming males as household heads (p. 226).

Religion
Around the thirteenth century, the Hindu Majapahit of Java was faced with Muslim forces, which spread south from the Malay Peninsula causing the Hindus to move to Bali, where they remain to this day. In the book, Living Religions: A Brief Introduction, it states that the nation is primarily Muslim and it is the largest Muslim country in the world (Fisher, p.276). However, there are other religions. There is Hinduism in Bali and Christianity in Flores, Timor, and several other islands (InterKnowledge, 2005). There is also Buddhism. The Indonesian Constitution provides the freedom of religion (Indonesia Travel, 2011).

Type of Society
According to James M. Henslin, as of 2008, Indonesia is considered one of the least industrializing nations. Least industrializing nations account for 68 percent of the world’s people but only 49 percent of the earth’s land. These nations usually are filled with poverty. People that live in these nations have no running water, indoor plumbing, or access to teachers or doctors. The more the population grows the more stress it causes and gives them setbacks (p. 247, 249). Industries in Indonesia consist of agro-business, resource extraction and export, construction, and tourism. As of the 1970s, industrial sectors have been developed, commonly in Java around Jakarta and Surabaya and other cities along the north coast. In the outer islands is where agro-business and resource extraction is located. Much of Indonesia’s foreign exchange and domestic operating funds are supplied by these industries. Sumatra has plantations, oil, gas, and mines; West Papua has mining; and Kalimantan has timber.

Imports/Exports, Types of Employment
Indonesia may be a least industrializing nation, but it is big for its imported and exported goods. Oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, and rubber are majority of the goods exported from Indonesia. In the 2008, studies done by Economy Watch showed that Japan was Indonesia’s biggest export partner with 20.2%. Other partners include the U.S (9.5%), Singapore (9.4%), China (8.5%), South Korea (6.7%), India (5.2%), and Malaysia (4.7%). Those same studies show that when it comes to importing goods, Indonesia has a bigger partnership with Singapore having 16.9%. Other partners include China (11.8%), Japan (11.7), Malaysia (6.9%), the U.S (6.1%), South Korea (5.4%), and Thailand (4.9%). Goods imported from these other countries are machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, and food (2010).
About 60% of the country is farming. The farmers grow crops such as rice, vegetables, fruit, tea, coffee, sugar, and spices. On these farms, there are animals such as cattle, water buffalo, horses, chickens, and for the non-Muslim areas pigs. It is common that the goods used for exporting are produced on these farms. Another important factor to the village and national economies is fresh water and ocean fishing.

Significant Holiday Celebrations
In Indonesia, they celebrate New Years on January 1st and Christmas on December 25th, just like the U.S. However, they do have their own holidays that they celebrate that differ from ours. On February 20th-21st is the Idul Fitri Festival, which is a major holiday. March 21st is the annual celebration of Seclusion Day or Saba New Year. April 5th is Good Friday. On April 28th, Idul Adha, is a celebration for Prophet Abraham’s compliance to give his son, Ismael, as a sacrificial offering to God. Ascension Day of Christ is celebrated on May 16th and May 19th is Hijriah New Year, the celebration of emigration of prophet Muhammad and his followers to Medina. Waisak Day, also known as Hari Raya Waisak, is a huge Buddhist festival that is celebrated on June 2nd. July 28th is the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, which is called the Maulid of Prophet Muhammad. The National Independence Day is August 17th. Lastly, on December 8th, the country celebrates Isra Miraj of Prophet Muhammad (Asia Rooms, 2011).

Typical foods/Dress/Customs
Indonesian foods differ depending on socioeconomic class, season, and ecological conditions. Rice is used mostly for regional cooking and general Indonesian cuisine. To go along with the rice, side dishes and sauces like meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, chili peppers, etc are used. However, rice is not always used as a main dish in all places. Maluku and Sulawesi’s main dish is sago, which is a starchy cereal obtained from the powdered pith of a sago palm, used for puddings and as a thickening agent (Collins). West Timor’s main dish is maize, also known as corn. They use rice only for ceremonial occasions. Although, Indonesia is a chain of islands, for those who live in mountainous areas, fish does not play a major part in their diets.
In the sixteenth century, Western dress arrived in Indonesia. Dress is a display of cultural change. There are three eras classified by dress: sarong, which is the local dress, jubbah comes from Islamic influences, and trouser that comes from Western influences. With Western dress being common, Indonesians to find it important to still wear traditional dressings.

Indonesia’s impact on U.S and U.S’s impact on Indonesia
The U.S and Indonesia both import and export goods with one another. They hold regular meets under the TIFA, which stands for the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. In 2010, Indonesia was our 28th largest trading partner, 32nd largest goods export market, and 24th largest supplier of goods imports. In 2008, sales of services in Indonesia owned by the U.S. were $2.4 billion; sales of services in the U.S owned by Indonesia were $69 million. We invest a lot of money into Indonesia and vice versa (United States Trade Representative, n.d).

Works Cited
Asia Rooms. (2011). Indonesia Holidays. Retrieved December 11, 2011, from http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/indonesia/useful-information/indonesia-holidays.html
Batik. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved December 11, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Batik
Economy Watch Content. (2010). Indonesia Trade, Exports, and Imports. Retrieved December 9, 2011, from http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/indonesia/export-import.html
Filigree. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved December 11, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Filigree
Fisher, M.P. (2002). Living Religions: A Brief Introduction. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Henslin, J.M. (2010). Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. Boston: Pearson.
Indonesia Travel. (2011). Retrieved December 9, 2011, from http://www.indonesiatravel.org.uk/culture-religion-of-indonesia.html
InterKnowledge Corp. (2005). Indonesia, Retrieved December 8, 2011, from http://www.geographia.com/Indonesia/indono03.htm
Miller, Barbara. (2007). Cultural Anthropology 4th Edition. Boston: Pearson Education\
Sago. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Sago
United States Trade Representative. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://www.ustr.gov/countries-regions/southeast-asia-pacific/indonesia