Pribumi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pribumi is a term that refers to a population group in Indonesia that shares a similar sociocultural heritage. Translated from inlander in Dutch, the term was first coined by the Dutch colonial administration to lump diverse groups of local inhabitants of Indonesia's archipelago, mostly for social discrimination purposes. During the colonial period, the Dutch instilled a regime of three-level racial separation; the first class race being Europeans, the second class race being the "Foreign Orientals" (Vreemde Oosterlingen) which includes Chinese, Arabs, and Indians, the third class race being the "Inlander" or natives. The system is very similar with South Africa's apartheid which prohibited inter-racial neighborhoods (wet van wijkenstelsel) and inter-racial interactions were limited by "passenstelsel" laws. Pribumi makes up about 95% of Indonesia’s population [1] . Using Indonesia’s population estimate in 2006, the mix translates to about 230 million people. As an umbrella of similar cultural heritage among ~300 ethnic groups in Indonesia, Pribumi culture plays a significant role in shaping the country’s socioeconomic condition.

The United States' Library of Congress defines Pribumi as:

Literally, an indigene, or native. In the colonial era, the great majority of the population of the archipelago came to regard themselves as indigenous, in contrast to the nonindigenous Dutch and Chinese (and, to a degree, Arab) communities. After independence the distinction persisted, expressed as a dichotomy between elements that were pribumi and those that were not. The distinction has had significant implications for economic development policy [2]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Pribumi. Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved on 2006-10-05.
  2. ^ The Library of Congress, Federal Research Division. Glossary -- Indonesia. A Country Study: Indonesia. Retrieved on 2006-10-04.

[edit] Further reading

  • Center for Information and Development Studies. (1998) Pribumi dan Non-Pribumi dalam Perspektif Pemerataan Ekonomi dan Integrasi Sosial (Pribumi and Non-Pribumi in the Perspective of Economic Redistribution and Social Integration). Jakarta, Indonesia: Center for Information and Development Studies
  • Suryadinata, Leo. (1992) Pribumi Indonesians, the Chinese Minority, and China. Singapore: Heinemann Asia.