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| 230 million (2006 estimation)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regions with significant populations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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predominantly Islam, minorities practice Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism |
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| Related ethnic groups | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Footnotes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| a The figure in Malaysia merely assert those who holds an Indonesian citizenship, the figure doesn't include Malaysian who have some Indonesian ancestry which potentially double or triple of figure, due to the constant migration since millenia ago. |
Native Indonesians are also known as Pribumi, literally meaning "sons of the soil", is a term that refers to a population group in Indonesia that shares a similar sociocultural heritage.[1] 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 was very similar to South Africa's apartheid, which prohibited inter-racial neighborhoods (wet van wijkenstelsel) and inter-racial interactions were limited by "passenstelsel" laws.
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Pribumi makes up about 95% of Indonesian 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 about hnic 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—Indonesia: A Country Study, Glossary[8]
There are over 300 ethnic groups in Indonesia.[9] 200 million of those are of Native Indonesian ancestry.
The largest ethnic group in Indonesia is the Javanese who make up 41% of the total population. The Javanese are concentrated on the island of Java but millions have migrated to other islands throughout the archipelago.[10] The Sundanese, Malay, and Madurese are the next largest groups in the country.[10] Many ethnic groups, particularly in Kalimantan and Papua, have only hundreds of members. Most of the local languages belong to Austronesian language family, although a significant number, particularly in Papua, speak Papuan languages.
The division and classification of ethnic groups in Indonesia is not rigid and in some case are unclear as the result of migrations, also cultural and lingusitic influences; for example some may agree that Bantenese and Cirebonese are belongs to different ethnic group with their own distinct dialect, however another might consider them as Javanese sub-ethnic, the member of larger Javanese people. The same case also with Baduy people that share soo much similarity with Sundanese people that can be considered as belongs to the same ethnic group. The example of hybrid ethnicity is Betawi people, the result of mixture of different ethnicities in Indonesia also with Arab and Chinese since the era of colonial Batavia (Jakarta).
The proportional populations of Native Indonesians according to the (2009 census) is as follows:
| Ethnic groups | Population (million) | Percentage | Main Regions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javanese | 86.012 | 41.7 | East Java, Central Java, Lampung |
| Sundanese | 31.765 | 15.4 | West Java, Banten, Lampung |
| Malay | 8.789 | 4.1 | Sumatra eastern coast, West Kalimantan |
| Madurese | 6.807 | 3.3 | Madura island, East Java |
| Batak | 6.188 | 3.0 | North Sumatra |
| Bugis | 6.000 | 2.9 | South Sulawesi, East Kalimantan |
| Minangkabau | 5.569 | 2.7 | West Sumatra, Riau |
| Betawi | 5.157 | 2.5 | Jakarta, Banten, West Java |
| Banjarese | 4.800 | 2.3 | South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan |
| Bantenese | 4.331 | 2.1 | Banten, West Java |
| Acehnese | 4.000 | 1.9 | Aceh, Jakarta, West Java |
| Balinese | 3.094 | 1.5 | Bali |
| Sasak | 3.000 | 1.4 | West Nusa Tenggara |
| Makassarese | 2.063 | 1.0 | South Sulawesi |
| Cirebonese | 1.856 | 0.9 | West Java, Central Java |
Native Indonesians skin color ranges from light brown to very dark brown or black, while the Chinese Indonesians have light yellow skin color. Archaeologist Peter Bellwood claims that the "vast majority" of people in Indonesia and Malaysia, the region he calls the "clinal Mongoloid-Australoid zone", are "Southern Mongoloids" but have a "high degree" of Australoid admixture.[11]
Blumenbach writes:
Malay variety. Tawny-coloured; hair black, soft, curly, thick and plentiful; head moderately narrowed; forehead slightly swelling; nose full, rather wide, as it were diffuse, end thick; mouth large. upper jaw somewhat prominent with the parts of the face when seen in profile, sufficiently prominent and distinct from each other. This last variety includes the islanders of the Pacific Ocean, together with the inhabitants of the Marianne, the Philippine, the Molucca and the Sunda Islands, and of the Malayan peninsula. I wish to call it the Malay, because the majority of the men of this variety, especially those who inhabit the Indian islands close to the Malacca peninsula, as well as the Sandwich, the Society, and the Friendly Islanders, and also the Malambi of Madagascar down to the inhabitants of Easter Island, use the Malay idiom.[12]
Most Native Indonesians are genetically close to Southeast Asians while others show Melanesian affinity. Geneticist Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza claims that there is a genetic division between East and Southeast Asians.[13] In a like manner, Zhou Jixu agrees that there is a physical difference between these two populations.[14] Other geneticists have found evidence for four separate populations, carrying distinct sets of non-recombining Y chromosome lineages, within the traditional Mongoloid category: North Asians, Han Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asians.[15] The complexity of genetic data has led to doubt about the usefulness of the concept of a Mongoloid race itself, since distinctive East Asian features may represent separate lineages and arise from environmental adaptations or retention of common proto-Eurasian ancestral characteristics.[16]
The regions of Indonesia have some of their indigenous ethnic groups. Due to migration within Indonesia (as part of government transmigration programs or otherwise), there are significant populations of ethic groups who reside outside of their traditional regions.
Malaysia shares a border with Indonesia and both countries share many aspects of their culture, including mutually intelligible national languages. Populations have long moved between the areas which make up the modern-day states. Prior to the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814, the Malay Archipelago was one entity which shared many aspect of culture similarities, the effect of the treaty have forever carved and divided the countries into modern-day Indonesia, Malaysia and also Brunei and Singapore. Many people from Java, Kalimantan, Sumatra and Sulawesi, which are located in modern-day Indonesia, migrated and settled to the Malay Peninsular and Malaysian Borneo since the time of immemorial. These earlier population have mostly effectively or partially-assimilated with the larger Malaysian-Malay community due to religious, social and cultural similarities. Currently, it is also estimated that there are around 2 million Indonesian citizens in Malaysia at any given time, raging from all types of background with a significant majority of them are consist of labour migrants, with a considerable number of professionals and students.
Indonesian pilgrims have long lived in Hejaz, a region along the west coast of Saudi Arabia. Among them was Ahmad Khatib, who served as the Imam of the Shafi'i school of law at the mosque known as Masjidil Haram, Mecca.[17] Today, most of Indonesians in Saudi Arabia are female domestic workers, with a minority of other types of labour migrants and students. Most of the santri extension studied in Saudi, as well as Al Azhar University in Cairo.
In the United States, most Indonesians are students and professional. Boston University and Harvard University are favorite schools for Indonesian people. In the Silicon Valley region of Northern California, there are many professional Indonesian-American engineers in the high-tech industry that are employed in companies such as Cisco Systems, KLA Tencor, Google, Yahoo, Sun Microsystems, and IBM. Sehat Sutardja, CEO of Marvell Technology Group, is one of the success Indonesian professional in USA.[18]
The Malays in Singapore (Malay: Orang Melayu Singapura) make up about 14% of the country's population. Most of them came from Indonesia. In 19th century, Singapore part of Johor-Riau Sultanate. Many of Indonesian people, mainly Bugis and Minangkabau settled in Singapore. From 1886 till 1890, as many as 21,000 Javanese became bonded labourers with the Singapore Chinese Protectorate, an organisation formed by the British in 1877 to monitor the Chinese population. They performed manual labour in the rubber plantations. After their bond ended, they continued to open up the land and stayed on in Johore. The famous Indonesian descent are, the first president of Singapore Yusof bin Ishak and Zubir Said, who composed the national anthem of Singapore Majulah Singapura.
Indonesia was the colonization of the Netherlands. Early 20th century, many Indonesian students studied in the Netherlands. Most of them lived in Leiden and active in Indonesian Vereeniging. During Indonesian National Revolution, many Moluccans migrated to the Netherlands. Most of them were ex KNIL army. In this way around 12,500 persons were settled in the Netherlands. Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, Denny Landzaat, Roy Makaay, Mia Audina, and Daniel Sahuleka are famous people of Indonesian ancestry in the Netherlands.
Before the Dutch and British sailor arrived in Australia. The Indonesian from Southern Sulawesi have been explored Australia northern coast. Each year, the Bugis sailors would sail down on the northwestern monsoon in their wooden pinisi. They would stay in Australia for several months to trade and take tripang (or dried sea cucumber) before returning to Makassar on the dry season off shore winds. These trading voyages continued until 1907.
The Indonesian people, mainly Javanese, make up 15% of the population Suriname. In the 19th century, the Dutch sent the Javanese to Suriname as contract workers in plantations. The most famous person of Indonesian descent is Paul Somohardjo as the speaker of the National Assembly of Suriname.[19]
Indonesia is home to various styles of music, with those from the islands of Java, Sumatra and Bali being frequently recorded. The traditional music of central and East Java and Bali is the gamelan.
On June 29, 1965, Koes Plus, a leading Indonesian pop group in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, was imprisoned in Glodok, West Jakarta, for playing Western-style music. After the resignation of President Sukarno, the law was rescinded, and in the 1970s the Glodok prison was dismantled and replaced with a large shopping mall.
Kroncong is a musical genre that uses guitars and ukuleles as the main musical instruments. This genre had its roots in Portugal and was introduced by Portuguese traders in the fifteenth century. There is a traditional Keroncong Tugu music group in North Jakarta and other traditional Keroncong music groups in Maluku, with strong Portuguese influences. This music genre was popular in the first half of the twentieth century; a contemporary form of Kroncong is called Pop Kroncong.
Angklung musical orchestra, native of West Java, received international recognition as UNESCO has listed the traditional West Java musical instrument made from bamboo in the list of intangible cultural heritage.[20][21]
The soft Sasando music from the province of East Nusa Tenggara in West Timor is completely different. Sasando uses an instrument made from a split leaf of the Lontar palm (Borassus flabellifer), which bears some resemblance to a harp.
Indonesian dance reflects the diversity of culture from ethnic groups that composed the nation of Indonesia. Austronesian roots and Melanesian tribal dance forms are visible, and influences ranging from neighboring Asian countries; such as India, China, and Middle East to European western styles through colonization. Each ethnic group has their own distinct dances; makes total dances in Indonesia are more than 3000 Indonesian original dances. However, the dances of Indonesia can be divided into three eras; the Prehistoric Era, the Hindu/Buddhist Era and the Era of Islam, and into two genres; court dance and folk dance.
There is a continuum in the traditional dances depicting episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata from India, ranging through Thailand, all the way to Bali. There is a marked difference, though, between the highly stylized dances of the courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta and their popular variations. While the court dances are promoted and even performed internationally, the popular forms of dance art and drama must largely be discovered locally.
During the last few years, Saman from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam has become rather popular and is often portrayed on TV.
Wayang, the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese shadow puppet theatre shows display several mythological legends such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, and many more. Wayang Orang is Javanese traditional dance drama based on wayang stories. Various Balinese dance drama also can be included within traditional form of Indonesian drama. Another form of local drama is Javanese Ludruk and Ketoprak, Sundanese Sandiwara, and Betawi Lenong. All of these drama incorporated humor and jest, often involving audiences in their performance.
Randai is a folk theatre tradition of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, usually performed for traditional ceremonies and festivals. It incorporates music, singing, dance, drama and the silat martial art, with performances often based on semi-historical Minangkabau legends and love story.
Modern performing art also developed in Indonesia with their distinct style of drama. Notable theatre, dance, and drama troupe such as Teater Koma are gain popularity in Indonesia as their drama often portray social and political satire of Indonesian society.
The art of silat was created and firstly developed in the islands of Java and Sumatra. It is an art for survival and practiced throughout Indonesian archipelago. Centuries of tribal wars in Indonesian history had shaped silat as it was used by the ancient warriors of Indonesia. Silat was used to determine the rank and position in old Indonesian kingdoms.
Contacts with Indians and Chinese was further enriched silat. Silat reached areas beyond Indonesia mainly through diaspora of Indonesian people. People from various regions like Aceh, Minangkabau, Riau, Bugis, Makassar, Java, Banjar, etc. moved into and settled in Malay Peninsula and other islands. They brought silat and passed it down to their descendants. The Indonesian of half-Dutch descent are also credited as the first to brought the art into Europe.
Silat was used by Indonesian freedom fighters during their struggle against the Dutch colonists. Unfortunately after Indonesia achieving their independence, silat became less popular among Indonesian youth compare to foreign martial arts like Karate and Taekwondo. This probably because silat was not taught openly and only passed down among blood relatives, the other reason is the lack of media portrayal of the art.
Efforts have been made in recent years to introduce and reintroduce the beauty of silat to Indonesian youth and the world. Exhibitions and promotions by individuals as well as state-sponsored groups helped the growing of silat's popularity, particularly in Europe and United States. Indonesian 2009 Silat movie Merantau is one of Indonesian efforts to introduce silat to international scene.
Another martial art from Indonesia is Tarung Derajat. It is a modern combat system created by Haji Ahmad Drajat based on his experience as a street fighter. Tarung Drajat has been acknowledge as a national sport by KONI in 1998 and is now using by Indonesian Army as part of their basic training.