CULTURE INDONESIA
The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by long interaction between original
indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is centrally-located along
ancient trading routes between the Far East, South Asia and the Middle East, resulting in many
cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of religions,
including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Islam, all strong in the major
trading cities. The result is a complex cultural mixture very different from the original
indigenous cultures.
Examples of the fusion of Islam with Hinduism include Javanese Abangan belief. Balinese
dances have stories about ancient Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms, while Islamic art forms and
architecture are present in Sumatra, especially in the Minangkabau and Aceh regions.
Traditional art, music and sport are combined in a martial art form called Pencak Silat.
The Western world has influenced Indonesia in science, technology and modern
entertainment such as television shows, film and music, as well as political system and issues.
India has notably influenced Indonesian songs and movies. A popular type of song is the Indian-
rhythmical dangdut, which is often mixed with Arab and Malay folk music.
Despite the influences of foreign culture, some remote Indonesian regions still preserve
uniquely indigenous culture. Indigenous ethnic
groups Mentawai, Asmat, Dani, Dayak, Toraja and many others are still practising their ethnic
rituals, customs and wearing traditional clothes
TRADITIONAL PERFORMING ARTS
MUSIC
The traditional music of central and East Java and Bali is the gamelan which includes
traditional instruments such as saron, slenthem, kenong, kempil, kethuk and kempyang,
kendhang, saron peking, gambang, petik, gong, and many more.
On 29 June 1965, Koes Plus, a leading Indonesian pop group in the 1960s, 1970s and
1980s, 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resignation of President Sukarno, the law was rescinded, and in the 1970s the Glodok prison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 ukulele as the main musical
instruments. This genre had its roots in Portugal and was introduced by Portuguese traders in
the 15th 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 20th 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.
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.
DANCE
Indonesian dance reflects the diversity of culture from ethnic groups that composed the nation
of Indonesia.
Saman (or the dance of a thousand hands) is one of the most popular dances in Indonesia. It is
normally performed to celebrate important occasions. The dance is done by a group of people
without musical instruments. Originally, the group was exclusively male. In performing this
dance, the player sings some songs while doing some attractive movements that can last for
approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
DRAMA AND THEATRE
Wayang Puppet Show is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originally found in the
cultures of Java, Indonesia. Wherein a dramatic story is told through shadows thrown by
puppets and sometimes combined with human characters. The dramatic stories depict
mythologies, such as episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as
well as local adaptations of cultural legends. UNESCO designated Wayang the flat leather
shadow puppet (wayang kulit) and the three-dimensional wooden puppet (wayang golek or
wayang klitik) theatre, as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7
November 2003. In return for the acknowledgment, UNESCO required Indonesians to preserve
the tradition.
MARTIAL ARTS
A demonstration of Pencak Silat, a form of martial arts.
The art of Pencak Silat was created and firstly developed in the islands of Java and
Sumatra. It is an art for survival and practised throughout the 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 of warriors in old Indonesian
kingdoms.
Pencak Silat is recognized as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of
Humanity by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on
December 12th, 2019.
TRADITIONAL VISUAL ARTS
PAINTING
The oldest known cave paintings are
more than 44,000 years old (art of the Upper
Paleolithic), found in both the Franco-
Cantabrian region in western Europe, and in
the caves in the district of Maros (Sulawesi,
Indonesia). The oldest type of cave paintings
are hand stencils and simple geometric
shapes; the oldest undisputed examples of
figurative cave paintings are somewhat
younger, close to 35,000 years old. In 2018,
scientists reported the discovery of the then-
oldest known figurative art painting, over
40,000 (perhaps as old as 52,000) years old, of
an unknown animal, in the cave of Lubang
Jeriji Saléh on the Indonesian island of Borneo.
In December 2019, however, figurative cave
paintings depicting pig hunting in the Maros-
Pangkep karst in Sulawesi were estimated to
be even older, at at least 43,900 years old. The
finding was noted to be “the oldest pictorial record of storytelling and the earliest figurative
artwork in the world”.
WOOD CARVINGS
The art of wood carving is quite well-developed in Indonesia. Bisj poles are carved by
Asmat religious carvers (wow-ipits) after a member of their tribe or community had been killed
and headhunted by an enemy tribe. Carved out of a single piece of a wild mangrove tree. Their
carvings depict human figures standing on top of each other, as well as animal figures. Many
Asmat artefacts have been collected by the world’s museums, among the most notable of
which are those found in the Michael C. Rockefeller Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art in New York City and the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam. The Asmat participated in
headhunting raids and cannibalism as rituals, many rituals involved the Bisj poles, including
dancing, masquerading, singing and headhunting—all performed by men. Bisj poles often had a
receptacle at the base that was meant to hold the heads of enemies taken on headhunting
missions. The phallic symbols represented the strength and virility of the community’s
ancestors as well as of the warriors going on the headhunting mission. Canoe prow symbols
represented a metaphorical boat that would take the deceased spirits away to the afterlife. The
human figures would represent deceased ancestors.
SCULPTURE
The examples of notable Indonesian Hindu-Buddhist sculptures are; the statues of Hindu
deities; Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Durga, Ganesha and Agastya enthroned in rooms of Prambanan
temples, the Vishnu mounting Garuda statue of king Airlangga, the exquisite statue of Eastern
Javanese Prajnaparamita and 3.7 meters tall Dvarapala dated from Singhasari period, and also
the grand statue of Bhairava Adityawarman discovered in Sumatra. Today, the Hindu-Buddhist
style stone sculptures are reproduced in villages in Muntilan near Borobudur also in Trowulan
the former capital site of Majapahit in East Java, and Bali, and sold as garden or pool ornament
statues for homes, offices and hotels.
ARCHITECTURE
For centuries, the Indonesian vernacular architecture has shaped settlements in
Indonesia which commonly took the form of timber structures built on stilts dominated by a
large roof. The most dominant foreign influences on Indonesian architecture were Indian,
although European influences have been particularly strong since the 19th century and modern
architecture in Indonesia is international in scope.
Pagaruyung Palace, It was built in the traditional Rumah Gadang vernacular architectural style
Roofed kori agung gate at the Bali Pavilion of Taman Mini Indonesia
The Prambanan temple complex in Yogyakarta, this is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and
the second largest Hindu temple in Southeast Asia.
Hinduism, Besakih temple, the largest temple in Bali, Indonesia
CRAFTS
Indonesia is considered as home of world handicraft. very ethnic group has its own uniqueness,
style, and philosophy of crafting. Most of them are made from wooden, bone, fabric, stone, and
paper.
West Sumatra and South Sumatra are particularly noted for their songket cloths. provinces in
Kalimantan are long known for their basketry and weaving using rattan and other natural
fabrics.
FOOD
Indonesian cuisine is one of the most vibrant and colorful cuisines in the world full of
intense flavor
The cuisine of indonesia has been influenced by Chinese culture and Indian culture, as
well as by Western culture. The most important aspect of modern Indonesian cuisine is that
food must be halal, conforming to Islamic food laws. Haraam, the opposite of halal, includes
pork and alcohol. However, in some regions where there is a significant non-Muslim population,
non-halal foods are also commonly served.
Nasi Padang, one of the famous cuisine in Indonesia
Tumpeng, cone shaped yellow rice surrounded by assortment of Indonesian dishes.
REFERENCES:
Taylor, Jean Gelman (2003). Indonesia peoples and Histories. ISBN 0-300-10518-5.
"Indonesian Angklung". Unesco.org. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
"UNESCO grants Indonesia's angklung cultural heritage title". News.xinhuanet.com. Archived
from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/Indonesia.html
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