More About Indonesia

Barong Dance: Battle between Good & Evil

The whole idea of something called Indonesia is a recent thing.  Up until the middle of the 20th Century what was there was a collection of islands that were controlled by local tribes, then rulers then European powers.  History didn’t move too fast among the islands.  After all, once you got used to the heat and rain, the place was very livable.  Plenty of fruits and plants and animals to eat.  The waters abounded with fish, shellfish and turtles.  Except for the occasional typhoon, earth quake or volcanic eruption it was easy living.  The seas and rivers were the highways for the native people.  Commerce and trade was waterborne as was the arrival of strangers from the mainland of Asia.  

The strangers came for the usual reasons; rape, pillage, looting and taking over territory.  They brought with them religions that over time replaced the local beliefs.  People from South Asia introduced Hinduism and for a time it was the dominant religion.  It was supplanted by Buddhism and later by the teachings of Islam.  Buddhism was a huge influence and remains an important element in society.  Hinduism faded in most of the islands except for Bali where it is the dominant religion until today.

Bali Culture

Those hundred or so ethnic tribes mentioned before speak 300 or 400 different languages.  Many of these languages are similar and tribes or groups living on the same island or near other tribes could conceivably communicate.  However, absent a common written language the likelihood for lively interchange of ideas and information is limited.  This need to create some sort of national tongue is why Bahasa Indonesia or Indonesian Language has been adapted as the official national language.  Bahasa Indonesia effectively is the Malay language in use in the Riau Islands near Singapore augmented with works and phrases that are peculiar to Indonesia.  This unifying language was put in place by Indonesian nationalists during the time the country was still a Dutch Colony and was officially declared the national language in August 1945 as a part of the declaration of independence  that signaled the break with the colonial masters

Remarkably, it all works.