Culture of Indonesia
The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by a long process of interaction and acculturation between original indigenous customs and a myriad of foreign influences. As Indonesia is located in the middle of ancient sea trading routes between Far East and Middle East, much of daily practices and art forms have been influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam, especially in many trading cities. Sometimes the cultural mixture is very complex and has to be distinguished from the original. Examples include the denomination of Hinduism, which is now practiced by 93% of Balinese, known as Agama Hindu Dharma, the fusion of Islam with Hindu in Javanese Abangan belief, the fusion of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism in Bodha, the fusion of Hinduism and animism in Kaharingan, and many others.
In art forms, the cultural mixture is also noticeable. Puppet shows, known as wayang, are a traditional theather show that were used to spread Hinduism and Islam among villagers in Java. Javanese and Balinese dances have stories about old Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms when they ruled Indonesia. Islamic art forms and architectures are prominently present in Sumatra, especially in the Minangkabau and Aceh regions. Furthermore, traditional art, music and sport is mixed into a martial art form of Pencak Silat, formerly used as a self defence.
Western culture also influences that of Indonesia, but mostly in modern arts, such as in television shows, movies and songs. A notable influence on Indonesian songs and movies is from India. A popular type of song is the Indian-rhytmical dangdut, which is oftenly mixed with Arab and Malay folk music.
Despite these high influences of foreign cultures, some remote Indonesia regions still preserve uniquely indigenous culture. Indigenous ethnic groups of Mentawai, Asmat, Dani, Dayak, Toraja and many others are still practising their ethnical rituals, customs and wearing their traditional clothes. With more than 300 ethnic groups and a long history of foreign cultural mixtures, Indonesia has a rich cultural diversity.
Performing arts
Music
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Indonesia is culturally diverse and is home to hundreds of forms of music, with those from the islands of Java, Sumatra and Bali being the most frequently recorded.[citation needed] The traditional music from Central/East Java and Bali is the Gamelan.
In 1965, there was a rule (Panpres 11/1965) that ban western style pop/rock'n'roll music. Members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) or organizations related to PKI often attacked parties, musical shows/concert that feature western style music.[citation needed]
On June 29, 1965, Koes Plus, a leading Indonesian pop group in 1960s, 1970s and 1980s was thrown into the prison in Glodok, West Jakarta for playing western style music.[citation needed]
After President Soekarno resigned and PKI disbanded, the rule was lifted. On 1970s, the Glodok prison was destroyed and turned into a large shopping centre. Now, the centre of recording, production and distribution of modern Indonesian pop and rock music is located at the new shopping centre in Glodok.
A very popular modern style of music is Dangdut with an accompanying free dance style, which was first surfaced in 1970s.[citation needed] The popularity of dangdut in both young and old Indonesian people has made it useful for political campaign.[citation needed]
Keroncong is a music genre that use guitar and ukulele as the main musical instruments. This genre had its roots in Portugal and brought to Indonesia by Portuguese traders in the 15th century.[citation needed] There is a traditional "Keroncong Tugu" music group in North Jakarta and other traditional Keroncong music groups in Maluku, with strong influence from Portugese culture.
This music genre was popular in the first half of 20th century, but now keroncong is considered "old people's" music. The most revered keroncong composer is Gesang. Gesang had received OISCA International award from Japan for his best song "Bengawan Solo".[citation needed]
A more modern form of keroncong is called Pop Keroncong with Hetty Koes Endang as one of the most versatile singers. In addition, there are regional variations such as Langgam Jawa, which is most popular in Central Java and Yogyakarta.
Completely different is the soft Sasando music from West Timor in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sasando is an instrument made from a leaf of the lontar palm. It bears some resemblance to a harp.
In West Java popular musical styles include Angklung, played with bamboo instruments and Degung.
Dance
It is not difficult to see a continuum in the traditional dances depicting episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata from India, 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 Aceh in North Sumatra has become rather popular and is often performed on TV.
Drama and theatre
The Javanese and Balinese shadow puppet theatre shows display several mythological events.
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 stories and legends.
Visual arts
Painting
Indonesia is not generally known as a treasure trove for paintings, but the fact is that the connoisseur will be able to find unique works of art. Primarily there are the often intricate and expressive traditional and modern Balinese paintings. They often express natural scenes and themes from the traditional dances. Furthermore there are several internationally known painters either Indonesians or Europeans who settled in Indonesia whose works now fetch very high prices. Modern Indonesian painters use a wide variety of styles and themes. Calligraphy, mostly based on the Qur'An is decorative in its special way.
Sculpture
Indonesia has a long-standing tradition of sculpture and carving. Examples of Indonesian sculpture have been found dating back to the Bronze and Iron ages, but the artform particularly flourished in the 8th to 10th centuries, both as standalone works of art, and also incorporated into temple structures.
Most notable are the 100's of meters of relief sculpture at the temple of Borobodur in Central Java. Here, approximately 2 miles of exquisite relief sculpture tell the story of the life of Buddha and illustrate his teachings. Furthermore, the temple was originally home to 504 statues of the seated Buddha. This site, as with others in Central Java show a clear Indian influence.
In the 20th century, Bali saw a flourishing of its artistic communities, and many artforms, especially painting, batik and sculpture developed in new directions, combining traditional methods with contemporary themes and techniques. Although many of the Balinese sculpture workshops now produce 'en masse' for the tourist trade, there is still a vibrant scuptural tradition in Bali, especially around Ubud.
Elsewhere in Indonesia, sculpture remains important in the culture life of the islanders. Long houses in Sulawesi and Sumatra are adorned with carved relief, and the structures of the buildings themselves are often carved. Indigenous animistic carvings are still made in Sulawesi and elsewhere, although much of this is now made for sale to tourists. In Tana Toraja, effigies of the dead are carved in some areas. In New Guinea, Bisj Poles of up to 25 meters are carved from a single piece of mangrove tree, adorned with human figures, animals and other totems.
Architecture
A common traditional architectural form for several ethnic groups in Indonesia is a house built on stilts, combined with a saddle roof. The most famous stilt houses of Indonesia are those of the Dayak people in Borneo, the Rumah Gadang of the Minangkabau people in western Sumatra, the Batak people in northern Sumatra, and the Tongkonan of the Toraja people in Sulawesi. The fronts of Torajan houses are frequently decorated with buffalo horns, stacked one above another, as an indication of status. The outside walls also frequently feature decorative reliefs.
The 8th century Borobodur temple near Yogyakarta is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, and is notable for incorporating c.160 relief panels into its structure, telling the story of the life of the Buddha. As the visitor ascends through the 8 levels of the temple, the story unfolds, the final three levels simply containing stupas and statues of the buddha. The building is said to incorporate a map of the Buddhist cosmos and is a masterful fusion of the didactic, the monumental and the serene.
The nearby temple complex at Prambanan are amongst the best preserved examples of Hindu temple architecture in Java. Built in the 9th century, the temple complex comprises 8 main shrines, surrounded by 250 smaller shrines. The Indian influence on the site is clear, not only in the style of the monument, but also in the reliefs featuring scenes from the Ramayana which adorn the outer walls of the main temples, and in the votive statuary found within.
Crafts
Several Islands are famous for their batik, ikat and songket cloth. Once on the brink of disappearing batik and later ikat found a new lease of life when former President Soeharto promoted wearing batik shirts on official occasions. In addition to the traditional patterns with their special meanings, used for particular occasions, batik designs have become creative and diverse over the last few years.
Literature
Pramoedya Ananta Toer was Indonesia's most internationally celebrated author, having won the Magsaysay Award as well as being considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Other important figures include the late Chairil Anwar, a poet and member of the Generation 45 group of authors who were active in the Indonesian independence movement. Tight information controls during Suharto's presidency suppressed new writing. Other things included are also its immense social reforms.
In the book Max Havelaar, Dutch author Multatuli criticised the Dutch treatment of the Indonesians, which gained him international attention.
Modern Indonesian authors include Seno Gumira Adjidarma, Ayu Utami, Gus tf Sakai, Eka Kurniawan, Ratih Kumala, Dee, Oka Rusmini. A few of their works have translated into another languages.
Poetry
There is a long tradition in Indonesia, and particularly among ethnically Malay populations, of extemporary, interactive, verbal composition of poetry. These poems are referred to as pantun.
Recreation and sports
Many traditional games are still preserved and popular in Indonesia, although western culture has influenced some parts of them. Due to 300 different cultures, there are many kinds of traditional games throughout the country. For instance, cockfighting in Bali, annual bull races in Madura and stone jumping in Nias. The stone jumping involves leaping over a stone wall about up to 1.5 m high and was originally used to train warriors to jump over enemy walls. Pencak Silat is another popular form of sport, which was influenced by Malay and also Asian culture as a whole. Another form of national sport is sepak takraw, which is also influenced by Malay and Thai cultures.[1] The rules of the game are similar to volleyball: to keep the rattan ball in the air with the players' feet.
Popular modern sports in Indonesia include soccer and badminton. Most of these sports have been played at the international level. Indonesian badminton athletes have played in Indonesia Open Badminton Championship, All England Open Badminton Championships and many international events, including summer olympics ever since badminton is played again in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Rudy Hartono is an Indonesian legendary badminton player, who has succeded to win All England titles six times in a row.[2] Another international level sport is soccer, which mostly active in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The sporting events in Indonesia are organised by the Indonesian National Sport Committe (KONI). The organisation, along with the goverment of Indonesia have set the National Sports Day on every September 9 with "Sports for All" as the motto. Jakarta has hosted the Southeast Asian Games 3 times, in 1979, 1987 and 1997, and came top of the medal table in each of these years.[3] In fact, Indonesia has come top of the medal table 9 times out of the 15 games in which she has competed.
Cuisine
The cuisine of Indonesia is significantly influenced by Asian culture, including Malaysian, Chinese and Indian as well as Western culture. In the 15th century, the Portuguese arrived on the Indonesian shores with the intention of trading spices from Indonesia. Starting from the colonial era, many different countries have arrived in Indonesia and brought different cultures, as well as cuisines. Moreover, in the same century, many Arab traders also arrived in the nation and brought more of their ethnic culture.
Most native Indonesians eat rice as the main dish, with a wide range of vegetables and meat as the side dish. However, in some different parts of the country, such as Irian Jaya and Ambon, the majority of the people eat sago (a type of tapioca) and sweet potato.[4] The most important aspect in the cuisine of Indonesia is halal food, which is an Islamic philosophy. Haram, which is the opposite of halal includes pork and alcoholic drinks. Indonesian dishes are usually spicy, using a wide range of chillies and spices. The most popular dishes include nasi goreng (fried rice), Nasi Padang (Dish of Minangkabau) and soy-based dishes, such as tofu and tempe.
Asian culture, such as Chinese, Thai, Malaysian and Indian have influenced the cuisine of Indonesia in many ways, including the way of serving food and type of spices. It is very common to find Chinese food in Indonesia such as Dim Sum as well as Peking Duck, and Indian cuisine such as Tandoori chicken. In addition, Western culture has significantly contributed to the extensive range of type of dishes. However, the dishes have been transformed to suit Indonesian people. For example, steaks are usually served with rice and it is not common to eat potato as the main dish.
Popular media
Cinema
See also category Category:Cinema of Indonesia
The largest chain of cinemas in Indonesia is 21Cineplex, which has cinemas spread throughout 24 cities on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Bali and Sulawesi. However, many smaller independent cinemas also exist.
In the 1980s, the film industry in Indonesia was at its peak, and it also dominated the cinemas in Indonesia. The movies, including Catatan Si Boy and Blok M, gained high success and became legendary movies in the history of Indonesian cinema. The actors such as Onky Alexander, Meriam Bellina, Nike Ardilla and Paramitha Rusadywere considered young at that time.[5] However, the film industry failed to gain more success in the 1990s, when the number of movies produced decreased significantly, from 115 movies in 1990 to just 37 in 1993.[6] As a result, most movies produced in the 90s contained adult themes. In addition, movies from Hollywood and Hong Kong started to dominate the cinemas in the country. In the early 20th century, the industry started to recover, with many new movies produced, such as Garin Nugroho's Cinta dalam Sepotong Roti, Riri Riza and Mira Lesmana's Petualangan Sherina and Arisan! by Nia Dinata.[5] Another form of recovery is the re-establishment of the Indonesian Film Festival (FFI), which had been inactive for 12 years. Daun Di Atas Bantal (1998) has received The Best Movie award on Asia Pacific Film Festival in Taipei (1998).[citation needed]
Television
Television in Indonesia began on the August 17 1962 in Jakarta with the state-run station, TVRI, which began broadcasting on the 17th anniversary of Indonesian Independence. It held a television monopoly in Indonesia until 1989 when the first commercial station, RCTI began as a local station and was subsequently granted a national license a year later. Several other stations have started up since then and there are now 11 national networks available including, TVRI, RCTI, TPI, SCTV, antv, Indosiar, Metro TV, TV7, Trans TV, Lativi, and Global TV. Each of the national commercial networks have a relatively similar range of programs, with traditional influences (such as the wayang performances on Indosiar) as well as Western influences (for example, Indonesian Idol). A feature of almost every network is "sinetron" (literally electronic cinema), which are usually drama series roughly following the soap opera format, but can also just be used to refer to any fictional series.
In recent years there has also been a surge in local television stations popping up all over the country, even remote and poor areas. Often run by the local government, these stations are seen as a fantastic opportunity for locals as they often require several dozen staff.[citation needed]
On 2006, there is a trial transmission of digital TV (DVB-T) by state owned TVRI TV station in Jakarta. At the end of 2006, there are several digital TV broadcasting DVB-H through wireless 3G cellular phone networks in Indonesia. Digital Cable PayTV transmission service through fibre optic is available in Bekasi, near Jakarta and several apartments in Jakarta. Digital Satellite PayTV transmission services (DVB-S) are available throughout Indonesia.
Radio
The state radio network Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) was founded in 1945. It consists of a network of regional stations located in all 33 provinces of the archipelago. In most cities and large towns there are also many commercial stations. Since 2006, there are several Digital radio stations in Jakarta and Surabaya, based on Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) and Hybrid HD-Radio (In-band On Channel/IBOC).
Religion and philosophy
Islam is Indonesia's main religion, with almost 88% of Indonesians declared Muslim according to the 2000 census[7], making Indonesia the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world. The remaining population is 9% Christian (of which roughly 2/3 are Protestant with the remainder mainly Catholic, and a large minority Charismatic), 2% Hindu and 1% Buddhist. The Pancasila (the statement of five principles which are said to encapsulate the ideology of the independent Indonesian state) states that: "The state shall be based on the belief in the one and only God".
See also
References
- ^ What's Sepak Takraw http://www.geocities.co.jp/Colosseum-Acropolis/2678/english/whatsepa.html
- ^ http://web.ukonline.co.uk/m.gratton/Sport.htm
- ^ POC http://www.olympic.ph/games_sea.html
- ^ Inside Indonesia 67 http://www.serve.com/inside/edit67/giay.htm
- ^ a b Kompas http://www.kompas.com/kompas-cetak/0507/02/Bentara/1857854.htm
- ^ Kondisi Perfilman di Indonesia http://www.geocities.com/Paris/7229/film.htm
- ^ Indonesia - The World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/id.html
External links
