IndonesiaBy:

Monica HauslerNovember 1, 2005

History of Indonesia• In the early 17th century is when the Dutch began

to colonize Indonesia.• The islands were occupied by Japan from 1842 to

1945.• After four years of negotiations and hostilities,

Indonesia declared its independence on August 17, 1945 when Japan surrendered.

• It is the world’s largest archipelagic state.

• Current Issues:– Improving the widespread of poverty– Preventing terrorism– Continuing to transition to popularly-elected

governments after having four decades of authoritarianism.

Did You Know…• Indonesia is slightly less than three times the size of

Texas!• The climate is tropical, hot and humid; but in the

highlands it is more moderate.• The terrain is mostly coastal lowlands, however larger

islands have interior mountains.• Natural resources: petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel,

timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soil, coal, gold and silver.• Natural Hazards: occasional floods, severe droughts,

tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, and forest fires.• Current environmental issues: deforestation, water

pollution from industrial wastes, sewage, air pollution in urban areas, smoke and haze from forest fires.

• It’s an archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 are inhabited)• Straddles the equator, next to the Indian Ocean and

Pacific Ocean

People in Indonesia• Population: 241,973,879 (as of July 2005)• Population growth rate: 1.45%

– http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2000/english/indicators/indicators2.html

• Birth rate: 20.71 births/ 1,000 population– 2.44 children are born/woman

– Sex ratio at birth is 1.05 males/ female– Infant mortality rate is 35.6 deaths/1,000 live

births– Life expectancy (at birth) males: 67.13 years;

females: 72.13 years• Death rate: 6.25 deaths/ 1,000 population• Estimate of 110,000 people (as of 2003) are

currently living with HIV/AIDS– 2,400 people have died from it

• There is a HIGH risk of getting an infectious disease.• Major infectious diseases:

– Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, thyphoid fever

– Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, chikungunya and currently Avian Influenza (bird flu)

• Ethnic groups: Javanese (45%), Sundanese (14%), Madurese (7.5%), coastal Malays (7.5%), and other (26%)

• Religions: Muslim (88%), Protestant (5%), Roman Catholic (3%), Hindu (2%), Buddhist (1%), and other (1%)

• Languages that are spoken: Bahasa Indonesia, English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken is Javanese

• 87.9% of the total population, ages 15 and older, can read and write

Government of Indonesia• Government type is Republic• Capital is Jakarta• Executive branches include:

– Chief of State: President Susilo Bambang & Vice President Muhammad Yusuf (both since October 20, 2004)

– Head of government: President Susilo Bambang & Vice President Muhammad Yusuf (the president is both the chief of state and the head of the government)

– Elections: the last was held on September 20, 2004; both the president and vice president are elected for five-year terms by direct votes of citizens

• Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white (bottom); it’s similar to the flag of Poland, which has white (top) and red (bottom)

Indonesian Flag

Economy• Indonesia is composed of a large multilingual nation.• Economic development problems include: high

unemployment, a fragile banking sector, widespread corruption, inadequate infrastructure, poor investment climate, and an unequal resource distribution among regions.

• Agricultural products include: rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra, poultry (not any more), beef, pork, and eggs.

• Exports: $69.86 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)– Export partners: Japan 21.86%, United States 13.5%, Singapore 9.2%,

China 7.5%, South Korea 5.9%, Malaysia 4.9%

• Imports: $45.07 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)– Import partners: Japan 19.3%, China 11%, Singapore 9.2%, Thailand

6.8%, Malaysia 6.5%, United States 5.7%, Australia 5%, Germany 4.2%

– Import merchandise: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuff

• Currency: Indonesian rupiah (IDR)– 8,938.90 IDR/ U.S. dollar (as of 2004)

Indonesia’s Infrastructure• Communications:

– 7.75 million people use main line telephones (2002)

– 11.7 million people use cell phones (2002)

– 31.5 million radios (1997)

– 41 television broadcast stations (1999)

– 8 million people are users of the Internet (2002)

• Transportations:– Railways = 6,458 km (2004)

– Highways = 342,700 km (1999)

– Waterways = 21,579 km (2004)

– A total of 9 ports and harbors– 667 airports (154 with paved runways; 513 with unpaved

runways)– 22 heliports

Did you say TSUNAMI???• On December 26, 2004, a major tsunami took nearly

127,000 lives, left more than 93,000 missing and nearly 441,000 displaced, and destroyed $4.5 to $5.0 billion worth of property.

• The tsunami was generated by an undersea earthquake and killed approximately 275,000 people~ making it one of the deadliest disasters in Modern history.– Also known as the Boxing Day Tsunami

• The magnitude of the earthquake ranged from 9.0 to 9.3, making it the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph; however, authoritative estimates now put the magnitude at 9.15.

• In May 2005, scientists said that the earthquake lasted close to TEN minutes, when most major earthquakes usually last a few seconds!– It caused the whole planet to vibrate at least a few centimeters, also

triggered earthquakes elsewhere…as far away as Alaska

• With waves up to 30m (100 ft) high, it devastated the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South India, Thailand, and other countries.

Could you even imagine…

“Struggle for Water”• Taken from the Jakarta Post, the article was about eight

families that live in the Kayen Village in Boyolali, Central Java.• These residents rely on a small nearby river for their water

supply and when there is a dry season it makes for a really difficult time.

• Poverty is at the root of these villager’s problem because they cannot afford to build a well.– They make their living from farming– Each household averages six people

• So when the river runs dry the villagers have to dig a hole in the riverbed for water.– Dig a hole that is one meter-deep in the riverbed– After about 30 minutes, the hole will be full with a muddy puddle– Scoop out the water from the hole– Store it in a reservoir for one night to let the mud silt before it can be

used

Using her hands, she digs a hole in the dried riverbed to get water

A woman uses a long cup to take water from the well

The water is then stored in a reservoir. It is usually stored there for one night to allow all of the mud particles to settle.

Resi Yadnya (in Bali)• The main aim of this ritual is to purify the body and soul of

the person who wants to be a priest. It’s also aimed to express gratitude to the priests who transfer the religious teaching to the people.– So basically, it is a holy sacrifice that is dedicated to the Rsi (priest)

• The Nitya Karma applications of the Resi Yadnya:– Daily: building holy houses for the priests, give holy funds for priests, and

pay great respect for the priests– Occasionally: Carry out purification ceremonies for the person who will

become a priest

• The purification ceremony is essential because the priests have the duty of leading the holy ritual ceremonies

• It is believed that the person who becomes a priest is reborn.– The “first-born” comes from the mother’s fetus– The “second-born” comes from the holy knowledge. After being reborn,

the priest must not think about the materialistic aspects, but now must be concerned with the holy service to the religion~ by leading a holy ritual ceremonies and spreading out the holy religious teaching

Ngaben: Cremation Ceremony• The Balinese believe that each individual soul is

reincarnated into many lifetimes, through numerous struggles and stages, until one has achieved union with the divine.

• For every Balinese Hindu, it is their duty to have children in order to provide a “vessel” for the spirits of their ancestors to be reincarnated.

• Children are loved and highly appreciated in Bali.– Especially male children because they carry the blood line of the

family and also take care of the burial and cremation of their parents

• A man does not become a full member of his Banjar (village council)until he becomes a father.

• There are many rituals within the lifetime of Balinese and because each life is viewed as a passage from one stage to another each ritual represents a critical stage.

• The cremation of the dead, which is called pengabenan or pelebon, is the most important and colorful ritual in the Balinese religion.

• Cremation is necessary to liberate the soul of the deceased so that it is free to make the passage into heaven and reincarnation.

• As a result of cost and complicated preparations, cremation often doesn’t take place for a while after the death.– Group cremations are held in order to share the labor and

expenses– The time between death and cremation, the body is held in the

cemetery. However, in the case of a wealthy person, the cremation process can be arranged more quickly and the body of the deceased lies in the family compound

– It believed that during the time between death and cremation the body is agitated and longing for release

• The day for cremation is chosen by a pendanda, or priest, after consulting the Balinese calendar.

• Preparation for cremation begins long before the cremation day– Each family builds a tower of bamboo and paper, extravagantly

painted according to the caste and wealth of the deceased and supported on a large bamboo platform.

– A magnificent, brightly colored, life-size bull is also made of kapok wood, bamboo, cloth and colored paper

• On the morning of the cremation, relatives and friends visit the house to pay their last respect, and are entertained and fed by the family.

• At midday, the body is taken out of the house and carried, with the tower and bull to the dead man’s banjar (village council).– A loud, noisy, rowdy and energetic procession is designed to confuse

the soul of the deceased so that it will lose its way and not be able to return to the family compound, where it could lead to mischief

• At cremation ground, the body is put into the belly of the bull and a priest officiates the last rites and the bull is lit on fire.

• After the burning, the ashes are carried to the sea (or local river) where they are thrown into the wind. This represents the cleansing and disposal of the material body, which causes for singing, laughing and celebration.

• After resting in heaven, the soul is then believed to be reborn.

• The status of the reborn soul is in relation to the personal karma or conduct in the previous lifetime.

• The Balinese believe that the soul is reborn within the same blood relations of the previous life.

• The cycle of death and rebirth gives reason for the significance of the Balinese ancestors.

• Every Balinese person knows that one day they too will become an ancestor.

Nyepi Day• This day is the coming of the new year on the Saka

calendar in which the Balinese Hindus ‘celebrate’ in silence.

• This year, it was celebrated on March 25. It’s a culmination of several days that are spent celebrating.– March 21: gather all sacred apparatus that symbolize the

supremacy of God in the world of the temple village– March 22/23: “Melasti day,” all of the statues of the gods from all

of the village temples are taken to the river in a long and colorful ceremony. They are then bathed by the god Baruna and then taken back to the residence. This symbolizes the purification of the village and everyone purifies themselves as well.

– March 24: “Pengerupukan” is when offering is given. All villages also hold a large exorcist ceremony at the main village crossroad, here all of the demons of the Bali world are let loose on the road in a carnival of monsters, known as the “Ogoh-Ogoh”

– March 25: Silence begins at 5a.m. and remains for the next 24 hours

• The Balinese Hindus do not celebrate the new year with partying, instead they celebrate with meditation.– No pleasure, no traffic, no fire, no work!– Everybody has to stay inside their house and there cannot

be any lights on in the house, there can be no sounds of radio and no works, everything is just kept silent.

– Activities are only allowed in emergency rooms and the maternity sections of the hospitals. Any emergencies are taken into consideration and then tolerated.

– These prohibitions are aimed at controlling one’s self and also represent their compliance with God.

• Ngembak Geni is the day that follows the meditations, where people are happy and bless their success of controlling themselves through silence. On this day they have family gatherings and celebrate togetherness.

So, If You Are Planning a Trip to Bali…

• Research the Gregorian calendar to make sure that you don’t arrive on the occasion of Nyepi Day.

• And if you do happen to arrive on that day…– Hotels will be in service, but no outdoor activities are allowed

and guests are asked to stay inside the hotel.– The whole island is in complete SILENCE– Airports will be totally closed, no arrivals nor departures (don’t

worry, all of the connecting airports around the globe have been informed about it in advance)

– No activity in bus terminals and there will be no traffic on that day in the whole Bali island.

– Stay inside your house, don’t make any sounds while you are at home, do not go outside of the house…if you need food or anything make sure you get it the day before because nothing will be open.

Work Cited

• http://asiarecipe.com/indohiseurope.html• http://www.culture.or.id/ritual_ceremonial/festivities.

html• http://www.culture.or.id/ritual_ceremonial/ngaben.ht

ml• http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/i

d.html• http://www.thejakartapost.com/gallery.asp