indonesia

HISTORY

Indonesia is a nation made up of thousands of islands that stretch in a long arc between the mainland of southeast Asia and Australia. Indonesia is the largest country of southeast Asia in both area and population. formerly a Dutch colony known as Netherlands east Indies, Indonesia proclaimed its independence in 1945.it officially became an independent nation in 1949.since that time, Jakarta has served as Indonesia's capital.

THE PEOPLE

Most Indonesians are descended from Malay peoples who came to the islands from the Asian mainland thousands of years ago. other ethnic groups include Chinese, Arabs, and people from India. Descendants of the earliest inhabitants of the islands live mainly in Irian jaya (the western portion of the island of New Guinea). The native people of the island of Borneo are known as Dayaks.

Indonesia's large population is unevenly distributed among the islands. More than half the people live on the fertile island of Java. Since 1969, more than 5 million Javanese have been resettled on less populated islands in an effort to ease the overcrowding on java, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

BATIK

Batik, the art of applying wax to cloth and then tie-dying in colorful and dramatic designs, is produced throughout Indonesia, and the centre of this activity is Yogyakarta in Java.

WEDDING CLOTHES

Traditional wedding clothes are worn during Indonesian wedding. The clothes differ according to the tribe, people, custom and religion.

Large and attractive headgears are worn by the bride. Sometimes fans are held.

TRADITIONAL CLOTHES

In general people wear clothes that are similar to western style. In many rural areas and on celebrations (special occasions) people wear traditional dress. But we don't wear it (traditional dress) on daily basis. Batik is considered a formal dress. Each regional area in Indonesia has its own traditional dress.

WOMEN'S CLOTHES

Batik is the ultimate traditional garment worn by women in Indonesia. Many women wear it in the style of the kain sarong or tubular cloth to cover their bodies from the waist to the ankles. Kain panjang is a long cloth that is actually a longer version of the sarong. It isn't sewn at all, but is simply wrapped around the waist usually with some kind of belt or sash. The Kemben (breast cloth) is a long and narrow strip of batik cloth that is tightly wound around the chest and leaves the shoulders bare. The Kemben has largely been replaced by the kebaya, which is a more modest but tight-fitting tailored blouse. The Selendang (shawl) is similar to the kemben. They can wear it draped over their shoulders or wrapped around the head in various ways. It functions as a place for women to carry personal ojects in.

MEN'S CLOTHES

Many men in Indonesia also traditionally wear the kain panjang. Because the cloth itself doesn't require sewing and only needs to be wrapped around the waist, many men find it convienent to wear in Indonesia. Many men also choose to wear a sarong which is ideal for the hot weather experienced in Indonesia. The ikat kepala (called blangkon in Javanese) is a head loth worn by men during celebrations. The ikat cloth can be tied in various ways to form a turban. At one time, you could tell the rank of a man in Indonesia by the way he wore his ikat. And of course, many Indonesian men traditionally wear batik.