Articles tagged ‘History’
Jakarta Museum Guide: West Java
By Barrie | June 19th, 2008 |
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A lot of my friends have remarked upon visiting Jakarta that it is a polluted and a heinous traffic nightmare. Although there remarks are warranted, nonetheless, Jakarta is a fascinating city to visit and more especially if your interests are in museums and the colonial days of Jakarta under the Dutch occupation. Thankfully, the Indonesian [...]
Indonesians in Focus: Martha Christina Tiahahu
By Barrie | June 6th, 2008 | Add a Comment »
While Raden Ajeng Kartini is known as a heroine of women’s emancipation, other national heroines were freedom fighters, such as Cut Nyak Dien of Aceh. In Maluku, a brave young woman took up arms along with her male peers against colonizers of the Dutch era. She was Martha Christina Tiahahu. Christina was born in Abubu [...]
Book Review: ‘Dark Angel’
By Barrie | May 26th, 2008 | Add a Comment »
Getting to know Aceh is like peeling an onion, an Acehnese once said as a matter of fact.
“There are so many layers — peeling off one layer after another is a tearful experience.”
In the long course of this country’s history, Aceh, which is rich in natural resources, has ironically had more than its [...]
Tracing Dewi Sartika’s Struggle: Bandung, West Java
By Barrie | May 23rd, 2008 | Add a Comment »
In Bandung, West Java, Dewi Sartika is better known as a jumbled road of traffic jams, sidewalk vendors and shopping centers. At a point halfway down the road to the south of the town square lies the squalid public minivan terminal of Kebon Kalapa, with its dirty puddles and bad odor on rainy days. Kautaman [...]
Kota Museum Horrors: Jakarta, West Java
By Barrie | May 13th, 2008 | Add a Comment »
Picture Jakarta during the Dutch colonial era and imagine how people were tried and punished at the time. You can visualize it from the balcony of the Jakarta History Museum in Kota Tua, the Old Town quarter, in West Jakarta. The building was originally the Stadhuis, or the City Hall, of the colonial period. Today, [...]
Carriage Museum: Yogyakarta, Central Java
By Barrie | April 22nd, 2008 | Add a Comment »
“Come, come … please. You see Museum Kereta (carriage museum),” were the words of a guide at Yogyakarta’s Kraton (palace). He was most insistent that the visitor to the Kraton also came to the nearby Museum Kereta. The walk to the museum is not far and visitors may benefit from the shade created by the [...]
Tracing the Spice Trade Sites: Maluku Islands
By Barrie | April 20th, 2008 | 1 Comment »
A nautical journey tracing historical spice trade sites in North Maluku will plow ahead despite increasing tension in the province. North Maluku provincial assistant Hartoyo Kaliman said the trip, which is part of Visit Indonesia Year 2008, would contribute to peace building in the area. Hartoyo said the six-day expedition, which kicked off Sunday, would [...]
Indonesians in Focus: Fikar W. Eda
By Barrie | March 27th, 2008 | Add a Comment »
“Berbilah-bilah rencong/dengan sarung dan tangkai berkilap/tak lupa kami selipkan/pertanda /martabat/dan keagungan/betapa pedih hati kami/dari Jakarta/kalian hujamkan mata rencong itu/tepat di jantung kami” (Blades of rencong/with their shiny sheaths and handles/we do not forget to put on/as a sign/of dignity and greatness/how our hearts bleed/from Jakarta/you stab the rencong/right into our hearts.) The poem is among [...]
Save Bogor Historical Sites: Bogor, West Java
By Barrie | March 14th, 2008 | Add a Comment »
Archaeologists are worried a plan to construct new housing in Pasir Eurih village in the Tamansari district of Bogor will destroy 70 historical sites from an ancient, mysterious Sudanese kingdom. According to research conducted by students of Pakuan University in Bogor and the University of Indonesia in Depok, 33 of the sites are worship pillars [...]
Merapi and the Demise of the Mataram Kingdom: Central Java, Indonesia
By Barrie | March 13th, 2008 | Add a Comment »
Mount Merapi’s eruption in 1006 was also regarded as the cause of the demise of the Mataram-Hindu Kingdom and the shift to East Java. Experts continue to propound their own theories and reasons for the demise of the kingdom. There are four possible theories proposed by archaeologists. In the first hypothesis, N.J. Krom says that [...]
