Culture and Art
Indonesia is rich in art and culture which are intertwined
with religion and age-old traditions from the time of early migrants
with Western thoughts brought by Portuguese traders and Dutch colonists.
The basic principles which guide life include the concepts of mutual
assistance or "gotong royong" and consultations or "musyawarah"
to arrive at a consensus or "mufakat" Derived
from rural life, this system is still very much in use in community
life throughout the country.
Though the legal system is based on the old Dutch penal code, social
life as well as the rites of passage are founded on customary or
"adat" law which differs from area to area. "Adat"
law has a binding impact on Indonesian life and it may be concluded
that this law has been instrumental in maintaining equal rights
for women in the community. Religious influences on the community
are variously evident from island to island.
Unlike some countries art forms in Indonesia are not only based
on folklore, as many were developed in the courts of former kingdoms
such as in Bali, where they are part of religious ceremonies. The
famous dance dramas of Java and Bali are derived from Hindu mythology
and often feature fragments from the Ramayana and Mahabharata Hindu
Highly stylized in movement and costume, dances and the "wayang"
drama are accompanied by a full "gamelan" orchestra
comprising xylophones, drums, gongs, and in some cases string instruments
and flutes. Bamboo xylophones are used in North Sulawesi and the
bamboo "angklung" instruments of West Java are well- known
for their unique tinkling notes which can be adapted to any melody.
The "Wayang kulit" (leather puppets) of Java is performed
with leather puppets held by the puppeteer, who narates the story
of one of the famous episodes of the Hindu epics, the Mahabharata
or the Ramayana. It is performed against a white screen while a
lantern in the background casts the shadows of the characters on
the screen, visible from the other side where the spectators are
The "Wayang Golek" (wooden puppets) of West Java is based
on the same concept. The crafts of Indonesia vary in both medium
and art form. As a whole the people are artistic by nature and express
themselves on canvas, wood, metals, clay and stone. The batik process
of waxing and dyeing originated in Java centuries ago and classic
designs have been modified with modern trends in both pattern and
technology. There are several centres of Batik in Java, the major
ones being Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Pekalongan and Cirebon.
Batik is also being produced in some other areas as in Bali where
local designs are incorporated. Other provinces produce hand-woven
cloths of gold and silver threads, silks or cottons with intricate
designs. Painting are numerous all over the country, both traditional
and contemporary, woodcarvings for ornamentation and furniture,
silverwork and engraving form Yogyakarta and Sumatra, filgree from
South Sulawesi and Bali with different styles of clay, sandstone
and wood sculptures. These are but a few of the handicrafts found