Académique Documents
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Culture Documents
1.ASHLEY
2 . C AV E L
3.MELLNIE
4.AIN
5.AIMAN
Indonesia has around 300 ethnic groups each with cultural differences
which have shifted over the centuries and the concept of Indonesian culture
is a fusion of this diversity. One example is the Borobudur temple, which is
a mix of Hinduism and Javanese culture, as it was built by a Javanese
dynasty, the Sailendra. Indonesia has also imported cultural aspects from
Arabic, Chinese, Malay and European sources.
Pencak silat
Batik Cloth
Indonesian music varies within cities and groups as people who live in the
countryside would listen to a different kind of music than people in the city.
Examples of Indonesian traditional music are Gamelan and Keroncong. Keroncong
is a musical genre that uses guitars and ukulele as the main musical instruments..
Gamelan
Keroncong team
Indonesian dance reflects the diversity of culture from ethnic groups that
composed the nation of Indonesia. Austronesian roots and Melanesian
tribal dance forms are visible, and influences ranging from neighbouring
Asian countries; such as India, China, and Middle East to European
western styles through colonisation.
During the last few years, Saman from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
has become rather popular and is often portrayed on TV.
Saman Dance
Indonesian dishes are usually spicy, using a wide range of chili peppers and
spices. The most popular dishes include nasi goreng (fried rice), Satay, Nasi
Padang (a dish of Minangkabau) and soy-based dishes, such as tofu and tempe.
A unique characteristic of some Indonesian food is the application of spicy
peanut sauce in their dishes, as a dressing for Gado-gado or Karedok
(Indonesian style salad), or for seasoning grilled chicken satay. Another unique
aspect of Indonesian cuisine is using terasi or belacan, a pungent shrimp paste
in dishes of sambal oelek (hot pungent chili sauce). The sprinkling of fried
shallots also gives a unique crisp texture to some Indonesian dishes.
Gado-gado
Peanut sauce
satay
Nasi Padang
Toraja Funeral Ceremony: The Toraja people are rice farmers and live in the mountainous areas
of South Sulawesi. They hold fascinating and elaborate funeral rites to send the spirit of the
dead to the afterworld and to prevent misfortune on the deceased's family. The ceremony is
often held weeks or months after the death so that sufficient funds can be raised to cover the
funeral expenses. During the waiting period, the corpse "lives" with the family in their
tongkonan.
Toraja funeral rites spread over several days and involve hundreds of extended family members
and guests from the nearby villages. Chanting and dance are performed to honor the deceased
and to bid farewell. It is not until the first water buffalo is sacrificed that the deceased is
considered dead. Torajans believe that the soul of the deceased will ride the soul of the
slaughtered buffalo to the afterworld. The dead is placed in a hand-crafted coffin and buried in
a cave or hole carved into cliff walls or hung on a cliff. A wood-carved effigy is usually placed in
the cave looking out over the land.