Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
The modern country of Indonesia is made up of multiple islands (over 17,000) between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. As long ago as 1.5 million years ago early hominids inhabited the islands that now make up Indonesia. In 2003 a new species of early hominids called Homo floresiensis was discovered. Nicknamed the “hobbit man”, these early hominids only stood about 3.5 feet tall and, so far, evidence of their existence has only been discovered in Indonesia.
Prior to European colonization “Indonesia” did not exist; rather these lands were controlled by separate kingdoms and empires. The archipelago’s earliest history must be inferred by archaeologists from remnants of large temples and any etchings done in stone; the written history of the area only dates to about 500 CE. It is assumed that the tropical climate plus the very perishable material used as a writing surface caused all the written records written before 500 CE to disintegrate, leaving no written record of that period.
The earliest writings from the islands show heavy influence from Hinduism, a religion that developed in India in 1500 BCE. The religion likely arrived on the islands in the first century CE from traders from India. The archipelago’s location between two oceans and its nearness to India, Vietnam, and China made it a heavily trafficked trade hub. This is particularly true for the two largest and westward islands Sumatra and Java. With the arrival of Hinduism, the kings that ruled the islands began to associate themselves with the Hindu gods. This gradually replaced the ancestor worship that was the dominant religious system on the islands and simultaneously elevated the kings to deities and gave them more power over their kingdoms.
By the seventh century CE another major world religion was introduced to the islands. Buddhism was brought with Chinese traders as they stopped at the major trading markets on the island of Sumatra. Srivijaya, a city in Sumatra, became known as a center for Buddhist studies. Chinese sources tell us that Chinese Buddhist monks would stay in Srivijaya for more than a decade in order to study at the universities and temples there. Java, another large island on the west side of the archipelago, was also a center of religion. Hindu and Buddhist temple remains have been found dating between the 8th and 10th centuries CE. These two religions would influence and shape the kingdoms on Java and Sumatra, as well as smaller islands in the region, for hundreds of years.
The next religion to arrive on the islands was Islam, again brought by Muslim traders as they stopped by the archipelago. Islam gained attention from some rulers who wanted to increase their influence by adopting this new faith. Early in the 13th century, an entirely Islamic kingdom was established in the northern part of Sumatra. The influence of Islam then spread eastward. Sultanates would begin to be established and dominate the region by the late 15th century.
By 1511, stories of the wealth of Malacca, a kingdom that came to power in present-day Malaysia and eventually controlled most of what would become modern day Indonesia, spread throughout Europe. That year a Portuguese fleet conquered Malacca. However, the Portuguese were never able to establish a successful foothold in the region; soon after their conquering of Malacca the riches dried up and trade vanished. Drawn by the lure of the riches of the spice trade, the Dutch were the next to attempt to conquer the region and the associated trade routes. At first the Dutch saw little success as competing trading companies drove the price of spices down. After the Dutch government merged several companies into one large company called the United East India Company, they quickly established a monopoly in the region. The United East India Company decided to move its headquarters to present-day Jakarta. This caused a large wave of immigration from Europeans and Chinese people to the region. As the United East India Company grew in influence and wealth, it began to exert political control in the region, eventually causing the dissolution and separation of several indigenous kingdoms and opened the door for Dutch colonialism to truly take root. The area began to be known as the Dutch East Indies and the Dutch remained in political control of the region until 1945.