4 Comments on “Jakarta People & Cultures”

1. berlian biru Says:
   July 1st, 2008 at 11:09 pm

   Is there such a race (if that’s not the wrong word) as “Betawi”?

   My understanding was that the betawi were similar to the natives of that other great Dutch colonial port, Cape Town, the “Cape Coloureds” (forgive me for using the ugly apartheid term but as I understand it that is how they self identify); a mix of local people with the descendants of Dutch, Portuguese, Arab, Chinese, Indian, Malay, African, British all thrown into the melting pot.

   Their slightly paranoid sense of special identity is also somewhat similar to the Cockneys and Scousers of London and Liverpool who bang on about their ‘special’ identity despite their rather obvious ‘mongrel’ ancestry.

2. M Says:
   July 4th, 2008 at 4:38 am

   @berlian biru: there is.

   Betawians are urban indegenous. Betawi pinggir, which mostly still hold ‘pure’ local blood are people whose descendants lived in Jakarta area since ‘forever’. then when the Arabic came, some got married with the Arabs and they became what is now known as Betawi Arab. Some mixed with Chinese and known as Betawi Cina, few mixed with the Dutch/Portuguese/British.

   Each have slightly different accent. Easiest to recognize is the betawi pinggir, who used to say gua instead of gue.

   Paranoid sense of special identity? My Goodness, what are you talking about? some people enjoy international status, belong to no specific land, but others like to have religious, spiritual, special engagement with their native land, ancestry, tradition, etc. It’s so human.

3. berlian biru Says:
   July 5th, 2008 at 7:44 am

   That’s me told.

4. zecky Says:
   August 9th, 2008 at 12:16 am

   Whilst it hasn’t been mentioned here, is Ridwan subtly talking about the Islamic fundamentalists?

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