Indonesia’s Unique Traditions to Celebrate Christmas and Toast the New Year
Christmas ala the Indonesians Ho ho ho! Santa Claus is coming to town… Christmas carols are chiming, and the Christmas...
tradition
Drag Queens of Java
Lengger Lanang is one of Java’s most unique traditions. In the past, men dressed in drag and heavy makeup to...
Bena and Tololela – Preserving tradition in Flores
Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara Province is a combination of sea and forested mountains with meandering highways cutting the...
Under the Knife: Female Genitalia Mutilation Causes Long-Term Psychological Effects on Indonesian Women
Female genitalia mutilation is a common practice in Indonesia. Although it is largely associated with Islamic teachings, many claim there...
The Influence of Javanese Music on Early Jazz
“Jazz has borrowed from other genres of music and also has lent itself to other genres of music.” – Herbie...
Kamasan: An Ancient Living Tradition
Imagine you are a master Balinese painter, and your King has recently commissioned you to do a piece of work....
A World of Tradition
I love traditions. Family traditions, national traditions, anything that is traditional in the true sense of the word. I guess...
Going, Going, Gone: In Search of the Ultimate Longhouse
Along with blowpipes, traditional tattooing, mastery of plaiting crafts, canoe-building and the custom of wearing huge bunches of metal earrings...
The Village that Saved its Culture, Leatherback Turtles and its Coral Reefs
There are only a few beaches in the world on where the giant leatherback turtle lays its eggs. The leatherback...
Inaro the Kerokan Healer
A conversation about world of healing would be incomplete without mentioning the wonderful world of kerokan. Kerokan, synonymous with masuk...
Wae Rebo: The Duality of Tradition and Progress in West Flores
The first time I saw pictures of Wae Rebo, I was intrigued with the traditional conical straw houses in the...
Mur the Offering Lady
Mur is 16 years old and has been dutifully carrying out her task as a tukang banten since she was...
Tamara Fielding: Wayang Puppeteer
Tamara Fielding was born in 1934 in Cimahi, West Java, in the Dutch East Indies to a Dutch father and...
Kadek the Penjor Maker
I met Kadek on the street putting the finishing touches to his penjor. He started making penjors when he was...
Michael Tenzer
I must admit the first time I came across a gamelan orchestra I thought the band that had been booked...
Vaughan Hatch: Mekar Bhuana Conservatory
In 2008, Vaughan Hatch earned a diploma in publishing and editing from the New Zealand Institute of Business Studies.Vaughan originally...
Back to the Bamboo Roots: The Secrets of Senyawa
Wukir Suryadi is just back from a tour in Europe with his two-man band, Senyawa, and is now preparing for...
Raising the Dead
It is an hour before dawn as I make my way up the gently sloping hill to the cemetery outside...
Another 100 Years: Timor’s Last Indigenous Religious Community
Raja Namah Benu, who ruled since his father’s death in 2005, invited us to his place and offered areca nuts...
Wayan Sunarda: The Female Gamelan Player
Wayan is one of twenty-five ladies in her Banjar (small village/neighbourhood) who plays the Gamelan in an all-female gamelan orchestra....
Ti Tin: The Graceful Dancer
Ti Tin loves to dance. Her graceful movements and striking natural beauty combine for an iconic vision of Bali. To...