7 Countries that Have Very Close Historical Linkages with Indonesia
As we know, Indonesia has a very long history. Starting from prehistoric times, kingdoms, until it became the unitary Republic of Indonesia as it is today. History also records that there are several countries that have a very close relationship with Indonesia, both from the era of thousands of years ago until today. It's hard to believe if it turns out that the Indonesian state has links with other countries that are even far from Indonesia. So, which countries are believed to have historical connections and are believed to be descended from Indonesians?
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1. Suriname
Maybe the name of Suriname is still very foreign to our ears. Suriname is a country on the South American continent that was colonized by the Dutch in the 17th century. The population of this country is only around 533,000 people. Very far when compared to Indonesia, which has a population of approximately 260 million people.
Suriname's relationship with Indonesia can be likened to brothers and sisters. Because most of the population of Suriname is descended from Indonesia. As much as 14.7% of Suriname's population is of Javanese descent. And 13.5% of the population is Muslim. The connection between Suriname and Indonesia is due to the fact that in 1890, the Dutch colonialists participated in fighting over Suriname's land with other European countries. The Dutch colonialists brought thousands of natives, especially Javanese, to be employed there.
In addition, Suriname also has a similar climate with Indonesia. Suriname is a tropical country with temperatures between 29-34 degrees Celsius and only has two seasons, dry and rainy. So it is not surprising that the natives who were brought to Suriname did not experience any difficulties in adapting. Uniquely, they still use Javanese in communicating until now.
2. Madagascar
Madagascar is a republic located on the East coast of Africa, and is the fourth largest island in the world. The Republic of Madagascar has a population of 22.4 million people. This country is also a French colony which was declared independent on June 26, 1960. But did you know, the island of Madagascar actually has a very thick Indonesian feel. Scientists even estimate that this island nation was discovered by a woman from Indonesia.
According to history, the island of Madagascar was first inhabited by migrants from Indonesia who are believed to have sailed thousands of kilometers from Kalimantan and Sulawesi. The results of DNA tests conducted by scientists revealed that Madagascar's population came from Indonesia. Researchers from New Iceland, analyzing the DNA of 266 residents of Madagascar, in that group, they found that 22% had Indonesian genetic marks. If the results of this study are accurate, it can be estimated that there are around 30 Indonesian women who make up the initial population on the island of Madagascar.
Even though they have been influenced by French, the indigenous people of Madagascar still maintain their own language, namely the Malagasy language which is still part of the Polynesian Malay family. Rice is also the staple food of the people there.
3. Hawaii
Hawaii is the only US state separated from the Americas. Hawaii was discovered in 1778 by an English explorer named James Cook. Hawaii has a population of 1.3 million people. The original inhabitants of this state of the United States of America are the Hawaiian people who come from the Polynesian language.
Not many people know about Hawaii's relationship with Indonesia, especially Java. According to George Armilage, in his book entitled A Brief History of Hawaii, there is a special relationship between Hawaii and the people of Asia. The question also arises where did the Hawaiians come from? Where do the inhabitants of this island that are far from the Americas, far from Asia, or from the continent of Australia come from? The most plausible answer would be the people of India and other parts of the south side of the Asian continent.
This assumption is supported by the names of areas in Hawaii such as Oahu, which are also said to be found in the East India region. So where did the name Hawaii come from? Still according to the same version, Hawaii comes from the word Jawai'i which means small Java, this is where we find a close relationship between Java and Hawaii.
4. Malaysia
This neighboring country is a federation which is a British colony and declared independence on September 16, 1963. Neighboring Malaysia has a population of 30 million people. The government of Malaysia is headed by a Prime Minister. Currently, the prime minister of Malaysia is Najib Tun Razak.
There are many reasons why Malaysia is a country that has the closest blood relationship with Indonesia. The first, of course, is because we are still of the same race and family as Malays. Next is blood relations, in which many Malaysians still have Indonesian blood descendants.
According to historical records, the ancestors of most Malaysians are native to Indonesia. Be it from the Minang, Javanese, Bugis, Acehnese and Medanese tribes. Even the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Razak is descended from Sulawesi. So do not be surprised if we go to Malaysia, there are still many similarities between the culture there and Indonesian culture.
5. Palestine and Egypt
If we look back at the history of Indonesia, how difficult was the struggle to achieve independence. Which the Dutch colonialists still want to control the archipelago. Indonesia did not fight only by using weapons, but also through diplomacy asking for support from other countries. The most real support came from the two Middle Eastern countries, namely Palestine and Egypt.
Egypt was the first country to recognize Indonesia's independence. An Egyptian soldier named Mohammad Abduk Mu'nim bravely penetrated the Dutch defense to go to Jogjakarta which was then the temporary capital. He received a mandate from the Egyptian government to submit official documents if Egypt recognized Indonesia's independence.
This support was followed by a friendship agreement between Indonesia and Egypt. Not only Egypt, Palestine is also a country that recognizes Indonesia's independence. In addition, Muhammad Ali Taher, who is a Palestinian leader, donated part of his wealth to fight for Indonesian independence.
6. Japan
This country which consists of 6,852 islands is a Monarchy state led by the Emperor and its government headed by the Prime Minister. It has around 127 million inhabitants, making Japan the 10th most populous country in the world.
Japan had indeed colonized Indonesia for 3.5 years, but it was from this colonization that Indonesia had a close relationship with Japan. As we know, Japan is one of the countries with the highest investment in Indonesia. The large number of Japanese products that are selling well in Indonesia has made Japan's relationship with Indonesia even tighter. Cooperation with Japan covers everything from technology to food to politics.
Diplomacy with Japan is an example of successful diplomacy carried out by Indonesia. Japan and Indonesia have been in diplomacy for 59 years. This shows how much Indonesia means to a developed country like Japan.
7. China
The country with the most population in the world is the fourth largest country in the world. And also being a country with very rapid economic growth in the world, as well as being the largest country in terms of exporters and importers in the world. It is not surprising that this Bamboo Curtain Country is the country most respected by other countries.
Indonesia and China have had a very long relationship. In fact, according to history, Indonesia and China have been in relations since the 5th century. The large number of Chinese people who explored Indonesia, made Indonesia the largest ethnic Chinese in the world after China. Until now, China is the country with the largest trading partner in Indonesia after Japan.
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