Indonesian Cultures

Indonesia is one of the most diverse nations on earth. The 2010 census, still the most detailed official count, recorded more than 1,300 ethnic categories, which statisticians later consolidated into around 600 major groups. Across a population now above 280 million, the Javanese are the largest group at roughly 40 per cent, and the Sundanese of West Java the next at about 15 per cent. Then comes a long tail: Malay, Batak, Madurese, Betawi, Minangkabau, Bugis, Balinese, Chinese-Indonesians and hundreds more.

The state recognises six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. About 87 per cent of Indonesians are Muslim, though regional pictures differ sharply, with Bali overwhelmingly Hindu. Roughly 700 living local languages remain in daily use alongside the national language, Bahasa Indonesia.

The national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika ("Unity in Diversity"), comes from a 14th-century Old Javanese poem. It names an aspiration Indonesians work at, not a settled fact. Understanding it, and the peoples it binds together, is a good place to begin.

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