The Archipelago of Oddities: 10 Unexpected Facts about Indonesian Society

### The Archipelago of Oddities: 10 Unexpected Facts about Indonesian Society

Indonesia, the world's biggest archipelago, is a country of overwhelming diversity. Home to more than 17,000 islands, 700 languages, and a rich tapestry of cultures, it's a country that can't be defined easily. While everyone's aware of its stunning beaches, ancient temples, and mouthwatering delicacies, the Indonesian social fabric is made up of strands that would be unbizarre only to others. Beyond the trampled tourist trails is a culture ruled by a unique system of rules, beliefs, and tradition. The following are ten aspects of Indonesian community life that are completely ordinary in the archipelago but could raise an eyebrow elsewhere on the planet.

**1. The Philosophical Power of "Jam Karet" (Rubber Time)**

In Western cultures as a whole, time is a linear and firm notion. Appointments are non-negotiable, deadlines are inviolable, and being on time is a sign of respect. In Indonesia, however, time is often regarded as rubbery and malleable, a state of affairs well captured in the phrase "jam karet" or "rubber time." It is not just a tendency to arrive late; it is an underlying philosophical approach to life.

The urgency of Western timetables is not present. A 9:00 AM meeting is just fine to begin at 9:30 or 10:00 AM. A wedding invitation for a 3:00 PM ceremony will see everyone arriving around 4:00 PM. This is not considered rude; it is normal. The underlying assumption is that human contact and the present moment are more important than an arbitrary schedule. Racing a conversation to meet a time constraint is rude. Unforeseen rain, surprise guests, or congestion are good excuses for delay as part of how things go with the day. Foreigners in business or making friends in Indonesia must understand and accept "jam karet.". Resisting it leads to frustration, but accepting it is a lesson in patience and a slower, alternative pace of life where humans are valued more than clocks.

**2. The Communal Cemetery and the Ritual of Digging Up the Dead**

High up in the hills of South Sulawesi, the Toraja people observe one of the world's most distinctive and intricate death rituals. For Toraja, death is not instant but is a process. A dead person is not regarded as dead at once. Instead, he or she is referred to as "to makula" or "a sick person" and stays at home with his or her family, symbolically cared for, fed, and spoken to for weeks, months, or years while the family organizes the grand funeral feast, which is known as "Rambu Solo."

The actual funerals are enormous, multi-day events featuring buffalo and pig sacrifice, and the quantity and quality of animals varying according to family status. The most appalling tradition, though, is the one which follows the burial. Once every couple of years, in a ritual called "Ma'Nene," or "The Ceremony of Cleaning Corpses," the corpses of the deceased are exhumed from their tombs. The kin then carefully clean the dead, dress them in new clothes, and even take them around the village. This is not a spooky ritual but a demonstration of eternal love and respect. It is one mechanism through which the living are able to connect with their dead, update them on family events, and integrate them into the life of the people. For the Toraja, death is a social process and the dead remain part of the family long after they have passed away physically.

**3. The Village of "Witches" and the Reality of Black Magic

Even in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, ancient animist and mystical thought lies close to the surface. In Banyuwangi, a small town in East Java, there exists a village called "Kampung Penyihir" or the "Witches' Village," where the art of black magic, or "ilmu hitam," is openly acknowledged and accepted in everyday life.

They are not shunned outcasts; they are highly sought practitioners. Residents and visitors from foreign lands come to them for any number of things: in search of a love charm, to curse a business rival, or to discover a shield against an attack of evil spirits. The practitioners, known as "dukun," can be benevolent or malevolent. This juxtaposition of formal religion and strong mysticism is a fascinating duality. They will pray five times a day at the mosque and afterwards consult a "dukun" for a specific worldly problem. Belief in witchcraft is so deep-seated that it has at times culminated in ghastly vigilante attacks on suspected witches. This observation illustrates that throughout much of Indonesia, the spiritual realm is no more or less real and as potent as the material one, and religion and magic are not necessarily distinguished.

**4. The Sacred and Spoiled Children of Papua**

Among the Dani people in the Baliem Valley of Papua, there existed a strange practice for coping with the intense grief of losing a family member. Unusually, a child would be "killed" symbolically in order to accompany the deceased to the afterlife in an effort to suppress the grief of a mourning mother. Though the practice is no longer common, a far less extreme but still surprising tradition continues: the finger-cutting tradition.

More commonly, however, is a cultural emphasis on fulfilling grief in other respects, signifying the high value placed on children. More generally throughout most Indonesian cultures, children are spoiled to a degree that would be considered excessive elsewhere. They are rarely reprimanded harshly in public and have a long childhood of freedom. This can be understood as a cultural reaction against high infant mortality rates in the past, leading to a culture where children are cherished and protected dearly. In Papua, this is manifested in a family-centered culture in which the children are the center of the family life, to whom every wish of theirs is granted, so that to outsiders they are "spoiled," but in the context of the situation, it is a manifestation of extreme love and a cultural safeguard against loss.

**5. The Silent World of Sasak "Elopement

In Lombok Island, the indigenous Sasak people also have a highly secretive and unusual courtship ceremony called "merariq," falsely defined as "elopement." During this ceremony, a man who is planning to marry a woman does not openly approach her relatives to seek their permission first. He "kidnaps" her, typically with her secret knowledge and consent.

The woman is taken to the man's family home or to a temporary safe house. Her "disappearance" is the signal that triggers the formal marriage process. Her family, upon discovering she is missing, will pretend indignation and will set out after her. It is a ceremonial search. The two families reunite when the couple is retrieved. These negotiations are tense and involve negotiations over a bride price. The entire ceremony is a complex social drama where the man's resolve and the families' ability to handle social conflict are strained. For Sasak people, it is an old-fashioned way of legalizing a marriage, compressing the romance, the adventure, and the family diplomacy into one confusing tradition.

**6. The Democratic Ritual of "Musyawarah Mufakat

Indonesia is a republic, but in villages and towns throughout the nation, on the community level, there is a unique form of democracy called "Musyawarah Mufakat," or "deliberation to reach consensus." It's not a majority-voting system.

It's a "musyawarah," where all the people sit around and discuss an issue until everybody agrees. No votes are cast. The process may be tedious and time-consuming, with the aim of reaching a conclusion that all parties can agree to and no one feels defeated or isolated. The discussion is facilitated by the community leaders or elders, who shift it subtly towards the middle path. The focus is on harmony, shared responsibility, and respect. For societies that prioritize individual rights and views of the majority, this can be seen as an inefficient and even oppressive process for minority feelings. However, to Indonesians, it's a perfect value that ensures social balance and ensures that decisions are made with the welfare of the people, and not the whim of the 51%.

**7. The Belief in "Orang Bunian" or Invisible Spiritual Communities**

In addition to the belief in black magic, Indonesians, particularly members of indigenous societies, also have a strong belief in the existence of another world of invisible beings that are referred to as "Orang Bunian." They are neither ghosts nor devils, but living beings who coexist just like human beings with their own families, villages, and homes, typically in old trees, rocks, or far-off forests.

They tell of listening to their speech or music in the jungle, or of losing children for days to return claiming they lived with the "Orang Bunian." The spirits are considered to be even-handed but can be benevolent or pesky. Prior to building or clearing land, common people will often make small offerings to ask permission of the "Orang Bunian" so they won't disturb them. This quite broad belief actually manifests itself in people's actions towards nature, providing a sense of respect and caution because the world is considered shared space with unseen neighbors.

**8. The National Obsession with Baby Talk and "Cute" Imperfections**

In an interesting linguistic quirk, adult Indonesians quite frequently, especially when talking to children, animals, or even beloveds, use a high-pitched sing-song voice and speak in a simplified, generally incorrect version of the language. This is not seen as unusual but as a sign of affection.

Furthermore, cultural significance is placed on tiny imperfections that have been determined to be "cute." A child with a crooked tooth will have that feature tenderly pointed out. The Indonesian language also has a rich vocabulary of "reduplication" where words are duplicated to represent smallness or affection, e.g., "mobil-mobilan" (toy car) or "anak-anak" (little children). This cultural lens is applied to a general affection for all that is small and "imperfect," characteristic of a culture which, in many respects, has a place of esteem for innocence, simplicity, and weakness and discovers in them a particular sort of beauty lost in perfectionist cultures.

**9. The "Gotong Royong" Principle of Shared Labor**

While many modern societies are based on individualism and wage work, the culture of "Gotong Royong" remains a cornerstone of Indonesian village community. It is the ethic of reciprocation and communal labor. If a family needs to build a house, harvest a crop, or sweep a village road, the entire community will come to help, without being paid cash at the time.

Such communal activity is a social contract. The help that you give today is the help that you will be able to obtain tomorrow. It strengthens community bonds and ensures that everyone has someone looking out for them. In a capitalist, urban environment, it's absurd—why would dozens of people spend their Saturday morning doing backbreaking labor for a neighbor for free? But in Indonesian culture, it's a fundamental obligation and something that brings social pride. It is a living testimony of the principle that society at large, as well as every individual belonging to it, is in direct correlation with each other's well-being.

**10. The Societal Role of the "Warung"**

On almost every street corner in Indonesia, there is a "warung." It's small, often makeshift kiosk selling everything from coffee and snacks to basic household goods. But to define a "warung" as merely a shop is to underestimate its true significance. It is, in fact, a significant social institution.

The "warung" is the living room, newsroom, and social club of the community. It is a space that is largely owned by and for the workers, where people are not merely congregating to buy a cheap cup of coffee but also to gossip, discuss politics, view a football match, or just sit and view the world going by. It is an equalitarian space in which social hierarchies are suspended. A building worker, a motorbike taxi driver, and a street seller can all sit together on the same level. To Indonesians numbering millions, the "warung" is a logo of membership and belonging that is as strong as anything it sells, and is the unofficial but very important mortar that holds the social fabric of the nation together.

Finally, Indonesia's peculiarity, so clearly visible from the outside world, is its inner logic. From flexible work schedules and vigorous cadavers to unseen neighbors and deliberative democracy, these traditions are not whimsical aberrations. They are products of a unique environment, the result of a complex history, and a highly communal ethic. They are a reminder that normality is relative, and that uncovering what a culture is all about takes digging below the surface to observe the rich and often surprising values that lie beneath.