Betawi
Encyclopedia
The Betawi are the descendants of the people living around Batavia (the colonial name for Jakarta
) from around the 17th century. The Betawis are mostly descended from various Southeast Asian ethnic groups such as Malay, Sundanese
, Javanese, Balinese
, Bugis, Makassar, Ambonese, mixed with foreign ethnic groups such as Portuguese
, Dutch
, Arab
, Chinese
and Indian brought to or attracted to Batavia to meet labour needs, including people from various parts of Indonesia
. They have a culture and language distinct from the surrounding Sundanese
and Javanese. The Betawis are known for their music, traditions and food as well as being overtly Islamic, egalitarian
, their short temper, directness and their openness to others.
.
itself is a Malay-based creole
language. It is closely related to Malay language
, Betawi vocabulary have large amount of Hokkien
Chinese, Arabic, and Dutch loanwords. Today Betawi dialect is a popular informal language in Indonesia and used as the base of Indonesian slang.
s. Islamic teachings and traditions are well embedded and alive within their culture and social system. Ulama
(also called kyai or haji) hold important position within Betawi society. However, there is a small enclave of Christian
Betawi in Tugu area, North Jakarta who are descendants of Portuguese people.
large bamboo masked-puppet is similar to Chinese, Balinese and Sundanese artform of masked dance. The traditional wedding dress of Betawi display both Chinese influence in bride's costume and Arabian influences in groom's costume. The dances costumes shows Chinese and European influences, while the movements such as Yapong dance is derived from Sundanese Jaipongan
dance with a hint of Chinese style. Another dance is Topeng
Betawi dance. Betawi people also borrowed Chinese culture of firecracker
s during wedding, circumcisions or any celebrative events. The Gambang Kromong and Tanjidor, as well as Keroncong Kemayoran music is derived from the kroncong
music of Portuguese Mardijker people
of Tugu area, North Jakarta. While the tradition of bringing roti buaya
(crocodile bread) during wedding is probably a European custom. Pencak Silat
is a popular martial art of Betawi people.
, soto kaki
, nasi uduk, kerak telor
, nasi ulam
, asinan
, ketoprak and gado-gado
Betawi.
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
) from around the 17th century. The Betawis are mostly descended from various Southeast Asian ethnic groups such as Malay, Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
, Javanese, Balinese
Balinese people
The Balinese population of 3.0 million live mostly on the island of Bali, making up 89% of the island's population. There are also significant populations on the island of Lombok, and in the eastern-most regions of Java The Balinese population of 3.0 million (1.5% of Indonesia's population) live...
, Bugis, Makassar, Ambonese, mixed with foreign ethnic groups such as Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
, Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
, Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
and Indian brought to or attracted to Batavia to meet labour needs, including people from various parts of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. They have a culture and language distinct from the surrounding Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
and Javanese. The Betawis are known for their music, traditions and food as well as being overtly Islamic, egalitarian
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
, their short temper, directness and their openness to others.
Etymology
The name "Betawi" derived from the name "Batavia", the old and colonial name of JakartaJakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
.
Language
The Betawi languageBetawi language
The Betawi language is the spoken language of the Betawi people in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the native language of about 2,700,000 people . It is a Malay-based creole, and closely related to Malay language. Betawi vocabulary have large amount of Hokkien Chinese, Arabic, and Dutch loanwords...
itself is a Malay-based creole
Malay-based creole languages
The Malay language, through its history has experienced both pidginization and creolization. This occurred mostly through inter-island trading and interaction where people from various ethnic groups, languages and backgrounds met....
language. It is closely related to Malay language
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, Betawi vocabulary have large amount of Hokkien
Hokkien
Hokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....
Chinese, Arabic, and Dutch loanwords. Today Betawi dialect is a popular informal language in Indonesia and used as the base of Indonesian slang.
Religion
Betawi people are overwhelmingly MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s. Islamic teachings and traditions are well embedded and alive within their culture and social system. Ulama
Ulama
-In Islam:* Ulema, also transliterated "ulama", a community of legal scholars of Islam and its laws . See:**Nahdlatul Ulama **Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama **Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal**Jamiat ul-Ulama -Other:...
(also called kyai or haji) hold important position within Betawi society. However, there is a small enclave of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Betawi in Tugu area, North Jakarta who are descendants of Portuguese people.
Artform
The artform of Betawi people demonstrate the various influences experienced by them throughout their history. The Ondel-ondelOndel-ondel
Ondel-ondel is a form of folk performance using a large puppets. It originated from Betawi, Indonesia and is often performed in festivals. The word ondel-ondel refers to both the performance and the puppet....
large bamboo masked-puppet is similar to Chinese, Balinese and Sundanese artform of masked dance. The traditional wedding dress of Betawi display both Chinese influence in bride's costume and Arabian influences in groom's costume. The dances costumes shows Chinese and European influences, while the movements such as Yapong dance is derived from Sundanese Jaipongan
Jaipongan
Jaipongan, also known as Jaipong, is a popular traditional dance of Sundanese people, West Java, Indonesia. The dance was created by Gugum Gumbira, based on traditional Sundanese Ketuk Tilu music and Pencak Silat movements.- Background :...
dance with a hint of Chinese style. Another dance is Topeng
Topeng
Topeng is a dramatic form of Indonesian dance in which one or more mask-wearing, ornately-costumed performers interpret traditional narratives concerning fabled kings, heroes and myths, accompanied by gamelan music...
Betawi dance. Betawi people also borrowed Chinese culture of firecracker
Firecracker
A firecracker is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing to contain the explosive compound...
s during wedding, circumcisions or any celebrative events. The Gambang Kromong and Tanjidor, as well as Keroncong Kemayoran music is derived from the kroncong
Kroncong
Kroncong is the name of a ukulele-type instrument and an Indonesian musical style that typically makes use of the kroncong , the band or combo or ensemble consist of a flute, a violin, a melody guitar, a cello in pizzicato style, string bass also in...
music of Portuguese Mardijker people
Mardijker people
The Mardijker were a community in amongst others Batavia , made up of descendants of freed slaves. They could be found at all major trading posts in the East Indies. They were mostly Christian, of Indian and some Portuguese ancestry, and spoke a Portuguese patois...
of Tugu area, North Jakarta. While the tradition of bringing roti buaya
Roti buaya
Roti buaya is a Betawi two piece sweetened bread in the shape of crocodile. Roti buaya is always present in traditional Betawi wedding ceremonies.-History:Before the arrival of the Europeans who introduced bread, the crocodile made from cassava....
(crocodile bread) during wedding is probably a European custom. Pencak Silat
Pencak Silat
Pencak silat is an umbrella term for the indigenous martial arts created in Indonesia. The leading organization of pencak silat in Indonesia is IPSI...
is a popular martial art of Betawi people.
Cuisine
Betawi people have several popular cuisines, such as soto betawiSoto (food)
Soto, sroto, tauto or coto is a common dish, found in many regional variations of Indonesian cuisine. It is a traditional soup mainly composed of broth, meat and vegetables. There is no clear definition of what makes a soto, but normally many traditional soups are called soto, whereas foreign and...
, soto kaki
Soto (food)
Soto, sroto, tauto or coto is a common dish, found in many regional variations of Indonesian cuisine. It is a traditional soup mainly composed of broth, meat and vegetables. There is no clear definition of what makes a soto, but normally many traditional soups are called soto, whereas foreign and...
, nasi uduk, kerak telor
Kerak Telor
Kerak telor is a Betawi traditional spicy omelette dish in Indonesian cuisine. It is made from glutinous rice cooked with egg and served with serundeng , fried shallots and dried shrimp topping. It is considered as a snack and not as a main dish...
, nasi ulam
Nasi ulam
Nasi ulam is a steamed rice dish mixed with various herbs, especially the leaves of pegagan or often replaced with kemangi , vegetables, spices and accompanied with various side dishes...
, asinan
Asinan
Asinan is a pickled vegetables or fruits dish, commonly found in Indonesia. The term asin is Indonesian word for "salty", which explain the process of preserving the ingredients through soaking it in the solution of salt water. Asinan is quite similar to rujak, the difference is rujak usually...
, ketoprak and gado-gado
Gado-gado
Gado-gado , also called Lotek for its cooked version - differed from lotek atah or karedok for its fresh and raw version of the vegetable covered with peanut sauce and pecel is an Indonesian dish comprising a vegetable salad served with a peanut sauce dressing...
Betawi.
Notable Betawi people
- Benyamin SuebBenyamin SuebBenyamin Sueb was an Indonesian comedian, actor, and singer. He released 46 studio albums and starred in more than 50 films. He received two Citra Awards for Intan Berduri in 1973 and Si Doel Anak Modern in 1975.-Early life:Benyamin was born in Kemayoran, Batavia, on 5 March 1939...
, Indonesian singer and actor. - Fauzi BowoFauzi BowoFauzi Bowo is the governor of Jakarta for the 2007–2012 term. He previously served as deputy governor....
, current Governor of Jakarta. - Ismail MarzukiIsmail MarzukiIsmail Marzuki was an Indonesian composer, songwriter and musician who wrote between 202 and 240 songs between 1931 and 1958, including numerous popular patriotic songs. Among his best known works are "Gugur Bunga" and "Rayuan Pulau Kelapa". In 1968, he was honoured with the creation of Taman...
, Indonesian composer and musician. - Muhammad Husni Thamrin, Indonesian hero