Trip Back to The Netherlands

This June (2005) I returned back to the country of my birth. It was nostalgic afer 32 years. This photo is me overlooking the Port of Rotterdam, my birthplace. Interesting, because now I live in Seattle, a major port to the far east. Guess I was destined to live in ports.

As I entered through Schiphol Airport Customs the official looked at my passport, looked up at me and said in Dutch "Spreek je noch Nederlandse ?" (Do you still speak Dutch ?) and I felt at home right away. To summarize the trip, it was nostalgic and interesting, but upon returning to the USA it made me appreciative for my life here. What I did like about Holland is the strong connection to the colonial history through food, art, literature and the mix of people. I'll write about the Pasar Malam Besar we attended in Den Haag in a separate article - annual Eurasian festival.

Fables and Superstition of The Dutch East Indies

These are some of the fables/superstitions I received from folks who grew up in The Dutch East Indies.

Clipping your nails at night:
I was told that you will never see your Parents die or when they are dead when you clip your nails at night and I never did until once when I came to the States and I never saw my Parents when they died. First think I thought about. In other areas of Indonesia there might be similar ones with different explanations, like yours and mine with the clipping of nails at night. I don't do it at night anymore except that one time.

Young girls:
Another story from the cook: a girl does not eat the end of the banana (how do you call it really when have a whole bunch, so each end); a girl does not eat the rice at the bottom of the pan; same problem (I used to love it); also don't eat from a plate which is cracked and all that only for girls!!!!! And they might be right; I did all those and still not married. Whether one believes this or not, there are so many things from Indonesia which for some reason or another occur and is attributed to the local beliefs.

Birthday Celebration:
One other thing is that you don't celebrate your birthday before the day itself or later. I have a cousin here who kept taking me out before my birthday to celebrate it with that or her sister-in-law and I fought it with everything I had. She said it was nonsense and keeps doing it.

Fireflies & Nails:
When you sit in the garden on a nice warm tropical evening you might spot some fireflies dancing aroud this way that way. Theiy are the nails of some rich chinese man who became rich by paying his servants too little and treating them bad. You should also know that rich chinese men let their fingernails grow and grow and grow. The richer he is (doesn't need to use his hands for labour, not even writing) the more nails he can afford to let grow. And show that to his social world. But when he dies his fingernails are sent out to do something useful. And of course he doesn't know the concept "doing something useful". So his nails just wander around aimlessly.
 

Famous People Connected to the DEI

Jane Seymour, actress: Mother was a nurse, father a doctor in the DEI. Mother was in camps during the war.

Eddie Van Halen, rock singer: Second generation Dutch-Indonesian, born in The Netherlands.

Michelle Branch, singer: Third generation Dutch-Indonesian (mother is Dutch-Indonesian).

Where Are We ?

The following are statistics from the retirement system in The Netherlands as of 2003. They represent individuals born in the Dutch East Indies who are now receiving retirement. That means those individuals lived through WWII and the Indonesian Revolution, the dark Bersiap period. If you compound the numbers from this initial list factoring the 3 generations of descendants, you can see the widespread diaspora spanning the globe.

Netherlands 51.005
United States 4.811
Australia 716
Canada 617
Indonesia 344
Belgium 335
Spain 316
Germany 240
France 219
Great Britain 135
South Africa 113
New Zealand 97
Switzerland 72
Netherlands Antilles 52
remaining countries 302
Total 59.374

Introduction

My name is Bianca. I am of Dutch-Indonesian background, living in the USA since 1962. My parents were born in Indonesia under the former colonial system known as The Dutch East Indies or "Nederlands-Indie" as they say in the old country. Mom's (family name Straver) birthplace is Pimatangsiantar, Sumatra (1918) and Papa's (family name Dias) birthplace is Klaten, Java (1913). [The name "Dias" by the way is Portuguese and comes from the former colonial power of the Portuguese before the Dutch took over]. They were repatriated to The Netherlands after WWII and the revolution which gave birth to the new Republic of Indonesia (basically kicking out the Dutch after 300 years) I was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in 1955. After 11 years in The Netherlands our family emigrated to the USA. They had been on a waiting list to get a house and got tired of waiting.

Since we left The Netherlands when I was 7 years old, I'm basically American for all practical purposes. However, juggling hamburgers and fried rice and Dutch at home and English outside the home and my tan skin color set me a bit apart from my peers. In the throes of growing up I was never that interested in my heritage. We were too busy trying to fit in.

In a 7th grade history class (many moons ago) the teacher happened to mention to the class that my background was from the Dutch East Indies. Afterwards, a girl came up to me and mentioned that her grandmother grew up in the Dutch East Indies. I was kind of shocked as no one ever seemed to know this part of history. Another time, at work (years later!) a coworker learned of my background and told me when he lived in Egypt as a young boy (he was actually Italian), he remembered seeing the "immigrant ships" come through the Suez Canal in the late 1940's early 1950's and they carried Dutch and Dutch-Indonesian (Eurasian) families. Wow, that one blew me away. So I started wondering how many others are somehow connected to this part of history and where are they ? It wasn't until my early 30's that I started to become more interested in my heritage. Curiosity peaked my interest which led to a journey to Indonesia. I just had to trace my roots and see what this fabled land is about.

In 1989 after graduation from college, I trekked to Indonesia via Japan. This trip changed my life. With a backpack I covered Java, Sumatra and Bali. By foot, by bechek (bicycle/taxi thingy), by bus, by train, by boat and by plane I tried to see all that I could in 7 weeks. There were remnants of Dutch colonial buildings and forts and churches scattered here and there, but clearly this country has its own national identity. The stories I grew up with about plantation life were in the back of my mind as I wandered through this land. Since then, I realize The Dutch East Indies is a bygone era and I've been on a mission to get to know my heritage.

I know there are others out there like me. There are also descendents who never set foot in The Netherlands or in Indonesia, but they know sambal and kroepoek, Oma and Opa, and pannakoeken and other symbols of our heritage.

This blog is a collection of things I've found on my quest. I hope you find it interesting and enjoy reading it!

Thailand Burma Railway Centre

Many of our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers were POW's during WWII by the Japanese. There now is a museum in Thailand dedicated to those who served as slave laborers on the Burma Railway. So if you ever get to Thailand, check it out.


http://www.tbrconline.com/default.asp?PageID=1

What is The Dutch East Indies Heritage Project ?

The purpose of this project is to provide information for anyone who has roots in the former Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Primarily for the English-speaking world, my hope is to make this part of history more alive for the younger generations in particular.

After 300 years of Dutch rule in the archipel of Indonesia, 1600's - late 1940's, the former Dutch East Indies produced and shaped a system of economics, trade, language, culture and a social strata that leaves a colorful and complex legacy never to be repeated. People of various blood lines, mixed and not mixed, emerged as a result of war and commercial trade; Chinese, Malay, German, Indonesian, Dutch, Armanian, Arab, African to name a few.

There are many other sites available about the history, culture, geneology and mililtary events. Most of the documentation is in the Dutch language and there are some academic papers in English.

Since the project is in progress, data regarding history, culture, military, transmigration, etc. will be sorted out. People are welcome to contribute comments, stories, photos and insights.