Indos in the USA-Where Are You ?

Pasadena, California, early 1960's the first Indos, De SOOS club

It is estimated that around 60,000 Indos (Indisch or Dutch-Indonesians) emigrated from The Netherlands to the USA in the early 1960's under the Paster-Walter Act which allowed us to come to the USA outside of the immigration population quota of 3000. I have not been able to verify this Paster/Pastor/Pastore-Walter Act through any of the government archives available on line. If anyone out there have another means of verification please send it my way.

Because Nederlandse/Dutch-Indonesians were classified as Dutch it is unclear as to how many actually landed on U.S. soil. The highest concentration started out in California. However, we know now that we are all over the North American continent. For instance, my family started out in Wisconsin the first couple years and ended up in Washington state because we had extended family there. My father's side of the family started out in Massachusetts and ended up on Oregon. What is your story ? If you'd like to volunteer, please leave comment on what state/country you live in.

Halloween 2008

Two Jewish guys with their Dutch-Indonesian wives:

Oscar and Bianca, Josh and Priscilla.

(Halloween 2008)

Mata Hari

Are we related ??? It is reported through the family grapevine that Mata Hari is in our family tree. It certainly provides a new twist in my geneology as my research continues.

Born in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands by the name of Margaretha Geertruida "Grietje" Zelle 7-Aug-1876, she led a life that was far ahead of her time. Unfortunately her colorful life ended by execution on 5-Oct-1917 in Vincennes, France during WWI. Accused of being a German spy and espionage "Mata Hari" fell victim to her own creation.

After a winding road of a privileged childhood, family disruption, and displacement her adventures started by marrying a Dutch Colonial officer by the name of McLeod. Shortly thereafter they transferred to Java, Dutch East Indies. He turned out to be not such a nice guy and they divorced. She escaped the woes of her miserable marriage by studying the local culture and joined a local dance troupe. Thus, the theatrical persona of "Mata Hari" was created. In Malay it means "eye of the day". Because of her looks (un-Dutch like) she convinced a lot of her audience that she was a mysterious Hindu princess or something like that.

Her "career" really took off in France as a type of courtesan, moving in circles of very powerful men of that era. After her execution her body was not claimed by any family members and was offered to medical research. Her head was preserved in a museum but got lost after the museum moved !!! So many mysteries.... If we are indeed related, it would be quite a story to pass down !

Bali

Click on Bali title to view video..

Bali is my favorite place on earth. I traveled through the island in 1989 and have intentions to return. My parents went there right after they were married in 1947 on a military assignment. It was not a honeymoon. It was during the Indonesian revolution and my dad was assigned to be part of the stabilizing forces (right after his POW discharge - another story...). At that time there were no Yoga retreats and luxury villas, etc. However, Bali remains to have a strong identity in the face of many changes and the key element is the people and their belief system.

I'm Back !!!

After some life distractions, I'm finally back on track with this blog/project which has never left my heart. A key highlight was attending a Holland Festival in Long Beach, CA in May which had quite a concentration of Indo families - met a lot of wonderful and interesting folks. It was a family reunion with people I never met !!! Clearly, there's a hunger to preserve the memory of our heritage and to capture the legacy of our parents and grandparents. More stories to come. Glad to be back..... Bianca

What Are Our Occupations ?

This subject is always fascinating as life has its many twists and turns along the way. People from the former Dutch East Indies and their descendants come from such a diverse background that their work tends to follow suit. Here are just a few samples in my circle. I welcome yours to add to this list:


Environmental Health Specialist
Engineer
Mortgage Loan Officer
Carpenter
Health Claims Processor
Pharmacy Technician
Yoga Instructor
Medical Transcriptionist
Events Planner
Animal Rights Activist
Car Salesman
Banker
Doctor
Auto Mechanic
Nurse
Administrator
Teacher
Author
Chemist
Artist
UPS Driver
Sales Rep
Musician

Oma Brouwer (Grandma Brouwer)

When my parents first moved to Holland in 1950 from Indonesia they faced much discrimination by the Dutch people. Even though Indonesia was a colony for over 300+ years, the Dutch society knew little about it and its people. They viewed the former colonial subjects as inferior and primitive, even though they had Dutch citizen status and Dutch blood running through their veins. The distinction was the color of their skin and the funny dialect they spoke. Dutch-Indonesians or "Indo"s come in varying shades of brown; cafe latte to dark chocolate and all in between. Many had Dutch last names.

With this background in mind, my parents had to begin a new life in a 3-room flat in Rotterdam with 6 children. Accustomed to servants, a cook and nanny, Mom was lost as to how to run a household, cook, shopping, etc. Our neighbors above, Mr. and Mrs. Brouwer, complained about the noise us kids were making running back and forth and the strong odors coming from our flat (Indonesian cooking). Somewhere along the line Mrs. Brouwer's dismay turned to compassion as she saw my mom struggling with the overwhelming task of daily life. Gradually she became my mom's mentor and most staunch ally. Their bond became so strong us kids called her "Oma Brouwer" and I actually thought she was my grandma or at least an exra one !

Oma Brouwer guided my mom in the ways of domestic management. Laundry day is Monday, market days are Tue and Thurs, etc. She showed her how to set up a household schedule and delegate chores to the family. The boys would fetch the coal for the stove and haul it up the typical vertical narrow Dutch stairway to our flat. She was there with each birth as four of us were born in Rotterdam. Since most of the births were at home with a midwife, the rest of the kids went upstairs to Oma Brouwer's place. She became my mother's rock and anchor in this changing new world.

My most vivid memory took place on a rainy evening. It was a heavy downpour. Our doorbell rang hard & fast. We peeked down the narrow staircase where at the bottom was Oma Brouwer in tears and all disheveled. She was crying, her hair hanging down in strings, her nylon stockings were run and her knees were skinned and bleeding. She had fallen on the pavement walking home. My parents rushed down to help her up the stairs. I was totally in awe. I had never seen an adult cry before and thought "wow grownups cry !".

When it was time for us to leave Holland for America it was a bittersweet goodbye.
Mom said that Oma Brouwer could not hold back her tears, gave us all a kiss and waved goodbye. Mom told me that once a Dutch person is your friend, they back you up 100% and remain loyal forever.

And that was Oma Brouwer's legacy...... her memory has stayed in our hearts after all these years.

How Do We End Up Where We Are ?

Many of us have traveled down a twisting pathway forged by our parents or grandparents that was shaped by economic, political and religious circumstances. I live in the Seattle, WA area today because of some missionaries who came to Indonesia in 1938. The Reverend R. A. Busby from Bethel Tempel (which still stands in downtown Seattle) came to Batavia (now Jakarta) as a missionary for the Assembly of God. My mother and her family were converted by the Pentacostal ("Pinkster" in Dutch) missionaries when she was a young girl. After fleeing Indonesia in 1948 to The Netherlands, some cousins went ahead of us and emigrated to the USA sponsored by the Busbies of Seattle. We followed in 1962 and eventually in 1964 were sponsored by those cousins and moved to Seattle. Each move was a stepping stone to the next.

Photo on right is circa 1945. My mother is the one sitting properly on the first row far right with the white shoes (age 27). This was a Bible School class in Indonesia.
click on title to access link about the missionaries for further history

Our Furry Companions

Paco is our little Chihuahua who is pure joy and a wonderful little companion.
Pico is the little cockatiel on my shoulder looking down at Paco. Unfortunately we lost Pico about a month after this photo was taken. He flew away outside. They were just getting to know each other as Paco came as a little 7-week-old puppy (all 1-1/2 lbs!). Animals have feelings and moods. My husband used to give neck massages to Pico (the bird). It got to the point that Pico would nudge him with his beak whenever he wanted a massage. Animals respond to energy. In some of my darkest moments, little Paco sensed my sadness and would stay by me quietly just looking. I consider pets as a gift from God.

The Passing of My Mother

Mom with myself and newborn baby sister Jeanette, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 1960

I lost my mother on December 21, 2006. After a massive stroke almost a month prior, she peacefully passed on to be with her maker. This period of time was both heartwrenching and deeply profound as we exchanged last words and held onto one another.  Wilhelmina Johanna Caroline Straver was born on June 21, 1918 in Pimatangsiantar, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).  

This loss eclipses other losses; a link to my past, my heritage, my roots, a symbol of a bygone era, of another world that no longer exists. Certain objects evoke memories of my Mom and the era she came from: A dainty teacup and saucer. A floral handkerchief with scalloped edging scented with her perfume. A powder puff with her favorite talcum powder. Her Dutch bible. Her pair of "inside" shoes and "outside" shoes - they were identical, but she knew the difference. I miss her very much. I'm very happy we got to make spekkoek together during our last holiday season of 2005. 

Mom was born on the longest day of the year and died on the shortest day of the year.

You will always be a part of me.

Dutch East Indies Geneological Association

"Indische Geneologische Vereniging (IGV)" is the Dutch East Indies Geneological Association. This association is based out of The Netherlands. The database is gleaned from what used to be the Civil Registry of Dutch East Indies for Europeans which was established in October 1828 to end of December 1949. This registry was not taken to The Netherlands after the transfer of sovereignty (Indonesian Revolution). The list of of names is from a series of files and cards extracted from the Civil Registry and kept in The Hague. Fortunately, there is an English version to using this database. Please click on the green title link above.

1918 Dutch East Indies - The baby sitting on her grandmother's (my greatgrandmother "Oma Wilkens") lap is my mother. The two girls on the right are her older sisters (Tante Juul en Tante Ellie) and the two boy on the upper left is her brother Harry and the blond boy is her cousin Max)

Obscure Fact Series: Chile Connection

Obscure Fact:
Marie A Hagenaar Vogelzang - Married the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda in Batavia in 1930 when he served as Consul from Chile. Maria Antonia Hagenaar was born 5/3/1900 in Djokjakarta, she married 6/12/1930 in Batavia, and she died 3/27/1965. Her father was
Richard Peter Fedor Hagenaar and her mother was Antonia Helena Vogelzang, both were born in Indonesia. The maternal grandmother was Maria Mathilda ten Cate. The ten Cate side is thought to be of Javanese descent. Maria was described as a tall, cold dutch woman.

History of Jazz in Dutch East Indies

Did you know that Dutch colonists brought Jazz to the islands ? It was considered emperialistic as it was from the West.
Some of the earliest jazz performers were the Indos (Dutch-Indonesians) in the 1930-1940's. Click on green title above for link to article from the Jakarta Post newspaper.

Pasar Malam Besar

This is me standing in front of the entrance to the Pasar Malam Besar ("Evening Market" in the Indonesian language). As I entered I was transformed by the sounds of crickets and various aromas of spices and flowers.

This is probably the world's largest Eurasian festival in the world. Its roots lie in the Dutch East Indies. Eurasians are the descendents of a mixed breed primarily between the Dutch and Indonesians. It's kind of like a big family reunion and a time to check in with one's roots in the form of dance, music, crafts and of course FOOD ! My husband and I were there in 2005 and really enjoyed it. The series of tents looked like Cirque So Le. One does not have to be Eurasian to attend - in fact, many other ethnic groups attend plus the Dutch and other Europeans because it's so colorful and festive and has great food. It is worth seeing at least once in a lifetime. Click on the green link above for more details.

The Japanese Invasion

The Japanese invaded and occupied the Dutch East Indies from 1941 to 1945. Many of our grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins were in the middle of this occupation. They endured P.O.W. camps, internment camps, torture and eventual evacuation never to see their homeland again. Please click on the green link above regarding the Dutch East Indies 1941-1942 campaign.

Old Wedding Photos

I just love old wedding photos from the Dutch East Indies. Please share yours if you have any.

Who Have We Married ?

I think people with roots going back to the former Dutch East Indies have the most diversity- long before "diversity" became a popuplar sociopolitical term. It is reflected in our patterns of marriage. Whether they are a totok (pure Dutch), an Indo (Dutch-Indonesian mix) or any other European-Asian mix or even the Blanda Hitam (African) they sure do know how to make the world go round so-to-speak. Just in my circle we have married Jews, French-Vietnamese, African-American, French, Chinese-Indonesians, Norwegian-Americans, Italian. Other families I know of have married Puerto-Ricans, Lebanese, East Indian, Mexican, Native American. The Dutch East Indies in its hay-day was a microcosm of a United Nations. Please share your stories of the rich diversity of this legacy.

Old Colonial Maps Invaluable for Tsunami Relief

An article in The Windmill Post January 25, 2006 stated how invaluable old maps from the colonial times of Indonesia (Dutch East Indies) became in helping relief organizations find their way to the tsunami-stricken areas. They are only accessible on the website of the Royal Institute for the Tropics (KIT) in Amsterdam.

Martial Arts - Penjak Silat

Penjak Silat is a form of self-defense developed out of the martial arts of Indonesia refined by Dutch-Indonesians who brought noteriety to its art form to the Western world.

How Do You Measure Rice ?

I had an interesting experience the other day in a grocery store which evoked memories of my childhood. I was looking for some black sticky rice. The sales clerk asked if I needed any help. She was Asian in a non-Asian grocey store and we were in the Asian section. She found it for me and I asked her what the ratio was between rice and water for cooking. She looked at me perplexed and shrugged, "I don't know, I've always just used my finger up to the first line". Immediately we connected. My parents did that all the time when they cooked rice and for some reason, it's kind of faded away from me over the years.