LANDS AND PEOPLES
A Visit to Indonesia
INDONESIA is made up of some 17,000 islands. Its
people are known for being exceptionally friendly, patient, polite, and
hospitable.
Meals in Indonesia normally include rice along with other dishes —often spicy— and
fruit. In some areas, families eat sitting on a woven mat, using their
fingers to dip food into the rice. Many Indonesians claim that food
eaten this way tastes better.
Indonesians love art, dance, and music. The
anklong is a typical Indonesian instrument; it consists of bamboo pipes
loosely mounted in a frame. The pipes are tuned to produce a particular
note or chord when rattled. To play a tune, a number of players must
cooperate, each shaking his anklong at the right time.
Until the 15th century C.E., Indonesia was largely
influenced by Hinduism and then Buddhism. By the 16th century, Islam
gained a foothold in Indonesian culture. Europeans seeking spices
arrived in the 16th century, and with them came the religions of
Christendom.
Jehovah’s
Witnesses, known worldwide for their Bible educational work, have been
active in Indonesia since 1931. Currently, there are more than 22,000 of
them in Indonesia, and they are making an effort to reach out to the
deaf. Recently, more than 500 attended a special sign-language meeting
held by Jehovah’s Witnesses to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ.