The Long Way Home
Elisabeth
Greenbaum Kasson
When descendants of Dutch colonists were forced to leave Indonesia, California was the logical destination
TINA ZELLMER
The late evangelist Reverend Ike, actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar and musicians Eddie and Alex Van Halen, Michelle Branch and James Intveld share something: Indo roots. So do Joyce Luther Kennard, an associate justice of the California Supreme Court, and Santa Barbara city councilman Das Williams.
If you have no idea who the Indos—or Dutch Indos, as they’re sometimes called— are, you are not alone. But their story is compelling: Beginning in the late 1950s, tens of thousands emigrated to the U.S. from the Netherlands, part of a post-WWII migration that went into the late ’60s. The majority moved quietly to Southern California and became a part of our mosaic of life. Now Los Angeles is home to the largest Dutch Indo community, with some 100,000 people.
The California dream represented a myriad of personal and professional opportunities for the Indo diaspora. More than a few followed family and friends who had already arrived on the West Coast. Some traveled coach across America in bumpy railcars from the East Coast, tired of the same chilly climate they’d so disliked in the Netherlands. For a few, collecting fan cards of favorite actors and memorizing lyrics to big-band songbooks had made the Golden State a beacon since childhood. And for all practical purposes, it was a logical choice: The postwar economy boomed, jobs and housing were plentiful, schools were good and, much like in Indonesia, the weather was glorious year-round. They may have longed for home, but they knew they could belong here.
Why did the Indos have to leave their homeland? For those who have forgotten their 17th- and 18th-century world history, the Netherlands and its maritime merchants once dominated international trade and established colonial rule from the East Coast to the East Indies. (New York was once New Amsterdam, after all.) The Dutch spent more than 350 years in what is now Indonesia, trading in coffee, sugar, spices and indigo.
The trajectory of the descendants of these traders is bound up in sweeping historical events and contains elements usually found in James Clavell novels and David Lean movies. Dutch and other European settlers married into an already diverse Indonesian population. They wed settlers from Africa, the Middle East and China, and over the centuries, they became a distinct ethnic group. With European surnames, Dutch fluency, Dutch educations and Dutch citizenship, the group thrived and, until World War II, were comfortably situated between the Europeans and the Indonesians in social strata.
Then came World War II. The Japanese invasion and the murderous Bersiap era of Indonesian independence that followed marked a permanent disruption. During a chaotic, nearly 20-year postwar period, the Dutch relinquished all of their territories in the region.
The new Indonesian government wanted no part of its colonial legacy and, between 1945 and 1965, both forced and forcefully encouraged Indos to leave. Staying meant renouncing their Dutch heritage. Gathering what little was left of their belongings, approximately 300,000 Indos climbed on boats and sailed back through time to the Netherlands, where few had ever set foot.
I meet Frans Krajenbrink for coffee at Mimi’s Cafe in Thousand Oaks. A 79-year-old retired physicist for Hughes, he emigrated to the U.S. in 1962. Krajenbrink brings a red three-ring binder with a personal history so acutely rendered that while reading it, I can practically feel the cool mountain air at his grandfather’s Nongkojajar retreat in East Java.
“The Krajenbrink family came to Indonesia in the 1700s,” he says. “It began with two brothers in Holland. One went to Indonesia. He was an engineer involved with building rice fields.” Krajenbrink, who appears more Asian than Dutch, smiles. “That was the beginning of the brown side of the family. We have the brown Krajenbrinks and the white Krajenbrinks. We even have a Krajenbrink family crest.”
“When you’re a teenager, you want to be part of a group. No one knew who we were. They’d say, ‘Indo what—who?’ We’d say, ‘We’re the last of the Mohicans.’ ”
He empties a leather satchel filled with family photographs—an intimate peek into a world that has disappeared. There is a sense of merriment about him, and I get a glimpse of the mischievous boy in the old pictures.
Krajenbrink shows me a 100-year-old-plus image of his grandfather at work in Sumatra, where he was in charge of building railroads, and a wedding photo of his impossibly beautiful parents. There are photos of children at play in lush surroundings; of him and his younger sister, Meis, in costume; a third grade class that resembles a U.N. assembly in miniature; and a requisite naked baby photo so darling we can’t help but laugh. Even knowing how much his story would continue to change, the photos are far more vibrantly alive than bittersweet.
Rudolf Goutier is a retired marine machinist and assembler. I join him and his daughter Irene at a weekly outdoor Indonesian food court at the Duarte Inn. The place is as much social event as dining experience, and everyone seems to know one another. People greet Goutier, ask if I’m Dutch and offer oatmeal cookies.
Over plates from the Balinese stand, he tells me his French last name has mysterious origins but that he has deep pride for the Dutch roots on his father’s side and the African and Ambonese roots on his mother’s. His great-great grandfather was a Mossi warrior named Najoersie, who had been enslaved in Ghana. In the 1830s, the Dutch military, desperate to find soldiers to reinforce their ranks in the restive East Indies, purchased Najoersie’s freedom with an advance on his army salary.
During WWII, Goutier’s Dutch father would perish in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, as a slave laborer on Japan’s Burma railway. When the war ended, the family would flee their home, just ahead of attacking Indonesians. As they prepared to leave, his mother sewed up a floor mat and filled it with family photographs and artifacts. Young Rudolf was entrusted to carry it.
“We lost a lot,” he says simply, “but whatever we saved was enough to bring back memories.”
By 1947, Goutier’s mother, ill and exhausted by the loss of her husband and the trauma of war, packed up her five sons and left the country for the Netherlands. It wasn’t a happy homecoming for the mixed-race Dutch cousins. The Netherlands had its own troubles. Still weighed down by the destruction of WWII, a postwar economic slump and a severe housing shortage, people there were ill-prepared for and less than hospitable to the influx.
Ben and Cornelia Apon invite me to their Whittier home. Their adult children, Robert and Jennifer, join us, too. Ben, a big man with a deep, mellifluous voice and a smile that starts in his eyes, is an award-winning chemical engineer. “My father’s side, Apon, is French from the Huguenots,” he says. “They were Protestant. His family came to Indonesia around 1850. My mother’s family was native Indonesian but culturally Dutch. She was fluent in the language. I grew up in a complete Dutch environment.”
They pull out a colonial-era map of Indonesia to illustrate how far they’ve traveled. Cornelia, a sparkling storyteller, points out her birthplace of Jogjakarta in central Java and traces the path she took during WWII, when her grandfather spirited her, her mother and her sisters to safety in Jakarta in West Java.
“My family came to Indonesia in the late 1800s,” she says. “We went to Holland in 1947. We went back to Indonesia in 1949, and then back to Holland in 1952. My father had been to Holland many times since he was a child, and this is what he chose for us.”
While the Apons are conciliatory, they’re honest in their assessment of the repatriated Indo experience in the Netherlands. Ben, who served in the Dutch Royal Navy and comes from a distinguished military family, seems particularly pained. “The Dutch government didn’t inform their population about the colonials. There just weren’t enough houses after the war, and people were suffering.”
“We experienced racism,” says Cornelia. “In those days, there were only white people living in Holland. They called us names in school. ‘Pinda Chang’ means peanut Chinese. We had contract pensions. [The government] decided where we would live and how much we could have. We had no choices and were allowed the minimum. It was winter in Holland, and we had the thinnest blankets and lived in the coldest rooms. Then we had to pay for everything they had ‘given’ us.”
Seeing no solution to the social and economic stresses, the Dutch government encouraged further emigration. Indos were tired of the lack of respect, the limited opportunities and the shortages. They welcomed a new beginning in the United States.
“Life is a mystery—how we get from one world to here,” says George van Braam Morris, a blond, blue-eyed, 72-year-old machinist of Portuguese, Indonesian and Dutch descent.”
Exact U.S. immigration numbers vary widely. Some sources quote as low as 25,000, others as high as 60,000. Facilitating the Indo immigration were the Refugee Relief Act of 1953 and the World Refugee Year Law of 1960.
“Life is a mystery—how we get from one world to here,” says George van Braam Morris, a trim, blond, blue-eyed, 72-year-old retired machinist of Portuguese, Indonesian and Dutch descent.
He, wife Jenny and daughter Cheryl have asked me to dinner in their light, flower-filled home in Apple Valley. Lemongrass, garlic and spices fill the air. They have a well-deserved retirement that’s filled with family gatherings, travel and good friends. They also both have histories that can be described as epic.
As a child, George survived the most notorious of the Japanese concentration camps, where nearly 3,000 women and children entered and fewer than 800 walked out; a postwar attack by Indonesian insurgents; an Indo rock ’n’ roll youth in Holland; and immigration to the U.S. as a single man in 1961, with only a thin suitcase, a couple of dollars and a useful trade to his name.
He started out in Baltimore, where he alienated his Church of the Brethren sponsor by daring to read Mickey Spillane and drinking beer. It was an auspicious beginning. In an interesting twist of historical fate, he left Baltimore for New Jersey.
“I can trace my family back to the early 1600s,” he says. “The name van Braam is Dutch, and then there’s Morris, which isn’t. The story goes that a merchant named Morris married a van Braam in New York/New Jersey when that territory was Dutch. Like a lot of wealthy people at the time, they put their names together. Later on, the van Braam Morrises continued their trade in the East Indies.”
The van Braam Morris story came full circle when George met and married Jenny Perret in 1964 in New Jersey. Jenny’s family fled Indonesia at the start of the Bersiap period and, with six children, began anew in the Netherlands. The Perrets wanted a better future for their children, now numbered eight. The whole family attended night school to learn English in preparation for immigration to the U.S. in 1960. “They had tremendous faith in the Lord,” Jenny says. “My dad was 45, and the kids were 2 to 21. He and mom were fearless.”
The Perrets and van Braam Morrises continued their reinvention; Jenny and George moved to California in 1972. Two years later, the entire family, save a brother who went to Hawaii, followed them out West. Like Frans Krajenbrink, Rudolf Goutier and Ben and Cornelia Apon, the van Braam Morrises were repeating a pattern of moves across oceans and continents, of establishing and invigorating roots planted before their ancestors set foot in Indonesia. It will continue to transform for their children and grandchildren.
Over the past five years, as Indos with memories of colonial childhoods, WWII and the upheaval of Indonesian independence get older, there’s been a renewed, urgent interest in this profoundly unique culture.
Bianca Dias-Halpert, who was born in the Netherlands and raised in the U.S., has spearheaded the Indo Project, one of the few English-language cultural resources. “The Indo Project has been a work in progress since 2005,” she says. “There’s a wealth of information about us in Dutch, and the community in the Netherlands is well connected, but there’s almost nothing here. After a visit back to Holland, I saw how disconnected we were from our culture.”
As with many immigrants, the struggle to maintain what is intrinsically their own can be daunting in the face of intermarriage and Americanization. The Indo Project serves as a living cultural bridge for immigrants to past and new generations. “We’ve gotten a tremendous response,” says Dias-Halpert. “It’s particularly profound in the English-speaking world, where Indos need a resource. We’re also inclusive. You don’t have to be Indo to be interested.”
Social networking has been instrumental. There is an Indo Project fan page on Facebook, as well as a Dutch-Indonesian Community page and a Dutch-Indonesian Kitchen page, where memories and Oma’s (grandma’s) recipes are recorded.
Irene Scott, Rudolf Goutier’s daughter, is 42. As a girl, she struggled to fit in and says the Internet, as well as hearing her parents’ stories, was helpful in defining her heritage. “When you’re a teenager,” Scott says, “you want to be part of a group. No one knew who we were. When I was a kid, people would say ‘Indo what? Who?’ They’d ask if I was Puerto Rican or Hawaiian. Finding my identity was hard. I had to explain myself. We always used to say, ‘We’re the last of the Mohicans.’”
The community had been so quiet in the United States that younger Indos rarely connected beyond their families. Plus, because of frequently wide diversity in their physical appearance, it can be hard to casually identify one another.
“I rode horses with a girlfriend for two years,” says Scott, “and it wasn’t until I showed her photos from my mother’s funeral and she said my uncles looked Dutch Indonesian that I found out she was, too. We had never talked about our backgrounds.”
Robert Apon, also 42, never felt adrift as a youngster but was aware of a difference. He has been characterized as just about everything but what he really is. “I was born in Holland and have kind of a European perspective, but I had the American experience growing up: diverse friends, football, etc. As an adult, I experienced Indonesian culture, too, and feel a real mix of influences. L.A. is home, America is home, but I still long for the other.”
Before I leave the Apon home, Jennifer packs me some snacks. In the box are lemper, Indonesian sticky-rice buns filled with lemongrass-infused chicken, and a flaky Dutch pastry with a sausage filling. This small kindness says so much about the breadth and depth of the Indo story.
The survival of people who traverse continents and multiple cultures while managing to maintain an identity, often under duress, is a thing of wonderment. The Indos were multicultural before there was a term for it. They are flexible, resilient and have a desire to honor the past but not live in it. The Indos are very much alive—and living in Southern California.
Elisabeth Greenbaum Kasson is a Los Angeles–based writer whose work has appeared in the L.A. Times, Documentary and Movie City News.
Categories: Compass Points / Culture / L.A. History / Travel / Trends / Trip That Changed My Life
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Not only are the Indos living in California only, they are in all states of America.
Posted by: Gladys Qualls | 02/04/2011 at 08:32 PM
Proud to be an Indo! Proud of my parents that survived the war and the camps and made a life and existence for our family! Wish i could bring back everything they lost there! The stories are so heart breaking and all so similar. I long to learn more and more about our amazing heritage! I was born in Amsterdam. Immigrated to the U.S. I'm 49, speak Dutch and love Indo food!
Posted by: Waldo Wollrabe | 02/05/2011 at 01:34 AM
I'm Dutch Indonesian. My parents and 2 older sisters moved to Holland where I was born in 1957. But because it was so cold and because of feeling unwelcome, they moved to the USA when I was 4 1/2. My younger brother came soon after. So I grew up in LA for most of my life until I moved to Melbourne Australia in the early 90s! So I am a Dutch Indonesian raised in America living in Australia! Crazy! I love this article and was spot on to what I know about my heritage. I remember those around me always called me 'indo' and it was a my nick-name through high school. We lived in Pasadena in a court filled with 'indos', then Duarte and then Glendora. I am very proud to be such a unique mix with an incredibly rich history. Maybe that is why I am always happy to try & even live anywhere because being a sojourner is in my blood!
Posted by: Pete Claproth | 02/05/2011 at 02:02 AM
I was wondering if anyone knew the total number of Dutch-Indos who were in all of the Japanese camps and how many survived.
Posted by: SoCal_Indo | 02/05/2011 at 03:00 AM
ontv.dit bericht via member Indodutch groups com
Posted by: Rob Dias | 02/05/2011 at 03:44 AM
Ik zag namen als apon(vader ex politie NNG? Naamgenoot Dias.vind verhalen interresant. Heb website www.robdias.com in renovatie.Wil mijn geschreven boekjes plaatsen als history
Gr. Hasta pronto uit Spanje
Posted by: Rob Dias,Urb Sainvi,torre 9,7C Lavilla | 02/05/2011 at 03:50 AM
This was a amazing read, as I was reading this article, I am reminded of the many similatities in this article the "white and "brown families the crappy conditions of living in quonset huts and "Coming to America" and I'm thinking is that in our dna when guests leave your house do we always pack some food for them to take along...LOL. ...GOOD JOB on the article
Posted by: Philip Loth | 02/05/2011 at 06:45 AM
Finally indo 's are recognize here.
Most indo ended up in the LA area. But the second larger's group ended up in the bayarea. Were we still have club were we get together. There is Pasar Malam Jun 12th in San Jose.
Posted by: Anna Wiebes | 02/05/2011 at 08:02 AM
Just finished reading this excellent article and now spreading the word. Very clear and concise. How I wish I could have just handed people this article and say "here,read this" whenever I encountered the inevitable questions regarding my nationality.
Posted by: Helen Buiskool | 02/05/2011 at 08:13 AM
Thank you so much for this great piece. As an Indo who grew up in Kansas it was wonderful to have some confirmation. As our parents begin to pass, it becomes so important to preserve and honor this history, lest it should become quietly lost.
Posted by: Ingrid Keizer Wilson | 02/05/2011 at 08:43 AM
I would also like to recommend to read an extremely well documented book on the subject of "Our Holocaust of the East Indies " written by a Dutch / Californian lady, Inez Hollander! The two kamps written about are Kamp Malang and the prison Bany-Biru (Kamp 10) where we were also during the war. Inze's book "SILENCED VOICES is unique as it is so well documented.! Please go and read it !
Slamat,
Gerard Lemmens in England
Posted by: Gerard W. Ch. Lemmens | 02/05/2011 at 11:59 AM
Fascinating story about yet another cultural skein that makes up Americans. Great job, Elizabeth Kasson!
Check out "Only a Girl", a novel about the struggles and cultural shifts of a family who lived through those tumultuous 20th century times. It's written by Lian Gouw, one of the Americans who knows the story first-hand. A great read!
Posted by: Kathleen Courts | 02/05/2011 at 03:17 PM
Thank you, Elisabeth for writing this article about us "Indos". We appreciate that the US government passed the Pastore-Walter Act in 1953 that allowed us to come here in 1959!
Posted by: Josta Jacobs | 02/05/2011 at 04:02 PM
Indo-Dutchies live all over not only in California. We left California and settled in the State of Washington where a whole mop of Indo's live. Other then that kudo's on the article it is very well done.
Posted by: Rene Donk-Sandt | 02/05/2011 at 06:04 PM
I am incredibly proud to find my family's history in this article. How uniquely different our experiences are, and yet the same. I joke that I am a "colonial mutt" of the British, Dutch and Spanish colonial empires combined I was born in California, my father was Dutch Indo. I moved to Holland in the 80s when I was 8, and then back to the States at 14. I am grateful that my own immigrant experience has kept me in touch with my roots in a way that many Indos of my generation in America unfortunately have not experienced. I have traveled extensively in the world; I feel equally at home in Holland and in the US, but yet I dream of and perhaps long for, a "home" in Indonesia that I have never known, have never been to, yet which I know somehow is a missing part in my life. I hope one day to rediscover my heritage firsthand. I know I will someday.
Posted by: Tanya R | 02/06/2011 at 12:23 PM
bedank,thank you,terima kashi
great article!!!
Posted by: G Tyler | 02/06/2011 at 02:12 PM
Wow, I loved it and plan on showing this article to my grandchildren. I was born in Surabaya, Java in 1952, emigrated to The Netherlands in '54' and to California in june of 1960. People used to ask me" what are you?" and I would say Dutch Indonesian. They would always say "where the H&*^^ is that.
I know who I am and where I came from, thanks to my parents and all the other Indo's who struggled and lived through the struggle. Kudos to all of us....
Posted by: Regina Baak Toussaint-Zannet | 02/06/2011 at 03:19 PM
Thanks so much for sharing our story. I was born in 57 in Bandung. My grandfather was killed on a Japanese POW boat headed for Burma and left my 10 aunts and uncles fatherless. They suffered through work camps, orphanages and discrimination. I will never forget what they went through. In 1960, after a chilly and cramped couple of years in Hengelo, NL my parents moved to Sunnyvale, CA with 2 kids and about a thousand dollars to their name. My father worked 3 jobs and my mom worked equally hard to make sure we became good citizens. My siblings and I are now successful techies, but I will never forget my history or why I am here. Thanks again.
Posted by: Jill Baird | 02/06/2011 at 03:58 PM
It's about time! I feel like we're dying out. I feel bad for my cousins who don't speak a word of Dutch or Indonesian, and have never been, nor will ever go to Holland or Indonesia. I'm very fortunate that I have connections to both. My only fear is that my future children will become too Americanized and be just like my cousins are now.
Posted by: AmbonManise | 02/06/2011 at 07:54 PM
I'm so glad and so proud to be an American born Indo, who speaks dutch fluently. It's so true that in most "Indo" homes you are graciously welcomed and well fed!
I remember growing up going to the AVIO club and many other Dutch-Indo clubs with my parents to dance and party. I wondered if my generation of Indo's would do the same. As the "Rosie" group danced it's last dance last year, I watched sadly as our older generation of Indo's, who endured the war walked slowly past me with some assistance . As they past, I felt as if it was a whole generation passing and then wondered what would/has happen with our race. Many of us in my generation married other races (mostly cause we had slim pickin' lol). I myself included.
We may be a race that many know nothing about, but I'm proud to pass what I do know about my culture to my kids. Who in turn are very proud to be "Indo" as well.
Awesome story...thank you.
Posted by: Maya Merkelbach-Feldman | 02/07/2011 at 01:21 AM
For those interested there is a 55-year-old magazine called Moesson still out every month in the Netherlands with subscriptions in 37 countries all over the world and with all the news there is about Indo's anywhere.
Posted by: Geert Onno Prins | 02/07/2011 at 02:14 AM
It never gets old, reading about our Indo heritage. I too lost my grandfather on the ship to Burma and 2 uncles, my mother's brothers. Not until the 1980s did my mom find out where their remains were buried. I was born in 1953, on the island of Irian Jaya, then known as Dutch New Guinea. My mother, younger sister and I went back in 1996. I am so glad we did, the people were so friendly and so eager to speak with us, especially learning that we used to live there. On the Island of Java, I saw where my mother lived, went to school, where my grandfather worked and the church where my parents got married in 1948. We are indeed fortunate to have lived such a unique life and to have first-hand information on how it really was before the war.
Posted by: Debora I. Fazioli-Damwyk | 02/07/2011 at 09:42 AM
I've just recieved and read this article with reat interest.In my case, both my parents were born in Indonesia as well as their parents,with their ancestors coming prior to WW1. Interestingly enough, after both families went back to Holland in 1956, my parents got married ,had me and then immigrated to Canada via the Dutch Army in 1961.
We are the only ones from their families that came to Canada and now have grown to include great grandchildren.
Ours is probably not a unique story,but regardless still a very interesting,sometimes sad and also heart warming one. I never tire of hearing these and other "indo" tales.
I truly enjoyed reading this excerpt.
Thankyou
Posted by: Alice St.Clair | 02/07/2011 at 10:49 AM
My story is like the ones captured in this excellent article and described in the postings. I was born in Bandung in 1947, fled Java on the ship Surriento with my mother and her family to Holland in 1950. My father then in the Dutch Air Force followed some months later. He had been a Japanese prisoner of war in Siam for 4 1/2 years before he met my mother. My parents and I immigrated to California because of the weather. We arrived at the Glendale train station on a sunny April day. I wore a gray wool pleated skirt and a matching jacket, socks and brown leather shoes. Very inappropriate for the climate and the culture, but I adapted quickly and have lived here ever since. It was not until about three years ago that I became aware that I am an Indo. Interesting to find there actually is a short name for those of us of Indonesian European descent.
For more information, you may want to read "Anneke" by Les Riley and Ann Pottger. Ann grew up in Indonesia, was interred in civilian camps on Java before fleeing to Holland and then came to the U.S. eventually marrying my father. I believe they met at an AVIO event. The book is available online.
Posted by: Marianne Plenn | 02/07/2011 at 02:51 PM
Thank you so very much for doing this wonderful article. I too am Dutch Indonesian, these stories filled my heart and also made me cry thinking of my Oma & Opa as I really miss hearing their accent, the stories, and wish they were alive to see this article. We have family in Southern California but were brought up in Northern California. I can remember feeling like we were the only Indonesians that existed, NO ONE knew what Indonesian was until the Nike shoes came out and if you looked insude it said "Made in Indonesia", I was so happy!
This was very nicely written and I am so very proud that I am DUTCH INDO! My sister has a tattoo that has Indo Queen, my brothers nick name is Indo and we named my dog Nesia, short for Indonesia. I am proud of who I am and I thank my grandparents for sharing so much of the culture with me.
Much love to my Dutch Indo families! God Bless.
Aimee M. Lohr
Granddaughter of Christine Mambo and Pieter Fredzess.
Posted by: Aimee Lohr | 02/07/2011 at 08:30 PM
I just read your article.
I noticed that here too, people describe themselves as Dutch Indonesian.
That is incorrect. When they or their parents have the Dutch nationality, they should call themselves Indonesian Dutch. Dutch people with an Indonesian background. I have tried to make them understand the difference by pointing out that people who have the American nationality but are for instance of Japenese, Chinese or Mexican or any other background, are Japenese American, Chinese American or Mexican American.
The other way around means they have the Indonesian nationality and are of Dutch background. I think it is because the country their grandparents and/or parents were born was called the Dutch East Indies.
Also, Indo, used to have a derogatory meaning.
Today, and especially here in the States, the word Indo, is used more and more.
People born in the East Indies and with Indonesian background, used to call themselves Indisch in the Dutch language, which had a softer meaning.
Melatie blossom
Posted by: Amée | 02/07/2011 at 08:56 PM
I too am Indo, having lived in San Diego and finally settled near Seattle, Wa. We left New Guinea in 1962 to come to Holland and like may other Indo's were discriminated against. For those reasons and seeking a better life, my parents wanted to come to the states. However it took us 7 years to get here (legally) under the 1960 refugee act. For some reason our paperwork was lost several times. We finally came to San Diego in 1969, when I was 16. My brother and I were born in New Guinea ( then known as Hollandia). Both my parents were born in Idonesia. Both my parents were POW's in a Japanese Concentration Camp during WW2. We are of Dutch, Indonesian, Portugese, French, Italian, and German descendence. And, yes, proud to be Indo's.
Posted by: Robert Monteiro | 02/08/2011 at 09:39 AM
thank you so much for the beautiful recognition of our dutch indonesian heritage.
i was raised with the many stories of survival not only during wwII but during the indonesian revolution. i am always happy to share these stories with my family and anyone that is interested.
i was born in jakarta on the island of java, indonesia 1952. moved to the cold climate of amsterdam, holland in 1954 where we lived until passing of the walter pastor act and my mother's diligence we moved to compton, california in june of 1960.
my children and grandchildren will always know my gratitude towards our ancestors so that we may live this wonderful idealic life we do here in southern california. thank you for this beautiful article which will become a part of our family scrapbook.
Posted by: pamela evitts | 02/08/2011 at 11:37 AM
I am pleasantly surprised by this article but have to say that not all Indo's are seeking for regognition. I am an Indo as well and born and raised in Holland, now happy living in Indonesia, back to my "roots". We, Indo's, are NOT the last of the Mohicans!!! We are ONE OF A KIND. The world is changing and nowadays searching for your roots isn't that easy. People from different parts of the world, races, religions are mixed. We are 'world citizens' and our heritage is spreaded all over this global.
Posted by: John Vincent Siccama | 02/08/2011 at 07:09 PM
Great article! Thank you for sharing the Indo history, it's one that is often overlooked. My grandparents immigrated from Indonesia to Holland to Hawaii and then settled in Southern California, so these stories share similarities to their own. Being that I am from a younger generation of Indos doesn't mean I don't cherish and appreciate every detail of my family's history. I most definitely do. I listen intently, with sadness and excitement, to the stories my grandparents share with me. They also share secret family recipes that I have gone on to dazzle my friends with at dinner parties. My Oma and Opa are kind, caring, and giving. My grandparents understand what hard times are because they lived through them, through the war in Indonesia. Boy do they have some of the most amazing stories! They are also thankful to this country for the opportunity they were given, to raise their children and grandchildren and now great grandchildren. The Indo history is a great history and as part of the younger generation I will make sure my nieces and nephews and kids (if I have them) will understand the importance of where they have come from and the journey their ancestors have taken. Thanks again for the article!
Posted by: Jenn Barron | 02/09/2011 at 05:43 AM
Wow! Finally! after all these years. I can relate to this story I was born in Surabaja in 1948 but we had to leave Indonesia because we were half Dutch. We lived in Holland for 8 years until my dad decided we should emigrate to America for a better life and the "American Dream". Fortunately we were sponsored by Miss Lucille Richards and we were going to California. I still remember the day we arrived June 30, 1960 at the LA train station where we were picked up by Miss Lucille Richards, who by the way, sponsored many Dutch Indo's. She has dedicated herself to sponsoring many Dutch Indos and provided us with an apartment where we could live which was located on Figueroa Street near Manchester Ave and the 110 Fwy "may God Bless her soul". So here we are after 51 years later and I am a proud Dutch Indo. Most of all, I would like to thank my parents and our heritage as to what I have become today. I am a proud "Dutch Indo" business woman who owns a computer business in Anaheim, California, Yes, it is "the Long Way Home"
Posted by: Heidy G Van Hek | 02/09/2011 at 02:50 PM
Similar story here,born in Jakarta in 1952, family moved to california in 1959 from Holland.Eventually became citizens.I`m raising my family in Idaho.I really miss the food from the indo parties in the 60`s
Posted by: Don Steenstra Toussaint | 02/09/2011 at 07:13 PM
Thank you Elizabeth Greenbaum Kasson for highlighting The Indo Diaspora by telling the life stories of several Indos in California. These stories are multiplied thousands of times around the globe as Indo families have migrated to all corners of the world in order to find better lives. This article is a reflection of the resiliency of the Indos and their ability to overcome hardships as well as excelling in assimilating and adding to the value of their communities. I am proud to be an Indo. If you feel like I do, join The Indo Project in helping preserve our culture and history.
Priscilla McMullen - Boston, MA.
Posted by: Priscilla McMullen | 02/09/2011 at 07:18 PM
I am tremendously proud to be an INDO. I am born on the island of Madoera on 2 March 1930. "The Long Way Home" article on our INDO Heritage and amazing colonial LEGACY should be passed along to the world. We're here for yet a short time and then ...we pass-away and our race is gone forever . Piece.
Posted by: Max Winia | 02/10/2011 at 10:19 AM
I can very much identify with Irene Scott, the article states, "as a girl, she struggled to fit in and says the Internet, as well as hearing her parents’ stories, was helpful in defining her heritage. 'When you’re a teenager,' Scott says, 'you want to be part of a group. No one knew who we were. When I was a kid, people would say ‘Indo what? Who?’ They’d ask if I was Puerto Rican or Hawaiian. Finding my identity was hard. I had to explain myself.
I feel like that was written about me and it is honestly nice to know and hear about others like me who have struggled similarly...I very much appreciate this article and I am going to save it for my kids. I want them to be proud and know who they are.
Posted by: Alana | 02/10/2011 at 11:07 AM
My parents and I came to the Netherlands in 1953 and to California in 1962. What an interesting background we share. I live in Colorado and our family is proud to be who we are and where we come from.
Posted by: Astrid | 02/10/2011 at 12:16 PM
Born in Djakarta in 1941 my mother and my four siblings left Indonesia in 1955 for the Netherlands. My father was killed while on a POW transfer boat. A teenager at te time I was devastated because everything and anybody I ever knew I had to leave behind. I remember the journey very well. We were on a boat with many other Indo's traveling "klas kambing".
It was on this journey that we had our first taste of non indonesian food. Many times I wondered how anyone could eat that stuff they were feeding us. I also remember that some of us kids on board would visit with the crew, they were indonesian and we would eat their food.
Holland was cold, we arrived in the middle of winter with our tropical clothes.
We were bussed to Zuid Limburg where we were put up in a hotel. 1 Room per family, with just some beds and a couple of chairs. The restrooms were communal and down the hall. We were fed only at certain hours and were not allowed to take any leftovers back to our room. Taking a shower was only allowed once a week in a wooden bathroom outside the building where the temps were always below freezing. Also we were allowed to cook for ourselves only once a week in a small kitchen that was again outside the main building. I remember that my mother sometimes would turn over our iron, set it on high and secretly cook inside our room.I called this place a prison
Going to school was not fun, discrimination very obvious. We were indeed the "brownies".
My mother would get spending money once a week I think to buy essentials such as toothpaste etc. Several months after our arrival we were given a house to rent and my mother received money to furnish it. But, every penny of that money and of everything that we were given we had to pay back. I married in Holland to another Indo who had spend some of his early years in a camp in Indonesia with his mother and siblings.
In 1961 my late husband and I left for the US and never looked back. Our lives here have been great and we are very grateful to have had this chance. What a difference the reception was when we first arrived in the US in comparison with 1955 in Holland. We were received with open arms and given a lot of help to make the transition to American life little easier. This year I went back to Indonesia with my children and grand children. It was the first time in 55 years! It was a very emotional reuinion with my motherland.
I found al of our houses back including the high school where I first met my husband.
I was very proud to show my family where it all began. I gorged on the food and the wonderful fruits. I was home for the first time in so many years. I only wish that my late husband could have shared this with us.I am so proud to be an Indo and part of my heart will always belong to Indonesia!
Posted by: Patricia van der Linde -Droop | 02/10/2011 at 02:09 PM
Thank you Elisabeth!! I'm a proud Indo born in 1951, and lived in Bandung till 1958... when we were forced out. Lived in Holland till 1962..... when we couldn't take it anymore. Thank you dad for having the courage. And this after the concentration camps. Thank you De Leur family for sponsoring/taking us in, and giving us a fresh start here in LA. Thank you to all my Indo friends from high school who enriched my life, and reminded me 'who' I was every time we got together. Thank god for Indo food, which to this day I still cook.
Posted by: joe buissink | 02/10/2011 at 04:10 PM
It's too bad my late stepfather isn't here to read this wonderful article. He just passed away on 11/28/2010 after completing his battle against lung cancer. I'm so blessed to have spent most of my life getting to know my "Papa". My children will always remember and love their "Opa" and his unique character. He too was born in Surabaya and then moved to Holland and finally resided here in the States from the '60s. The culture is something worth looking into for those that haven't yet... and those of us who are fortunate enough to grow into it, we should preserve it.
Cheers!
M. Van Der Schuit
Posted by: Monica Nava | 02/10/2011 at 08:34 PM
Almost forgot: I love how the Dutch-Indo community seems to click and go on and on with stories and memories... as a matter of fact, when I was a little girl who used to watch "Saved By the Bell", daddy told me he had tea with Mark Gosselaar's parents when they were still together oh so long ago...
Posted by: Monica Nava | 02/10/2011 at 08:37 PM
Hello, I was born in Den Hague in 1952. My father grew up in the camps on Sumatra. He died before ever returning to his homeland, fearful of being killed by the local Indonesians. I have tried to find family for the past 40 years so it is so very heartwarming to see so many writing in response to this story. We have so much to be proud of. We are the warmth and most beautiful of people! I miss my Oma and Pappa and their stories. Hderozario, Washington
Posted by: henriette deRozario | 02/10/2011 at 10:43 PM
Heart warming article, even more heart jerking to read the more personal comments related to our mixed, formerly colonized culture...gives me an estatic glow inside just taking in information that is being expressed to the world. The information from the article is not new, but nonetheless, it does not hurt to remind, educate and or inform the readers the existence of the "Dutch Indonesians". Yes, I am proud of my culture!
Posted by: Mark Schiffmaier | 02/11/2011 at 06:38 AM
Thank you for placing the spotlight on a small, silent minority which has embedded itself into the fabric of the California life style. I am proud to be a part of this multicultural, unique group. We immigrated to California in 1960 when I was ten years old. Unlike some, who left Holland because of racism and discrimination, we left because of the cold, inhospitable weather. The sunshine of California and the promise of a the American dream beckoned.
The Dutch government provided the transplanted Indos with housing and jobs. My dad had a civil service job and we lived in a comfortable apartment in The Hague when we immigrated to the U.S. We have pleasant memories of Holland and the Dutch friends we left behind. But above all, are we are grateful to the hospitality of the people of California, and the American government, who allowed us to adopt America as our new home.
Nowhere on earth could I have had the educational opportunities and the material comforts I enjoy right here in southern California. Hopefully, in this hospitable environment our language, culture and delicious cuisine may be preserved by our children and grandchildren!
Posted by: L. Bell | 02/11/2011 at 10:56 AM
hereby want to thank you for this wonderful article about the Indo's. I am an Indo, born in 1937 and my story is so similar as the other stories posted.
What I regret the most is for not telling my story to my children at an early age.
Still I want to thank America for all the opportunities I received . In return I am very proud to have served in the Armed Forces of the USA.
Posted by: Norbert Paulus | 02/11/2011 at 02:26 PM
Lang geleden was de titel INDO een scheldnaam, nu benoemt de Indische Nederlander zichzelf "INDO"
RA-RA- waarom????
Posted by: elisabeth portier | 02/13/2011 at 09:48 AM
Finally. Somebody in the press somehow found this unique story about a unique people who moved from multiple countries and settled in the USA. The Indos are the last of the Mohicans, and there will never be a colonial mixture like that again.
I love the food, the Indo Rock music, and my background. Kudos to the Times and LA Times magazine for the in-depth reporting.
Posted by: Randy | 02/13/2011 at 11:40 AM
I really enjoyed this article. It was very informative. My parents and brothers were born and my parents raised in Indonesia. I was born in The Hague, the Netherlands. My father was a KNIL (Royal Dutch Indonesian Airforce) pilot and fought in the war against the Japanese and was a prisoner of war. When he was released he was a very sick man and my parents decided to move to the Netherlands in 1947. Our family, on the other hand, did not feel discriminated in the Netherlands and they did not immigrate to the States, but I did:) I love living here, but my daughter and I go back to the Netherlands often. I miss Indische people here, when I occasionally meet them or visit them---it is like coming home! Thanks again for this most informative article! Greetings from freezing cold but the beautiful Rocky Mountains:)
Posted by: Margaret Jacobs | 02/14/2011 at 07:59 AM
Hello Elizabeth,
Greetings from Phoenix, Arizona. First generation immigrantsince 1962 and proud of it. I left Indonesia for the Netherlands in 1952 and left from there for the US in 1962. Lived in the great syaye of Arizona since then. Thanks for a great article. Very educational. Each family has its unique history taht needs to be told and the older generation is slowly fading away. However, first and foremost, the identification "Dutch Indonesian"is a misnomer and should be clarified and memorialize those who are in this catagory. Here is my explanation for it.
Indo vs Indisch
The name “Indische Nederlander”or “Dutch Indonesian” is a misnomer. Literally translated it means a “Nederlander van Indonesië” or a Nederlander ( Dutchman) born or living in Indonesia. Many experienced this at the time of our Repatriation, or Exodus from Indonesia, when they had to proof to be a citizen of the Netherlands. The correct connotation should be “Eur-Asian”, meaning to be of European and Asian (not just South East Asian or Indonesian) descent.
Then we also must include the descendants, of this group of “Eur-Asians”, who married descendants of the “Euro-Surinamese” (African and South-American Indian) fathered by Europeans (mainly Dutch and German), who emigrated from Surinam (a former Dutch colony) to the former Dutch East Indies.
The name “Indo” was used during the colonial era by the Dutch “Puritans” as a derogatory expression for the people (or the bastards) born of European and Native parents. They used the same practice in South Africa where the offsprings of Dutch and black Africans were called “Kaffers”. Indo and Indisch are a noun and an adjective derived from the word “Indonesisch” meaning Indonesian.
Many descendants of these people now living in the U.S. , whose parents are now deceased, are uncertain of and therefore searching for their roots and their ancestry because their parents kept it from them or because these parents themselves were not taught by THEIR parents or … because those grandparents (especially the European grandfathers) insisted their children be raised and educated the EUROPEAN way and did not want any mention made of their Native (Asian or Indonesian) ancestry, hereby denying the existence of their native mother and/or grandmother, the maternal ancestor.
I learned from my email correspondent in Melbourne, Australia that the Dutch and Germans in Dutch Guyana or Surinam behaved and treated their slaves and their offsprings like the plantation owners did in the Southern States of the United States. That’s why the dislike of the people of Surinam and South Afrika towards the Dutch is still lingering on until today.
In Indonesia, most of the older generation has died off and the younger generation of today, who do not know much about the colonial era, are curious to learn about the descendants of those who ones ruled their country and anxious to meet with them. Many living in the States and Canada have gone back to the land where they were born and the paradise their parents used to speak off. This time they went as tourists and as American or Canadian citizens. How things have changed.
Lest we forget those who came before us.
Robb Hoekstra
Posted by: Robb Hoekstra | 02/14/2011 at 02:07 PM
Now I know where I got my blue eyes! Ben Van Overeem, El Dorado Hills, Ca.(son of Benjamin Van Overeem)
Posted by: Ben | 02/14/2011 at 04:18 PM
H i my name is Rene Gilhuys and just love this article about our DutchIndo heritage.My parents left for Holland and then to the USA in 1962 as well, before settling in California.I always wondered how many families went through this magnificent and courages ordeal.I always think back how much they struggled to arrive here with 4 young boys in tow and how thankfull I am.I have explained to my kids how fortunate we are and the wonderful opportunities we have all due to the ancestors before us.Long live Dutch Indos and our food to share with one and all!
Posted by: RayGilhuys | 02/15/2011 at 10:23 AM
Family genealogy tells us about the family names, dates and of places whose names have changed. Albums with family pictures show us who those people were and are. With these little annecdotes and short stories we are keeping our history alive of those who came before us and and for those who will be coming after and they often bring closure. Thanks for sharing and keep it up.
Robb Hoekstra
Posted by: Robb Hoekstra | 02/15/2011 at 12:16 PM
Avery good article.Iám an Dutch Indo African born in Indonesia , raised in the Netherlands as from 1951,.The story of the Indos integrated in the American community gives us a good idea how displaced persons could find a new homeland .My wife is Dutch and so in my opinion migration ,integration and assimilation all over tthe world
will never stop .
Posted by: Bert Klink | 02/15/2011 at 03:36 PM
It's good to see that I have many cousins here in California. Our family, all born in Indonesia left and went to Holland in the late 50's. I was very young then and one thing I remember is that my parents were not happy in Holland. So after a few years we moved here to California and moved in with family in San Francisco. We finally ended up here in Southern California in 1964 and have lived here since. If you are looking for more information about the Indo story my son found a book called "The End Of An Era" by Louis Pauselius
Posted by: Frank de Boer | 02/17/2011 at 11:27 AM
Although I've known about my heritage, somehow reading about it through the lens of this story makes it feel all the more bigger and "real" if that makes sense. Proud to be a part of this small but significant community spread throughout Southern California.
Posted by: Mark Van Lommel | 02/17/2011 at 05:21 PM
I've read the article 'The long way home' and was very surprised to learn that so many 'Indos' had gone to the United States and were welcomed with open arms. I'm an Indo myself. My father's father was a Dutchman and his wife a native and my moms father was an Australian pioneer who also married a native.
I've written a book about my ancestors (the English side) as I was curious about my roots. I've discovered a lot about my Australian grandfather and I'm proud to be his granddaughter. The Indos in the US should read it for its about his life in Australia and him going to the East Indies (Indonesia) to seek a living, which he did, selling horses to the KNIL army. The book is also about how the Dutch had treated the natives and that their behavior resulted in the natives asking the Japanese for help, hence the war (World War II). Grandfather Chas is the the MC of part three of the book. The book, written in English, is available at Amazon.com and is also available as a kindle edition. The title is 'Like a dot on the horizon' by Lindsay Eveleen, my pen-name. I've done a lot of research for the book, have been to the 'Tropen Museum' in Amsterdam to find out about the war and about my granddad. I was amazed to learn how much damage the Dutch had caused the people of Indonesia. Yes, every Indo, especially the young ones, should know about their history, about Indonesia and their Indonesian ancestors and their European grandfathers.
lindsayeveleen@gmail.com
Posted by: Lindsay Eveleen | 02/19/2011 at 01:35 AM
I've read the article 'The long way home' and was very surprised to learn that so many 'Indos' had gone to the United States and were welcomed with open arms. I'm an Indo myself. My father's father was a Dutchman and his wife a native and my moms father was an Australian pioneer who also married a native.
I've written a book, novel, about my ancestors (the English side) as I was curious about my roots. I've discovered a lot about my Australian grandfather and I'm proud to be his granddaughter. The Indos in the US should read it for its about his life in Australia and him going to the East Indies (Indonesia) to seek a living, which he did, selling horses to the KNIL army. The book is also about how the Dutch had treated the natives and that their behavior resulted in the natives asking the Japanese for help, hence the war (World War II). Grandfather Chas is the the MC of part three of the book. The book, written in English, is available at Amazon.com and is also available as a kindle edition. The title is 'Like a dot on the horizon' by Lenny Harry, a pen-name. I've done a lot of research for the book, have been to the 'Tropen Museum' in Amsterdam to find out about the war and about my granddad. I was amazed to learn how much damage the Dutch had caused the people of Indonesia. Yes, every Indo, especially the young ones, should know about their history, about Indonesia and their Indonesian ancestors and their European grandfathers.
Posted by: Lindsay Eveleen | 02/19/2011 at 02:25 AM
I just read this excellent article and will keep it for my first granddaughter to be born soon!
Both my own children were born in the United States from parents who were born in the Dutch East Indies, returned to the Netherlands and who then met each other in California.
I have made it a point to tell my children about their unique background since they were small and they knew what "Indo" means.
In 1969 a book was published in English edited by J. Krancher : "The Defining Years of the Dutch East Indies" and this collection of 24 true stories about the bersiap periode will be an eye opener.
Thank you Elisabeth G. Kasson for your interest and article.
Joyce Kater-Hoeke
Posted by: Joyce Kater | 02/23/2011 at 12:26 PM
Thank you so much for "The Long Way Home" - I've searched for years for such an article! My parents were born and raised in Surabaya, on the island of Java, and I was born in Den Haag in 1951. We moved to Redondo Beach in 1956 and I remember "The Dutch Baker" coming to our house with Boere Kaas, lumpia, and croquettjes. After moving to Santa Barbara and later, Ventura, I learned he even drove up to Carpinteria and Oxnard so that Indos could enjoy all that great Dutch-Indonesian food! This article brought back lots of memories and will help me explain that although "hapa" may work as a description of my ethnicity, "Indo" is much more acurate.
Posted by: Renata Hundley | 02/23/2011 at 06:09 PM
I wonder if you received my mail I sent you yesterday?
Joyce Kater-Hoeke
Posted by: Joyce Kater | 02/24/2011 at 10:43 PM
An interesting (Dutch) site for Indo's is
http://www.indisch4ever.web-log.nl/
Posted by: Cees Vanderhout | 02/25/2011 at 05:17 AM
Thank you for your phenomenal story about the Indos. I loved reading all the comments also and glad to know I'm not alone. Most people think I'm Italian and when I tell them I'm Dutch Indonesian they look at me like I'm a nutcake. I was born in De Bilt, Holland in 1952. Mom was born in Bandung and Dad in Surabaya. Dad was in the JP camp for 3 years. They came to Holland in 1949. Mom loves to tell the story about how her laundry used to freeze on the washline outside during the Dutch winter. Immigrated to sunny California arriving on Christmas eve 1959. Currently living in Singapore where there is some pretty good Indonesian food.
Posted by: Yvonne Nix Everett | 02/25/2011 at 07:18 AM
This account is an historical one, so true, so recognisable. I saw my people going, leaving all what they owned, taking with them only what they needed during their journey to Holland, the hardship they encountered in their new living environment, socially and from the material point of view. I am really proud to read in this article about their adventurous attitude, how they are so inventive to keep track with the harsh reality of life. It's really a treat to realise that I am an indelible part of them.
Posted by: kawanjawa | 02/26/2011 at 10:34 AM
The articles was really good. Rudy is a very special Indo. I would like to express my admiration for all the Indos in the United States and especially for those who went there in the 50s- 60s and 70s and worked so hard to start a new live with their families. Our parents belonged to this generation; they passed away in the USA where they loved to be. So we will always be connected to you all even though we live in the Netherlands. We hope to publish our book about the Indos in the USA next year. Keep our history alive! It was a very special one.
Posted by: Ben Ien | 02/27/2011 at 11:41 AM
I was delighted to hear all the stories. It too made me feel finally connected. I was born in Bandung, Indonesia and immigrated to California in 1954. It was a struggle to find my identity while growing up in the States. I finally found it in1987 when I visited my homeland, returned,sat down with my parents,asked questions, and then wrote my book, Shadows Of The Puppet. What an experience to learn and write my roots.
Posted by: Mediha F. Saliba | 03/02/2011 at 07:50 PM
Gerrit Greve, an internationally acclaimed fine artist, is also Dutch-Indonesian. He currently lives in Cardiff, California just north of San Diego.
Posted by: Luke Neyndorff | 03/10/2011 at 08:35 PM
Gerrit Greve, an internationally known fine artist (painter), was born in Indonesia by Dutch parents. He currently resides in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California just north of San Diego.
Posted by: Luke Neyndorff | 03/10/2011 at 11:03 PM
Dear all, herewith our site with around 700 active members living in Holland and abroad. I started this community site after I lost my mom and there were many many questions left. We all help each other finding people back and most of all keeping history alive.
We would like to invite you as well:
Kind regards, Peggy Stein
Daughter of Aaltje Stein - Sambur (Bandung) and August Stein (Modjekerto|Jakarta)
http://nietthuis.ning.com/
Posted by: Peggy Stein | 03/17/2011 at 05:30 AM
I'm looking for Dutch-Indo"s ..i read The long way home!
I live in Holland and was born in Indonesian Bandung!
Message...
greetings
Eddy Lie
http://eddy.aloen-aloen.nl
Posted by: Eddy Lie | 03/18/2011 at 08:23 AM
hey, i am jerry pure indonesian, now i am living in sumatera island,indonesia.
nice to know dutch-indonesian people,
indonesia still have hot climate,beautiful beach and have a great foods. :)
much more people have a indonesian blood just like eddie van halen/alex van hallen,michele branch,US president (barrack obama)etc.
please come to indonesia and visit this beauty country..we always have a nice smile for stranger because we are indonesian :)
thanks for elizabeth making this.
(i am sorry about my english)
terima kasih
Posted by: jerry hayani | 03/20/2011 at 10:17 AM
I'm Indonesian and before I read this article, I have not much knowledge regarding the Dutch Indonesians. My mother's family used to live in Holland and one of my aunt married to a Dutch and is now living there. It's amazing and it makes me proud that Indonesian heritage can still be seen and experienced around the world
Posted by: Dian Malik | 03/30/2011 at 06:46 AM
I heard of this article of an indo living in LA while I was working on my flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles. He was telling me about the community living in the US. I myself 30 years born in the Netherlands but ancestors from Indonesia moves in the early 1900's to Suriname (South America) also knows as Surinaams Javaans. Came by boat via Holland to Suriname to work on the fields. There is a big community Javanese from the island Java in Suriname. Like me my father is half Javanese of my grandfather and the other half of my grandmother is African Dutch and Indian. My mother parents are full Javanese but my great parents are from Indonesia Java we think from the place Jogyakarta. We still have the tradition and culture and food from Indonesia. Was nice reading this article and that we "Indo's" have a lot in common where ever we are in the world.
Posted by: Wesley Kartopawiro | 03/31/2011 at 06:24 AM
i'm indonesian! and i love indonesia food. indonesia food is really really delicious than other food in the world! :9
Posted by: annisa notonagoro | 05/20/2011 at 09:07 PM
Enjoyed your article in the L.A. Times. I have been fortunate, I traveled around half of the world and have been back in Indonesia almost every year since 15 years. In Indonesia they ask me if I am from Belanda in The Netherlands they say, oh you are from Indonesia. In California they don't ask, I can be of any race they have there from all over the world so who cares!
On 02-25-2011 a lady named Yvonne NIX Everett wrote about your article. I am very interested in her last name being NIX, my grandmother from my fathers side was Josephine Charlotte Nix born in 1869 and died in 1918 in Indonesia and we do not have any other information about her. My youngest aunt, sister of my dad, always told me that she was family of Albert Sweitzer. Their NIX family came from the Alsaz in France, what use to be German property before.
Any idea if Yvonne is somewhere connected to the same NIX family? Any way I can get in contact with her?
Thank you,
Mae E. Berkel-Ave'
Posted by: Mae E. Berkel-Ave' | 08/08/2011 at 05:02 AM
I know Yvonne Nix and her mother. My email address is Fmaaskamp@yahoo.com
Posted by: Fred Maaskamp | 09/20/2011 at 04:27 PM
How do you post to this article
Posted by: Fred Maaskamp | 09/20/2011 at 05:57 PM
http://www.bali-accommodation.co
.
Posted by: sharma6789 | 10/18/2011 at 05:10 AM
Pretty intense.....I've been doing alot of research on Solo. My Oma was born there.She was a member of the Portier Family. Hoping to find out who exactly her parents were.
Posted by: Alice van der Bruggen | 01/06/2012 at 04:57 AM
On 02/15/2011 I posted a message "Indo vs Indisch" in response to this article. I erroneously forgot to include a very important ethnic group to it. Among the many Eurasians (Indos) there are those of JEWISH descent. Many with Italian, Spanish or Portuguese (Saphardic Jews), East European (Askanazi Jews) and French (Hugenotes, Protestant) sur-names. Their Jewish ancestors ended up in the Low Countries, the Netherlands and Flanders, after the religious persecutions during the Spanish Inquisition in Italy, Spain and Portugal and France, and the many, many POGROMS in Central and East European (Germanic and Slav) Countries. The Netherlands became the funnel through which thousands of them escaped to religious freedom of the Dutch colonies in South Africa, Madagascar, India, Ceylon, Malacca, the Dutch East Indies, New Amsterdam, Dutch Guyana, Brail and the Caribbean, and the English colonies of Australia and new Zealand. Many changed their last names to the country, cities or villages they came from or their profession, meaning the type of work they occupied.
I hope that this will solve some of the questions many among the younger generation have. Since many of the older generation are slowly fading away and have not passed on their interesting history to their children, it is up the remainder of those who are now “the older generation” to pass on what they know and not keep this to themselves.
Posted by: Robb Hoekstra | 01/25/2012 at 07:48 PM
I enjoyed this article so much that I kept it in my files. In seeing it again I remember that I also appreciate the collaged art work. Did you create it? If not, I would appreciate it if you would pass on the name of the artist? Thanks you,
Irene
Posted by: Irene | 03/05/2012 at 12:18 PM
I recently read this article today an love it. I myself was the third generation of indo chinese family. My grandmother is a Chinese descent and my grandfather descendant of Chinese-Portuguese-Moluccan mix and they gave birth to my father. My mother is a native Indonesian from South Sulawesi. Now I live in Indonesia, precisely in Ambon, Moluccas where I feel happy to be home. But for you elsewhere never feel lost in this world for the future no one knows. You still have a chance to come by or at least with the help of the Internet you can know more about your family roots. Many of which can be referenced on the internet like
http://www.rnw.nl/bahasa-indonesia (dutch news site focusing on dutch-Indonesia matters)
http://www.moesson.nl/ (specialized magazines Indo-Dutch community)
http://www.youtube.com (where you can watch the videos from Indonesia)
or traveling maybe
http://backpackerindonesia.com/
My comment for Aimee Lohr posting about NIKE shoes "Made in Indonesia", we here (back in the 90s) more eager to have "Made in America" for everything. lol.
There is one thing that makes me wonder, is there an organization or associations in the United States for indo community ?
regard,
Posted by: Angky Ong | 03/06/2012 at 08:08 AM
I'm glad to read this site.
Thanks to you all who has given your reaction and some information especially to Robb Hoekstra. :-)) regarding changing their names through the generations for several legal & safety reasons!
Your Hoekstra name, origin from Frysland, North of The Netherlands.
I copied some of the article to my family who married to an Apon, great history.
Regarding Greve, is indeed a Dutch Indo and I know of an Opthomologist with that name who use to work at the Lucas hospital in Amsterdam.
I don't know if that might be a connection.
Maybe this is a great opportunity to open up a special connecting site on "Facebook"
There are many Indo who wish to be reconnected.
Don't forget we are the Last generation, up the very end of the ladder!
The generation below us does not know much or nothing !
As for myself, I'm still searching for legal documents and registration of my grand father Tan.
He was the only "Non White" who was given the seat of "Alderman & Mayor" of Batavia, and knighted by the Queen Emma.
But up till now there is no records found. Not even at KIT.
Success & greeting from Kikkerland.
Posted by: Grant | 04/26/2012 at 04:03 AM
This is a beautiful article. My father was born in indonesia in '44 and returned with my grandparents & most of the family to holland in '56. I pressed my grandfather for information about our heritage in indonesia before he passed, but learned that the experience of being forced to leave overshadowed all else. My father married my mother in the '60's and emigrated to Canada (Victoria) in '68. I am the 1st generation born of my family in North America and very curious about my history. If anyone has any information about the van Kempen Seket family in Indonesia, please share. Roger - rvkseket@yahoo.ca
Posted by: Roger van Kempen Seket | 05/30/2012 at 08:55 AM