Reclaiming the Enigmatic: A Response to ‘Discover Your Roots’
For many in the diaspora, the question “Do you know what ‘Indo’ really means?” remains difficult to answer. Decades of migration and “generational silence” have rendered the Indo identity enigmatic. A recent call to action by The Indo Project challenges the current generation to move beyond family myths and reconstruct their true ethno-historical heritage.
Overcoming the ‘Dutch Hurdle’
A primary obstacle for American Indos is the language barrier. Since most historical records are written in archaic Dutch, researching one’s roots can feel like an impossible mission. To address this, The Indo Project has announced a new initiative with the Indische Genealogical Society (IGV) to assist English speakers in navigating these complex archives.
A New Path to Success: The Webinar Series
To provide a basic understanding of personal genealogical research, a series of 10 webinar sessions has been organized. Led by researcher Maarten, these sessions use a live tutorial format to demonstrate how to research and retrieve specific ancestral information.
- Schedule: Sessions are held on the second Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM Pacific Time to accommodate participants across the U.S. and presenters in the Netherlands.
- Format: Each 90-minute session follows a 30–30–30 agenda:
- 30 minutes for the main topic
- 30 minutes for Q&A
- 30 minutes for spillover discussion.
All webinar sessions will be recorded and shared on TIP’s website, so you can watch anytime that works best for you.
Availability: To ensure an interactive experience, participation is capped at 25 attendees per session.
NOTE: Registered attendees will receive the Zoom-link by email.
We Invite You to Attend Our Free Webinar Series
These ten webinar sessions are designed to guide you through the basics of genealogical research, setting you up for success from the very start.
- March 14 – Where to Start? – Ready for viewing!
- April 11 – Finding Dutch Records (after 1945) – Ready for viewing!
- May 9 – Military Records – Ready for viewing!
- June 13 – The East Indies Civil Records – Ready for viewing!
- July 11 – Repatriation from Indonesia to the Netherlands – Ready for viewing!
- August 8 – Finding Indonesian Foremothers – Ready for viewing!
- September 12 – VOC Records – Ready for viewing!
- October 10 – Church Records – REGISTER NOW
- November 14 – East Indies DNA
- December 12 – Chinese-Indonesian Genealogy
I am trying to find my husband’s Indo grandfather – we know is grandmother was Dutch/German/Indo but the grandfather is unknown and only DNA will help us discover him
Thank you for sharing publicly these invaluable resources.
This is the first time I have heard of the webinar series. I am glad to see that the past sessions have been recorded and are available for viewing. Thank you for the information and all the effort that has gone into this project.
Wat geweldig deze belangstelling te zien. Ik ben onderzoekster naar Indische cultuur en schrijfster. En ik geef online kennislezingen maar… in het Nederlands. Zou daarvoor belangstelling zijn?
Alleen als het gaat om waar we online (gratis) documenten uit de Ned Ind Burgerlijke Stand, militaire registers en verhuisregisters naar de USA & terug naar Indonesië in kunnen zien zodat ik de manco’s in de genealogie kan invullen.
Duidelijk antwoord. Zelf dacht ik aan lezingen over bijvoorbeeld Pa van der Steur.
Geen idee wie dat is. Heeft niets met mijn stamboom te maken 😉
I’d like to attend all sessions.
That’s fantastic! Please register for each webinar.
I agree with Jack’s suggestion as well. The spots probably fill up quickly, leaving many not able to attend.
Thank you!
So far, we have not reached the limit. Please make sure to register for each webinar beforehand.
I signed up for the March 11 session, but can not attend. Tried to go back in and cancel so someone else could take the spot. I don’t want someone to miss out. I can begin to attend in April. Thank you!
I’m intrigued about the idea of finding my Indonesian foremothers… I didn’t think this was possible. All I have is a name passed down from the family
Too little time to register. To few spaces. Loads of Dutchies with Indo roots want to join to kniw how to trace relatives 🙁
It has not filled up, so please register for every webinar you would like to attend!
I don’t receive notifications when registers are open 🙁
The registration link is live in the article above.
Yes I know, but that’s NOT my point. I want an email that says ‘registers are open, book now’. Do you really expect people to check constantly?!
We send out announcements that registration is open every month in our newsletter. You can subscribe to it via our website.
HI, I’M MOST INTERESTED IN
AUGUST 8TH AND DECEMBER 12TH
I HAVE BEEN VERY LUCKY, MY PARENTS KEPT AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF DOCUMENTS AND PICTURES.
Hi Trish. Make sure to register!
Please archive and make the sessions available to download for those who can’t be in attendance.
Thanks!
Ditto to Jack Huster’s suggestion! Please record, archive and make available these incredibly valuable sessions.
We do. But even better if you can attend, so you can get your questions answered right away!
I will never be able to attend live. I don’t have questions, I just want to know the websites where I can find loads of information to complete my pedigree.
We have put all our webinars online and also included the presentation slides. Hope you can find there what you’re looking for.