by Astrid Berg, PhD Adapted from Mixed Blood : Reconciling My Colonial Family’s History in the Dutch East Indies. Before the Japanese occupation in 1942, my grandparents lived on Tegalsari 78, a home with open verandas and a large garden in a wealthy neighborhood of Surabaya. My grandfather had been promoted to head superintendent of…
By Richard Krebber – First published in Dutch in the April–May 2026 issue of INDAH magazine. Guna-guna (old spelling goena-goena) is often seen as a magical means of inspiring love or causing harm to someone. To others, it is pure superstition. Parapsychologist Richard Krebber explains what it is and how it works. Who doesn’t remember…
Originally organized by the Nationale Herdenking 15 Augustus 1945 Comité, this annual commemoration and ball honors the liberation of the Dutch East Indies in 1945. At the committee’s request, The Indo Project began hosting the event in 2023 and is honored to continue this tradition with our community. Read through our previous event highlights to…
by Astrid Berg, Ph.D. Introduction: Understanding Collective Trauma Integration The Collective Trauma Integration Process (CTIP) supports individuals and groups in integrating trauma that has been passed down through generations and is embedded in cultural systems—such as slavery, war, genocide, and racism. As Thomas Hübl teaches, these traumas live not only in our nervous systems, but also…
From January 21 to May 10, 2026, the Singer Museum in Laren (Netherlands) presents the exhibition De werelden van Jan Toorop(The Worlds of Jan Toorop). Jan Toorop’s work is celebrated internationally, but this exhibition is exceptional in the way it brings his oeuvre together with works by friends and contemporaries, revealing the artistic exchanges that…
By Inge Oosterhoff | Article Highlights by The Indo Project Featured image: The meeting where the DURF began, in the living room of the Attinger family, 1961. Indo author Tjalie Robinson in white shirt in the middle. Photo courtesy of Attinger family archive. Introduction In October 2023, The Indo Project featured Inge Oosterhoff’s widely received article,…
by Astrid Berg, PhD I interviewed three female cousins, all third-generation Americans in their thirties and forties, who have Indo mothers and African-American fathers. I began the interview by sharing my experience as a white-bodied child of interracial parents—an Indo father and Dutch mother. Growing up, I encountered subtle remarks and impressions from my mother…
As we approach our annual Sinterklaasfeest, celebrated by many Dutch and Indo families around the world, our thoughts often turn to tradition, the joy of giving, the taste of spiced cookies, and the comforting nostalgia of childhood memories. Sinterklaas, with his arrival by boat and his bag full of gifts, symbolizes kindness, togetherness, and continuity…
By Monica Veerman Cluff Editor’s note: This article uses “Tjideng,” the colonial-era Dutch spelling. The modern Bahasa Indonesia spelling is “Cideng.” Both spellings appear in historical and contemporary sources. Finding the Words For those of us with roots in the wartime Dutch East Indies, our family’s stories often contain unspoken gaps. I’ve always been deeply…
On August 15, 2026, communities across the Netherlands gathered once again to mark the anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the end of the war in the Dutch East Indies. The Indo Project was honored to represent Indos around the world at ceremonies in Amsterdam and The Hague — including a private ceremony inside the Dutch…