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…
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…
The Indo Project invites you to our annual Commemoration and Liberation Ball on Saturday, August 9, 2025, from 2:00–6:00 PM at the Buena Park Elks Lodge in Buena Park, California. This meaningful event honors the resilience and legacy of the Indo community with an afternoon of remembrance and celebration, featuring live music, delicious food, and…
By Jeff Keasberry “You are doing cultural appropriation and making money off it!” – a critic in a recent online discussion. Amid ongoing debates about decolonization and cultural ownership, this accusation was directed at me for writing cookbooks and promoting Dutch-Indonesian cuisine. Some argue that Indo cuisine (Indische keuken) is not a distinct culinary tradition…
Want to learn (more) about WWII in the Dutch East Indies, the Bersiap Period and the Independence War? Watch the 40-minute documentary by Simone Berger & Armando Ello with English subtitles. On December 3, 2023, The Indo Project hosted a live online Q&A session with the filmmakers. Over 60 people signed up and submitted questions,…
by The Indo Project Indos are thriving worldwide. Sometimes, however, Indos in California may not feel that sense of communal belonging or historical presence, and yet we truly are an authentic community. To this point, Dutch freelance journalist Inge Oosterhoff, has published a wonderful new long form article in the Dutch newspaper, De Groene Amsterdammer,…
by Inez Hollander, Ph.D. – Academic Director of The Indo Project Introduction Lizzy van Leeuwen’s Volksvreemd vermaak: De Oost en de West op de Nederlandse podia voor en tijdens de Duitse bezetting (Amsterdam: Prometheus, 2023) This important book tells a history that, until now, has received little attention in the overall Dutch obsession with World…
Hello to all who attended the Long Beach Holland Festival on September 5th, 2022 and especially to those that stopped by The Indo Project booth. It was an extremely hot day at 108 degrees fahrenheit, a new record since 1988 that was at 107! It was nice to meet all the Indos who participated in…