When the Dutch government eventually granted independence to their former colony, the Dutch (Netherland) East Indies in 1949, a large community of some 200,000 Indos were forced to find a new homeland. They were the offspring (descendants) of former Dutch and other European settlers, who often intermarried with women of Indonesian or other mixed ancestry. …
By Dr Kathryn Pentecost, edited by Sierra Jacobs The series is based on PhD thesis (2013) entitled: Selamat Jalan, sampai jumpa lagi (Farewell, until we meet again): Transcultural family stories from colonial and postcolonial Indonesia Section One: INTRODUCTION We live our lives in the shadow of other people… Conversely, other people are shaped by our…
Maria and Holland International Market With the opening of its doors, Holland International Market, Inc. started a new era of Dutch culture and specialty goods in Bellflower, California. The former local Dutch store, Holland American International Specialities closed for good in June 2014. It was the premier distributor of fine European and domestic specialty gourmet…
The former Netherlands (Dutch) East Indies is present-day Indonesia. The Japanese military occupied the Dutch colony in 1942 during the Pacific War, then placed Dutch nationals in internment facilities and prisoner-of-war camps (90,000 civilians, 40,000 military personnel). Some officials of the Japanese military forcefully transferred Dutch women and women of mixed race from the concentration camps…
A look back at The Indo Project’s top stories and news articles of 2021. Did your favorites TIP articles make the top five lists? Top Five Indo Stories #5 An Indo Profile: Hannie Blaauw – Camp Stories and More Read TIP’s Indo Profile about war camp survivor and musician Hannie Blaauw. #4 Living Monuments of…
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by Maureen Welscher The Bombing of Pontianak When I was 8 ½ years old, I lived in Pontianak, the capital of Borneo, Indonesia. On the morning of December 19, 1941, I visited a friend who lived opposite the military barracks. We sat in the lounge facing their barracks. We heard planes, which was a rare…
by Grieko Enter A Family Connection Inspired by The Indo Project To her surprise, my wife Henny Haarlem recognized “Oma Filon” in the Indo Profile of Charles L. Pieters from April 20, 2021 TIP story. When her husband Maurits Pieters died in 1954, Erna Madeline Filon married Opa Dirk Kuipers (the second Opa in the…
When The Indo Project posted on social media, “Please share with TIP your family photo in traditional Dutch clothing and the story behind your precious photo. When? Were you in the NL?”, its followers responded! Read below! Joan Schusler Williams and her sister Maudy Schusler Kehrer in Volendam, 1965 Volendam Costume We immigrated to Los…
by David Bebelaar Finding a Box of Letters Searching for information about my grandparents led me to a box of letters they had written to each other. The correspondence documented their lives as a young couple and all of the experiences they had to navigate together. Their relocation from the Netherlands to the Dutch East…