Nusa Culture
Discover Indonesian Culture
Explore the history, traditions, art, languages, and stories that shape Indonesia.
14 topics
Results
- Art
Java
Wayang
Java & Bali
Shadow puppet theatre that has told epic stories through the night for more than a thousand years.
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ArtJava
Batik
Java and across Indonesia
The wax-resist textile art whose patterns carry meaning, rank and regional identity.
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ArtJava
Gamelan
Java & Bali
Shimmering bronze ensembles of gongs and metallophones at the heart of Javanese and Balinese music.
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TraditionsBali & Nusa Tenggara
Kecak
Bali
A circle of chanting voices retells the Ramayana by firelight.
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TraditionsSulawesi
Rambu Solo'
Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi
Toraja funeral ceremonies that honour the dead over days of ritual and gathering.
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TraditionsSumatra
Saman Dance
Gayo Lues, Aceh
The 'dance of a thousand hands' from the Gayo highlands of Aceh.
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HeritageSumatra
Rumah Gadang
West Sumatra
Minangkabau great houses with roofs that sweep up like buffalo horns.
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HeritageSulawesi
Pinisi
Bulukumba, South Sulawesi
The great wooden sailing ships of South Sulawesi, still built by hand on the beach.
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PeopleKalimantan
Dayak Peoples
Kalimantan
The diverse indigenous peoples of Borneo's rivers and forests.
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ArtPapua
Asmat Carving
South Papua
Powerful ancestor carvings from the swamp forests of southern Papua.
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TraditionsSumatra
Pencak Silat
Across Indonesia
Indonesia's martial art, part self-defence, part dance, part philosophy.
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LanguagesJava
Languages of Indonesia
Across the archipelago
One national language and roughly 700 living local languages, many with their own scripts.
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HistoryJava
Majapahit Empire
Trowulan, East Java
The 14th-century Javanese empire whose influence reached across the archipelago.
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HistoryMaluku
The Spice Trade
Maluku
How nutmeg and cloves from a few small islands changed the course of world history.
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