Figure 1.--This fascinating photograph was probably taken in the 1930s, although a reader believes it was a lirrle earlier perhaps the 1920s. This was during the Dutch colonial era and shows boys in a boat at Martapura on a Barito River island. Martapura was located on southeastern Borneo, an island split between the Dutch and British, Martapura was originally named Kayutang, ihe last capital of the Sultanate of Banjar. It was a santri city. The Santri are a cultural stream who practice a more orthodox version of Islam than the more common moderate Islamic pratices. Martapura is sometimes referred to as kota Veranda of Mecca because there are many santris who wear white pilgarmage atire who walk up and down memorizing Koranic verses, similar to hajj season for pilgrimages to Mecca. The dealer selling the photograph describes the children as school boys. We see no evidence that they were school boys, although it is possible the boys are arriving at a school by boat. We suspect that the dealer just assumed boys this age attended school. There were schools in the cities, but most Indonesin boys did not attend school during the Dutch colonial period. These boys wear what look like shirts with traditional clothing. We see no sign of Dutch colonial influence. It is likely that the clothes they are wearing, exceopt for the shirts, are little changed from the styles worn when the Dutch first arrived. Click on the image for a fuller discussion.

We have little information on Indonesian clothing until modern times. Our Indonesian archive is still very limited making any detailed chronological assessment imppssible at this time. . Hindu ivaders from India established kingdoms during the first centuries of the Christain era. Islamic invaders in the 15th century converted most of what is now Indonesia, except Bali. We are not sure to what extent this affected clothing if at all. We think boys in many areas wore traditional clothing until after World War II. We do see boys wearing Western clothing in the cities before the War, but do not yet know how common that was. Our initial assssment is that Dutch influence did not pentrate much into rural areas where the great bulk of the Idonesian peope lived. Indonesia is a very large diverse country. We do not know much about regional differences, butsopme iages suggest considerable similarities with the

Pre-colonial Era

Hindu ivaders from India established kingdoms during the first centuries of the Christain era. Islamic invaders in the 15th century converted most of what is now Indonesia, except Bali. We are not sure to what extent this affected clothing if at all. In earlier times, fashions changed at a glacial page. We suspect that the traditional clothing the boys here are wearing are much like the Dutch saw when the arrived (15th century). Notice that the clothes are draped rather than form fitting (figure 1). This is because using traditional weaving technology, textile pannels are produced. Producing form fitting garments is much more complicated. The pre-colonial era of course was centuries before the appearance of photographing leaving us with very few images.

Colonial Era

The first Europeans to reach Indonesia were the Portuguese who then competed with the Spanish to control trade. The Spanish agreed to abandon their claims in 1529 in return for a substantial payment. The Dutch East Indies Company was chartered in 1602 and succeeded in outsting the Portuguese. The Dutch Government after the end of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, exerted direct rule beginning in 1816. We have only limited information on cllthing trends during the colonia era. There is a page on rompers and a kind of orphanage/miltary school for Eurasian children called the Korps Pupillen, We think boys in many areas wore traditional clothing until after World War II. We do see boys wearing Western clothing in the cities before the War, but do not yet know how common that was. This was mosr likely boys in the cities and or whose parents were involved with the Dutch administration in some way. Our initial assssment is that Dutch influence did not pentrate much into rural areas where the great bulk of the Idonesian peope lived. Indonesia is a very large diverse country. We do not know much about regional differences, butsopme iages suggest considerable similarities with the

Modern Indonesia

The Dutch East Indies were seized by the Japanese in early 1942, soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor impbilizing the American fleet. Indonesian nationalists resisted the reimposition of Dutch colonial rule following World War II. After several years of fighting, the Dutch Government recognized the independence of Indonesia. We have little information on Indonesian boys clothes during the early independence period. One action taken by the Government was to abolish the Boy Scouts in 19?? and created a nationalist group instead called the Gerakan Pramuka. The Indonesian Pramuka has since begun to rethink their initial rejection of Scouting. Pramuka authorities have been striving to re-establish relations with Scouting for a long time, claiming that their organization from the beginning was just Scouting the Indonesian way, rightfully taking the place of pre-revolutionary Scouting. Overlying these attitudes is the fact that Indonesia has been catching up very quickly with Western, especially American fashion over the past 20 years. Up to the 1970s, Indonesia lagged behind any number of years. The younger the boys, the more obvious this was as to the number and the length of their shorts. During the last quarter of the 20th century, Soeharto's regime, now infamous for is high degree of corruption, has considerably raised the standard of living of many Indonesians, and by a spin-off mechanism has created a large middle-class that was almost non-existant under his predecessor. These people can afford television and foreign travel more than ever before, and it shows, especially in the cities. Like in the West, with young urbanites `shorts' are now mostly below the knee.

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Created: 4:25 AM 4/28/2013
Last updated: 4:56 PM 4/28/2013