PEOPLE
Anyone traveling through the length of Indonesia will find the complexity and sheer diversity of peoples, languages and customs astounding.
Indonesia consists of more than 17,000 islands, on which live 250-300 ethnic groups (suka bangsa) who make up its population of nearly 220 million. It is no easy task to identify ethnic groups and the Dutch used language and tradition as two important criteria for ethnic definition. In practice,  however, language has become the most important criterion in ethnic identity. There are more than a dozen major languages but many more are still to be studied. The major ones are Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, Balinese, Minangkabau, Malay, Bugis (Buginese), Makassarese, Minahasan and Ambonese, spoken by groups of the same names. (In some cases, the ethnic name does not reflect the language; for example, the Torajan speak a Loining dialect.)
The precise current proportion of the total population formed by each ethnic group is not known as post-1949 ( Independence ) population censuses have not factored in ethnicity. The closest guide is the last colonial census of 1930. All ethnic groups, with the exception of the Chinese, have their respective homelands in Indonesia .
Java - Central and East Java are the home turf of the Javanese, who form 47 percent of the population. The Javanese are proud of their long history which saw the rise of the great Majapahit empire. They believe it was the first kingdom to unite Indonesia in an empire which included territory beyond the republic's present boundaries. Due to their numbers and glorious past, the Javanese tend to dominate the country's bureaucracy, military and politics. All the Indonesian presidents, except B.J. Habibie who had a brief stay in office, have been Javanese.
Sumatra - Although Islam penetrated Sumatra as early as the 13 th century, pre-Islamic religious influence still has its place. The most Islamic inhabitants are the Acehnese, who constitute only 1 percent of the Indonesian population. Fiercely independent, they have taken up arms against both the Dutch and the present government in Jakarta . Aceh was the last territory to be conquered by the Dutch at the beginning of the 20 th century.
Kalimatan -
Dayak is a collective name for more than 200 tribes who live on the island of Borneo , which were divided into British and Dutch portions during the colonial era. Dutch Borneo was later named Kalimatan by the Indonesians. The Dayak are an important minority (less than 1 percent of the population) who are well-known as headhunters and animists. They are the true “people of the jungle” who used to live in long-houses and for the most part, have enjoyed a peaceful existence is relative isolation.
Sulawesi -
In the southern part of Sulawesi live two ethnic groups, the Buginese (2.6 percent) and the Makassarese (1.1 percent). Both ethnic groups are Muslim seafaring people. They are known as good sailors and shrewd businessmen who are skilled in shipbuilding. In the past, they often migrated elsewhere to seek their fortune and, at one time, almost controlled the trade of the region. In the 1950s, a number of them rebelled against the government in the hope of establishing an Islamic state. The movement, led by Kahar Muzakar, was soon quashed. Well-known Buginese in the Jakarta government are Gen. M. Yusuf (former defense minister) and ex-president B.J. Habibie.
Maluku -
In southern Maluku live the Christian Ambonese. Maluku was the place which attracted the Portuguese to Indonesia during the 16 th century. The Ambonese were later conquered by the Dutch and were subsequently Christianized.
Irian Jaya -
The province, now renamed West Papua , was incorporated into Indonesia in 1963, which paved the way for an influx of immigrants, including the Javanese, who settled into the urban areas. The Papuans, also called Irianese by the Indonesians, are traditionally animists and have largely remained so, although some have converted to Christianity and Islam. Feeling exploited and perceiving themselves as having a culture very different from the other Indonesians, the Irianese continue to demand independence.
Bali and Nusa Tenggara -
Balinese society is structed around a hereditary caste system that is far more relaxed than the Indian version. It does, however, carry certain rules of etiquette, as ordained in the Hindu scriptures. At the top is the Brahman caste; only Brahmans are allowed to be high priests. Satriya form the second strata of society; they are the descendants of warriors and rulers. The merchants, or Wesia, occupy the third rank, and at the bottom are the Sudra, the common people, who account for 90 percent of the population.
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