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Dutch Indonesians search for homeDutch Indonesians' search for home, wordt een Internationaal flim van gemaakt.Tifa Asrianti , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA | Sun, 01/10/2010 3:51 PM | LifestyleMany stories of Dutch Indonesians who left Indonesia shortly after Independence are lost in the passage of time.Legend has it that they went to Holland. But some found a second home, or perhaps a third, in the USA.Michael Hillis, a part-time teacher and history buff who resides in Portland, Oregon, estimates there are around200,000 Dutch Indonesians, or Dutch Indos as they call themselves, living in the United States."Not many people in America know about them," Hillis, who is making a film about the Dutch Indos, told theSunday Post during a recent research trip to Indonesia."They left Indonesia and headed to The Netherlands shortly after Independence. But when they got there, they facedracial issues."The Dutch Indos repatriated to Holland between 1945 and the 1960s. But it seemed that Dutch society was not readyfor an influx of postwar Eurasians hailing from the former Dutch East Indies colony.As Eurasians, the Dutch Indos' physical features vary greatly, with some having blond hair and blue eyes, and othershaving a dark complexion and black eyes. Many of these were believed to be Hispanic immigrants and so facedracial slurs.However, their ability to speak fluent Dutch raised questions from people who were not aware of their origins. Hillissaid that the Dutch Indos simply answered that they had learned the language during the journey by ship."In my opinion, I think they probably realized that they had gone through terrible things," he said. "They lost theirhomes and their money in Indonesia. On the other hand, they had to cope with new issues, such as eating potatoes,instead of rice, and racial issues."He said that after arriving in Holland, most Dutch Indos learned martial arts to defend themselves, such was theextent of the attacks on them. Unable to bear the continuing discrimination, an estimated 60,000 Dutch Indosimmigrated to the United States in the 1960s."Once they arrived in the US, they took any kind of job they could get and they worked really hard," Hillis said."For them, the US was a place where they could work and live in freedom. They did not have to worry about peopletrying to kill them."Nowadays, he said, the Dutch Indos in the United States are into their third generation; Los Angeles is home to thelargest Dutch Indo community, with some 100,000 people.
pg2The first generation of Dutch Indos still speak Dutch, as it was the language they were born with, Hillis said, addingthey also speak Indonesian because they spent a lot of time with their nannies, servants and helpers."Most of the first generation came from wealthy families. They used to have 10 maids in their houses. When theyreached the US, they decided that they had to make it there so they learned English. Most of them are around 80years old now," he said."These people would have loved to stay in Indonesia but they had no choice, they had to leave. Many of them stilllive in Holland but I believe there many who left for the US or perhaps other countries."Members of the second generation, now aged up to 60, speak English; the third generation, aged between 20 and 30,no longer speak Dutch and are unaware of their Dutch Indo roots.The Dutch Indos quickly assimilated into their new country, marrying people outside the community; most neverreturned to Indonesia.Hillis first came across the issue of the Dutch Indos when he read Jan A. Krancer's The Defining Years of the DutchEast Indies 1942-1949. He contacted the writer, who introduced him to Bianca Dias-Halpert, a Dutch Indo residingin Seattle. Dias-Halpert invited Hillis to a Dutch Indo community gathering.The Dutch Indo community often holds gatherings where they cook Indonesian food and do line dancing toIndonesian music played on small guitars, which, Hillis said, sounded to his ears like Hawaiian music. They alsopublish a bulletin about their community activities, all written in Dutch."When I first saw them, I was wondering who these people were," Hillis said with a smile. "They look like Hispanicpeople, speak Dutch, eat Indonesian food and sing Hawaiian-like songs."As the younger generation immerse themselves into America's melting pot multicultural society, the older DutchIndos are concerned that the young ones will forget their roots.As Hillis learned more about this concern, he was inspired to make a film about the Dutch Indos.After Hillis met filmmaker Marlin Darrah, the project began. They financed it privately and invited selected peopleto invest in the project."I have a strong relationship with this movie, because I'm married to an Indonesian woman," Hillis said. "I want mydaughters to understand the history of Indonesia during hard times."Hillis said that the movie would paint a new picture of Indonesia for Americans, most of who know little aboutIndonesia apart from terrorism threats and Bali. He said that the movie would take audiences to the World War IIbase of American general Douglas MacArthur on Morotai Island, as well as to other places of interest.
Page 1 and 2: 20e editie: februari 2010Laatste ac
Page 3 and 4: Albert Lee en Marcel Marcel en Budd
Page 5: Shorty MillerShorty Miller de Lady
Page 9 and 10: From the Freezer with loveEen tijd
Page 11 and 12: Belangrijk facet hierbij is, dat we
Page 13 and 14: Persbericht‘Javaanse hofcultuur
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