The
Javanese are an
ethnic group native to the
Indonesian island of
Java. They are predominantly located in the central to eastern parts of the island. At approximately 85 million people (), it is the largest
ethnic group on the island, and also in
Indonesia.
Origin and distribution
Like most Indonesian ethnic groups, including the
Sundanese of
West Java, the Javanese are of
Austronesian origins whose ancestors are thought to have originated in Taiwan, and migrated through the Philippines, reaching Java between 1,500BCE and 1,000BCE.
The Javanese were traditionally concentrated in the provinces of
East Java,
Central Java and
Yogyakarta, but due to migration within Indonesia (as part of government
transmigration programs or otherwise) there are now high populations of Javanese people in almost all the
Indonesian provinces. (The province of
West Java is home to the
Sundanese, Indonesia's second largest ethnic group who are ethnically distinct from the Javanese).
Language
Javanese people use
Javanese language in everyday speech. In a public poll held
circa-1990, approximately 12% of Javanese used
Indonesian, around 18% used both Javanese and Indonesian, and the rest used Javanese exclusively.
Family
Culturally, Javanese people adopt a
paternalistic system that traces the hierarchic lineage of the father. This system is particularly used to determine descendants' right to use royal titles before their names. However, it is not customary for Javanese to have a descended family name.
Religion
Most Javanese follow
Islam as their religion. Some also follow
Christianity (
Protestantism and
Catholicism), which are rather concentrated in
Central Java (particularly
Surakarta,
Magelang and
Yogyakarta for Catholicism). In a much smaller scale,
Buddhism and
Hinduism also are found in the Javanese community.
Many Javanese follow the ethnic religion
Kejawen, which is
animistic with strong influences of
Hinduism and
Buddhism and some rituals in
Islam. The Javanese community is also known for
syncretism of beliefs. All the outside cultures were absorbed and interpreted according to the Javanese traditional values, creating a new set of religious beliefs unique to local culture.
Profession
In
Indonesia, Javanese can be found in all professions, especially in the
government and the
military. Traditionally, most Javanese are farmers. This was especially common because of the fertile volcanic soil in Java.
Social stratification
The famous
American anthropologist Clifford Geertz in the 1960s divided the Javanese community into three
aliran or "streams":
santri,
abangan and
priyayi. According to him, the Santri followed an orthodox interpretation
Islam, the abangan was the followed a syncretic form of Islam that mixed Hindu and animist elements (often termed
Kejawen), and the priyayi was the nobility. But today the Geertz opinion is often opposed because he mixed the social groups with belief groups. It was also difficult to apply this social categorisation in classing outsiders, for example other non-
indigenous Indonesians such as persons of
Arab,
Chinese and
Indian descent.
Social stratification is much less rigid in northern coast area, which is much more egalitarian.
Map of Javanese language distribution (in white). The homeland of the Javanese people is almost identical to the language distribution.
Art
Javanese refined art of royal court dance.
Javanese origin artforms are among the best known in
Indonesia and the whole archipelago. The famous Javanese
wayang puppetry culture was influenced by Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The Wayang repertoire stories, lakon, are mostly based on epics from India;
Ramayana and
Mahabharata. These epics and stories influenced wayang puppetry as well as Javanese classical dances. The influences from
Islam and the
Western world also can be found.
The art of
Batik and
Keris dagger are among Javanese origin art expressions.
Gamelan musical ensembles are found in both
Java and
Bali. All of these artforms holds important position, and function within Javanese culture and tradition.
Names
Javanese do not usually have family names or surnames. Many have just a single name. For example,
Sukarno or
Suharto. Javanese names may come from traditional Javanese languages, many of which are derived from
Sanskrit. Names with the prefix
Su-,which means
good, are very popular. After the advent of Islam, many Javanese began to use
Arabic names, especially coast populations, where Islamic influences are stronger. Commoners usually only have one-word names, while nobilities use two-or-more-word names, but rarely a surname. Due to the influence of other cultures, many people started using names from other languages, mainly
European languages.
Christian Javanese usually use
Latin baptist names followed by a traditional Javanese name.
Some people use a
patronymic. For example,
Abdurrahman Wahid's name is derived from his father's name (
Wahid Hasyim) who was an independence fighter and minister. In turn, Wahid Hasyim's name was derived from that of his father:
Hasyim Asyari, a famous cleric and founder of the
Nahdlatul Ulama organization.
See also
