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How the Other Half Lived – Batavia in the 18th Century
Founded in 1619 on the smouldering remains of Jacatra, Batavia was meant to function as a depot for the produce destined for Holland and as the administrative centre of the Dutch East India Company...
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Islam in the Netherlands East Indies
Een hadji from Nederlandsch Oost-Indische typen by C.W. Mieling circa 1853 Islam came to Indonesia by way of Malabar and Coromandel, the respectively south-western and south-eastern coasts of India,...
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Martha Christina Tiahahu – a Moluccan Heroine
This is Ambon in the early 80s of last century. The land we were going to build houses on was located at Karangpanjang, just below the Provincial Parliament Building. And there, guarding over the...
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Georgius Everhardus Rumphius: From Hobby to Fame
On her maiden trip the boat performed well. While still in the Gulf of Ambon, a ray jumped out of the water over starboard, which according to Ambonese adat, will guarantee safe and trouble-free...
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Participatory Flood Risk Management: What the common man in the street can do
It wasn’t unexpected although it has happened many times before. But still, when confronted with the swirling mass of brown water on the street that only the other day was used by cars, buses, ojek...
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A Brief History of Tobacco
Tobacco was first cultivated in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Andes, from where it spread north and south till it covered most of the Americas. After ‘discovery’ by Christopher Columbus, the plant’s...
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Soroako – Home of Indonesia’s Deepest Lake
Lake Matano Cave on Lake Matano A surprisingly pleasant destination for a relaxing holiday Soroako, a small nickel mining town in East Luwu regency, South Sulawesi province, is located at the top of...
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There’s Gold in them thar Hills
Gold Panning with mercury The western foothills of the volcano look rather desolate, consisting largely of dry shrubland with a few stunted trees. During the wet season some upland rice is grown, but...
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The History of Coffee in Indonesia
Imagine a world without coffee! Even if you are not a coffee drinker, imagine the shopping centres and high streets without the ubiquitous coffeehouses, coffee shops, cafes and other outlets...
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Java’s First Photographer: Kassian Cephas (1845-1912)
The first rather rambling title for this article ran nearly three lines as it tried to convey that Kassian Cephas (a) was the first Javanese professional photographer; (b) at the request of Sultan...
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Desolation at the Ragunan Zoo, Jakarta
More than twenty years ago, I went to Ragunan Zoo quite often with my children. It made for a pleasant walk, shaded by trees and the animals adding to the fun. It even became the venue of a birthday...
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Capitalism vs The Climate
We are entitled to look back at 2014 with some pride. Recent achievements include democratic elections where the old political elite were told where to go; while the economic development during the...
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Indonesia’s Contribution to the Mitigation of Global Warming
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Conference of the Parties, 20th Session (UNFCCC COP 20) was held in Lima, Peru, during the first half of December 2014. The results of the...
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The Hidden Island of Savu
On his first voyage to the South Pacific, Captain James Cook dropped anchor at Savu, an island that did not appear on any of his charts, and stayed for five days. As a cartographer, Cook could not...
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Forest Mapping will Help the Indigenous
To know the lie of the land is an essential ingredient for travellers, and for anyone dealing with land tenure, or the management and use of the land’s natural resources. This is especially true in...
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West of the South-Eastern Islands
Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) is one of Indonesia’s 34 provinces. Wedged between Bali and the tiny island of Komodo, it is trying to carve itself a spot on the tourist map of Indonesia. Bali, to its west,...
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Development Vs Indigenous People and the Environment
Over the past 50 years, the name of the region of Papua has been changed several times from Netherlands New Guinea to Irian Barat (West Irian), Irian Jaya (Victorious or Prosperous Irian), then in...
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Indonesia’s War on Drugs
Nearly all UN members have endorsed the 1961, 1971 and 1988 conventions on the prohibition of the main illegal recreational drugs. The objective of these mandates was, in the words of William...
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Second-hand Furniture Shopping
REDUCE the consumption of fresh raw materials REUSE anything that is not terminally damaged RECYCLE waste materials into new products We have all heard the 3-R mantra before, especially in the context...
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Could Accountability in Sustainable Oil Palm Prevent Further Forest Fires?
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Green Commodities Programme (GCP) are working with oil palm stakeholders to ensure this sector’s contributions to the national economy become sustainable...
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