National Day of Indonesia, 17 August
IN THE BEGINNING The life of Indonesia is a tale of discovery, oppression and liberation, so it's both impressive and perplexing to see the nation's history displayed in a hokey diorama at Jakarta's National Monument. The exhibit even includes Indonesia's first inhabitant, Java Man (Pithecanthropuserectus), who crossed land bridges to Java over one million years ago.
Java Man then became extinct or mingled with later migrations. Indonesians today are, like Malaysians and Filipinos, of Malay origin and are the descendants of migrants that arrived around 4000 BC. The discovery in 2003 of a small skeleton, nicknamed 'the hobbit, in Flores added a new piece to Indonesia's - and, indeed, the world's - evolutionary jigsaw.
Always celebrated on 17th August, this is Indonesia's national day and marks Indonesia's declaration of independence from the Netherlands in 1945.
Source:
Vaisutis, J. (2007). Indonesia (8th ed.). Lonely Planet.
Relationship between Assumption University of Thailand and Indonesia
Aug. 19, 2023
