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American
SPOTLIGHT ON DUTCH-INDONESIAN HISTORY (XVIII)
After the unsavory expira
tion of the "Harmonie-oproer"
the Indo went back to his low
status of "non-existent group
in the Dutch East Indies so
ciety."
Only a very small percent
age of individuals managed to
escape the general down trend
assisted as they were by
sound relations with broader
thinking Dutch relatives, or
by own daring, energie and
talents
In the army for instance,
many Indo's climbed up even
to the highest ranks by their
ability as daring fighters,
brilliant strategists and
outstanding discipline. Up
to this day in the Dutch for
ces many Indo's serve in the
highest posts.
Then there were the plant
ers of tea, coffee, rice, in
digo. Here several families
came to great wealth and even
social power. Families like
the Doms, the Dezentje's, the
Biks, the Van Motmans.
Nowhere though a tie could
grow between the Indo's at
the top and Indo's at the
bottom. Because the bottom
grew incessantly and the num
ber of poor Indo's, living
under pauper conditions, ex
panded literally by the day.
No systems of social care or
even social responsibility
existed in those days.
When a Dutchman (or other
European) married with an In
donesian woman, died those
days, his children just "got
lost" in the kampong. Thous
ands of them were not taken
up by the Islamitic clan of
the kampong and lived like
pariahs between European com
munity and Indonesian society.
As death was a common guest
of the European society (dis
eases, undernourishment, beri
beri, and casualties in the
many little wars)nearly V
every day a small group of
Indo children "strengthened
the Indo ranks".
Nobody cared, though as a
social aspect these pariahs
got some official attention
now and then, mostly as part
of general studies of native
problems
The Only Independent
Dutch-Indonesian Magazine
in America
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Lilian Ducelle Roy J. Steevensz
Tjalie Robinson Marijke Steevensz
telf. 699-6837 telf. 693-5659
P. O. Box 137, Whlttier, Cal., 90608
