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The origins of Indonesians: New study suggests none are truly 'pribumi'
The dichotomy between pribumi, or native Indonesians, and non-pribumi exists in Indonesian society. But who are native Indonesians exactly?
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A visitor at Asal Usul Orang Indonesia (The Origins of Indonesians) exhibition at the National Museum, Jakarta, is reading information on the genes of one of the respondents participating in the research on genealogy mapping. (Historia.id/Fernando Randy)
F
or generations, Indonesians have discussed the dichotomy between pribumi, or native Indonesians, and “non-pribumi”, which historically has been used to distinguish those whose ancestral roots originate within the archipelago from those of “foreign” descent.
But in a culturally diverse country with hundreds of ethnicities and languages, questions arise every time the term pribumi is used ─ including in political campaigns ─ who are native Indonesians exactly?
Science, however, suggests that no Indonesians are truly native as newly released research on genealogy mapping has found that Indonesian people have mixed ancestral roots from different geographical origins in their DNAs.
The study, conducted in collaboration with history magazine Historia.id and the Education and Cultural Ministry from July to September, took DNA samples from 16 respondents from across the country for a series of tests.
Among the respondents were public figures such as television journalist Najwa Shihab, the lead vocalist of rock band Noah, Nazril “Ariel” Irham, and film director Riri Riza, as well as politicians, including ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto.
According to the study, all of the respondents had at least two gene traces from different ethnic groups from around the world.
Najwa ─ who many regard as of purely Arab descent ─ for example, has 10 DNA fragments from different ethnic origins. The Middle Eastern gene in her DNA only comprised 3.48 percent, while her dominating genes were made up of North African with 26.81 percent and South Asian with 48.54 percent.
