do you know Indonesia? Indonesia is located on the Asian continent Precisely in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia Flag
The national flag of Indonesia, which is known as Sang Saka Merah-Putih (“The Heirloom Red-and-White”) or Bendera Merah-Putih (“The Red-and-White Flag”) or simply Merah-Putih (“The Red-and-White”), or sometimes referred to as Sang Dwiwarna (“The Bicolor”) in Indonesian [1] is based on the banner of the 13th century Majapahit Empire in East Java. The flag itself was introduced and hoisted in public at the Indonesian Independence Day ceremony, on 17 August 1945 and Independence from the Netherlands on 17 August 1950. The design of the flag has remained the same ever since.
Indonesia Emblem
Indonesia Emblem
The National emblem of Indonesia is called Garuda Pancasila.[1] The main part of Indonesian national emblem is the Garuda with a heraldic shield on its chest and a scroll gripped by its legs. The shield’s five emblems represent Pancasila, the five principles of Indonesia’s national ideology. The Garuda claws gripping a white ribbon scroll inscribed with the national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika written in black text, which can be loosely translated as “Unity in Diversity”. Garuda Pancasila was designed by Sultan Hamid II from Pontianak, supervised by Sukarno, and was adopted as the national emblem on 11 February 1950.
Each section of the shield has a symbol corresponding to the Pancasilaprinciples laid down by its founder, President Sukarno.
Sheild
Shield is a martial symbol, standing for defense of the country. It is divided into five sections: a background divided into quarters, colored red and white (the colors of the national flag) in a checkerboard pattern; and a smaller, concentric shield, black in background. A thick, black line lies horizontally across the shield, symbolizing the equator which passes through the Indonesian archipelago.
Star
The black shield bearing the golden star at center corresponds to the firstPancasila principle: “Belief in One Supreme God” (Ketuhanan yang Maha Esa).[1]The color black represents the color of nature. Upon this shield at center is a golden, five-pointed star. This is a symbol common not only among Indonesia’s sanctioned faiths of Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism, but of the secular ideology of socialism as well.[13]
This tenet of Pancasila has always been controversial, for it suggests compulsory religious belief as well as compulsory monotheism. Supporters of Sukarno’s legacy, however, believe that this tenet was meant to unify Indonesia’s population, who have diverse faiths and beliefs.
Chain
In the bottom right quarter, on a red background, is a chain made up of square and round links. This chain represents successive human generations, with the round links representing women and the square links representing men. The chain corresponds to the second principle of the Pancasila, the principle of “Just and Civilized Humanity”.[1]
Tree
At the upper right quarter, on a white background, is the banyan tree (Indonesian, beringin). This symbol corresponds to the third Pancasilaprinciple, the principle of “The Unity of Indonesia”. The banyan is known for having expansive above-ground roots and branches. The Republic of Indonesia, as an ideal conceived by Sukarno and the Nationalists, is one country out of many far-flung cultural roots.
Bull
In the upper left quarter, on a red background, is the head of the Javanese wild bull, the banteng. This represents the fourth principle of Pancasila, the principle of “Democracy that is Guided by the Inner Wisdom in the Unanimity Arising Out of Deliberations Amongst Representatives”.[1] The banteng was chosen to symbolize democracy as Indonesians saw it as a social animal. The banteng was also adopted as a symbol of Sukarno’s Nationalists, and later by his daughter Megawati Sukarnoputri’s Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle.
Rice And Cotton
In the lower left quarter, on a white background, are a gold-and-white paddy and cotton. These represent the fifth Pancasila principle, the principle of “Social Justice for the Entire People of Indonesia”.The rice and cotton represent sustenance and livelihood.
I will discuss the culture of Indonesia in the next post
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