History often suggests that the Majapahit kingdom was part of the decline of the diffusion of Indian culture, the reason being that the kingdom itself was an external image of Indonesia, which in aspects such as architecture and religion was strongly influenced by Indian ideas.
Also one of the factors that made Majapahit develop was trade. Traders from China, India, and many parts of Southeast Asia enter and leave almost every day. This brought many new ideas from various parts of the world which influenced the form of Majapahit culture.
Therefore, to expand our knowledge about examples of cultural diffusion in Indonesia, this article will review various examples of cultural diffusion in Indonesia.
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Cultural Diffusion
Cultural diffusion is the spread of cultural characteristics in the form of ideas, styles, religion, technology, language and so on between individuals, either within one culture or from one culture to another.
The meaning of diffusion studies in the cultural sense was pioneered by anthropologists who sought to understand how the same or similar cultural elements could be present in many societies around the world long before the advent of communication tools. Edward Tylor (1832-1917), an English anthropologist writing in the mid-19th century, proposed the theory of cultural diffusion as an alternative to using the theory of cultural evolution to explain cultural similarities.
Following Tylor, German-American anthropologist Franz Boas (1858–1942) developed the theory of cultural diffusion to explain how the process works between areas that are close to each other, geographically.
These scholars observed that cultural diffusion occurs when societies having different ways of life come into contact with each other and as they interact more and more, the rate of cultural diffusion between them increases.
In the early 20th century, American sociologists Robert E. Park (1864 to 1944), Ernest Burgess (1886 to 1966), and Canadian sociologist Roderick Duncan McKenzie (1885 to 1940) were members of the Chicago School of Sociology. Scholars in the 1920s and 1930s who studied urban culture in Chicago and applied what they learned elsewhere.
In their now classic work “ The City ” published in 1925, they studied cultural diffusion from a social psychology perspective, meaning they focused on the motivations and mechanisms in social systems that make diffusion possible.
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Examples of Cultural Diffusion in Indonesia
As a result of the colonialism experienced by Indonesian people, so much cultural diffusion in Indonesia grew and had an influence on Indonesian culture. The following are several examples of cultural diffusion that occurred in Indonesia, including:
1. In The Art of Writing
What is included in the diffusion of this arts and culture process, for example, is the type of calligraphy written by Arab traders who entered Indonesia, which was eventually imitated by Indonesian artists and produced new and distinctive Arab-Indonesian calligraphy.
2. In Clothes
For example, when an Arab person marries a Javanese girl who usually wears traditional clothing such as a kebaya without a headscarf. Because of the marriage, the princess also decided to wear a traditional Javanese kebaya with the addition of a headscarf.
3. In Language
Language is a means of communication and a symbol of interaction in society. The following is an example of diffusion in the field of language, for example between English and Indonesian. A lot of English vocabulary has been absorbed into Indonesian because English itself is a language used as an international language.
4. In the Education System
An example of diffusion in the education system is the application of learning methods in Indonesia which used to be a system of memorizing things and only honing the abilities of the left brain. Now many learning methods have been developed which are influenced by several western countries which use problem solving systems.
So creating an effective learning curriculum is the role of educational institutions to educate the entire Indonesian nation in the future.
5. In Literary Arts
As clear evidence, for example, several ancient inscriptions found in various regions in Indonesia, such as Central Kalimantan, West Java and Central Java as well as other areas in Indonesia largely show the influence of Hindu-Buddhist culture.
Most of the inscriptions are written in Pallava and in Sanskrit. This condition shows that there were several examples of cultural assimilation at that time and are still maintained today, as Indonesian cultural heritage.
6. In the Calendar System
An example is the existence of the Indian calendar method which has been widely adopted by Indonesian society, which illustrates the cultural assimilation that occurs in Indonesia. The use of this calendar method is the use of the Saka year in Indonesia.
Apart from that, there is also Candra Sangkala or what is usually called a konogram. Candra Sangkala are a number of letters in the form of sentences or images that are still used today.
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7. In the Government System
The influence of Hindu-Buddhist culture in Indonesia is felt to be very strong in influencing the government system in Indonesia.
This can be proven by the change in the government system which initially used traditional heads which then changed to a royal system. And currently it is still valid in certain areas such as Yogyakarta, Cirebon, Solo, and others.
8. In Trust
In general, in terms of beliefs, the Hindu-Buddhist influence in ancient Indonesia was very strong, for example in ancient times in Indonesia before Islam came to Indonesia, most Indonesians embraced Hindu-Buddhist, Animist-Dynamic religions. With such beliefs, they usually perform various offering rituals dedicated to the Creator to avoid misfortune.
After Islam came to Indonesia, ritual offerings were merged and replaced with Islamic sharia in the form of alms. To this day, there are still many people who carry out this ritual in Java, changing its name to salvation or thanksgiving which has the aim of remembering Allah and giving charity to fellow humans.
9. In Tradition
Cultural diffusion in Indonesia is the tradition of sharing sustenance during parties which occurs as a result of the acculturation process of Chinese culture with Islam. Giving sincerely is a noble part of carrying out human obligations. And it is more beautiful if all virtues are performed at the party. Carrying out traditions is of course part of virtue.
Traditions inherited from true ancestors are still carried out because they contain good moral values. One Eid tradition that is no less popular is sharing good fortune.
10. In Building Arts
Examples of buildings in temple buildings are a form of mixing between original Indonesian art and Hindu-Buddhist art. A temple is a form of manifestation of the cultural acculturation of the Indonesian people with India. This temple is the result of a megalithic era building from punden-berak buildings which was influenced by Hindu Buddhism.
For example, Borobudur temple and Prambanan temple, these temples are also accompanied by various kinds of buried objects called graves so that the temples also function as tombs, not just as houses for the gods. Meanwhile, Buddhist temples are only places of worship for gods.
11. In Culinary
Food, which in cool language is known as culinary, also experiences cultural diffusion, for example, we know kebab food, which actually comes from Turkey because of the influence of globalization, ultimately in Indonesia many kebabs are bought and sold.
That is a series of articles that have been written for readers, especially regarding various examples of cases of cultural diffusion in Indonesian society that are easy to find in everyday life. Hopefully this article provides insight and adds in-depth education.