Javanese
Javanese rambutan seller wearing Batik shirt and peci hat
Total population
approximately 85 million (2000 census)
Regions with significant populations
Indonesia: 83.2 million Central Java: 30.6 million East Java: 27.5 million Lampung: 4.2 million West Java: 3.9 million North Sumatra: 3.7 million Yogyakarta: 3 million Jakarta: 2.9 million South Sumatra: 1.9 million Riau: 1.2 million Banten: 1.0 million East Kalimantan: 0.7 million Jambi: 0.7 million Aceh: 0.6 million South Kalimantan: 0.4 million Bengkulu: 0.3 million Central Kalimantan: 0.3 million Papua: 0.3 million Malaysia: 1 million Suriname: 75,000 New Caledonia: 5,000 Netherlands: 150,000-300,000
Languages
Javanese, Indonesian, Malay, Madurese, Dutch, French, German, Chinese language, Indian languages and others
Religions
Kejawen, Islam, Christian, Hindu, Atheism and Buddhist
Related ethnic groups
Sundanese, Madurese, Balinese, Malays

The Javanese are an ethnic group native to the Indonesian island of Java. They are predominantly located in the central to eastern parts of the island. At 90 million people (as of 2004) it is the largest ethnic group on the island, and also in Indonesia.

The Javanese were traditionally concentrated in the provinces of East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta, but due to migration within Indonesia (as part of government transmigration programs or otherwise) there are now high populations of Javanese people in almost all the Indonesian provinces. (The province of West Java is home to the Sundanese, Indonesia's second largest ethnic group who are ethnically distinct from the Javanese).

Language

Javanese people use Javanese language in everyday speech. In a public poll held circa-1990, approximately 12% of Javanese used Indonesian, around 18% used both Javanese and Indonesian, and the rest used Javanese exclusively.

Family

Culturally, Javanese people adopt a paternalistic system that traces the hierarchic lineage of the father. This system is particularly used to determine descendants' right to use royal titles before their names. However, it is not customary for Javanese to have a descended family name.

Religion

Most Javanese officially profess Islam as their religion. Some also follow Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), which are rather concentrated in Central Java (particularly Surakarta, Magelang and Yogyakarta for Catholicism). In a much smaller scale, Buddhism and Hinduism also are found in the Javanese community.

Many Javanese follow the ethnic religion Kejawen, which is animistic with strong influences of Hinduism and Buddhism and some rituals in Islam. The Javanese community is also known for syncretism of beliefs. All the outside cultures were absorbed and interpreted according to the Javanese traditional values, creating a new set of religious beliefs unique to local culture.

Profession

In Indonesia, Javanese can be found in all professions, especially in the government and the military. Traditionally, most Javanese are farmers. This was especially common because of the fertile volcanic soil in Java.

Social stratification

The famous American anthropologist Clifford Geertz in the 1960s divided the Javanese community into three groups: Santri, Abangan and Priyayi. According to him, the Santri was the follower of the religion Islam that obeyed, the Abangan was the follower Islam nominally or the follower Kejawen, whereas the Priyayi was the nobility. But today the Geertz opinion is often opposed because he mixed the social groups with belief groups. It was also difficult to apply this social categorisation in classing outsiders, for example other non-indigenous Indonesians such as persons of Arab, Chinese and Indian descent.

Social stratification is much less rigid in northern coast area, which is much more egalitarian.

Art

The famous Javanese wayang puppetry culture was influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism. The Wayang repertoire stories, lakon, are mostly (loosely) based on epics from India; Ramayana and Mahabharata. There are also influences from Islam and the Western world.

Gamelan musical ensembles are found in both Java and Bali.

Names

Main article: Javanese names

Javanese do not usually have family names or surnames. Many have just a single name. For example, Sukarno or Suharto. Names may have come from traditional Javanese languages, which in turn many derived from Sanskrit. Names with the prefix Su-,which means good, is very popular. After the advent of Islam, many Javanese used Arabic names, especially among cleric and northern coast population, where Islamic influences are stronger. Commoners usually only have one-word names, while nobilities use two-or-more-word names, but rarely a surname. Due to other cultures' influence, many people started using names from other languages, mainly European languages. Christian Javanese usually use Latin baptist names followed with traditional Javanese name.

Some people use a patronymic. For example, Abdurrahman Wahid's name is derived from Wahid Hasyim, his father, an independence fighter and minister. In turn, Wahid Hasyim's name was derived from his father named Hasyim Asyari, a famous cleric and founder of the Nahdlatul Ulama organization.

Notable Javanese people

Historic figures

• Jayabaya, King and prophet in ancient Kediri kingdom.
• Gajah Mada, prime minister in ancient Java empire of Majapahit
• Mata Hari, famous seductress and World War One German spy. Mother of Javanese descent.

Politicians

Arts and Entertainment

Others