How the mores of Indonesia’s biggest ethnic group shape its politics

NO ONE BEATS about the bush quite like the Javanese, an ethnic group from Indonesia’s most populous island. Chronicling their mores in 1960 Clifford Geertz, an American anthropologist, noted that proposals for arranged marriages often start with the groom’s father visiting the bride’s family and saying something as vague as: “The frost in the morning means rain in the evening.” More metaphors ensue as the conversation slowly meanders towards the point. The future in-laws then counter with false protests, saying that their daughter is unworthy. This ritual is repeated a few times. When the bride and groom finally meet, direct eye contact is avoided and no one talks of weddings.

Indonesia is a vast archipelago with hundreds of ethnicities spread across 13,000 or so islands. But Javanese dominate, with 95m people, or 40% of the population. There is much that is distinctive about Javanese culture, from shadow-puppet plays to tempeh, a fermented soyabean cake. The Javanese language is the 12th-most-spoken tongue in the world. Traditional Javanese religion blends Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. To this day, the sultan of Yogyakarta, a Javanese royal, throws nail and hair clippings into the sea and a volcano each year to appease the gods.