The National Geographic Magazine January-March 1951. (negyed évfolyam) [antikvár]

Vol. XCIX, No. 1 WASHINGTON January, 1951 THE MATDONAI GEOGIAPMHC MAGAZINE COPYRIGHT, 950, BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, WAS HINQTON, 0. C. INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT SECURl Republican Indonesia Tries Its Wings By W. Robert Moore With Illustrations from Photographs by the Author 1 •>HE NEW Republic of Indonesia has spread fledgling wings—the wings of a Garuda. The Garuda is a mythical golden bird of ancient Oriental legend, but, as portrayed on Indonesia's new national coat of arms, it looks remarkably like our own American eagle. It carries in its talons, rather than its beak, the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Many Remain One), which has almost the same meaning as our E Pluribus Unum. The similarity is hardly a coincidence, for Indonesia's leaders like to compare their iive-year struggle for independence with our American Revolution. Many of their slogans have been taken from words of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The Republic's constitution, in part, is patterned after ours. 80,000,000 People on 3,000 Islands Physically, Indonesia bears little resemblance to the United States. Somewhat smaller in land area than our Thirteen Original States, Indonesia consists of a chain of 3,000 lush volcanic islands strewn along the Equator all the way from the mainland of Asia to the northern tip of Australia, a span of 3,000 miles (map, page 6). On these islands live 80,-000,000 people, nearly as many as in Japan. Twice in the last five years, while in the Far East, I had made tentative plans to visit the islands. Both times heavy fighting had broken out to halt my going. Last May, in Bangkok, Thailand, I received a cable that my application for a visa was approved, provided I made my own arrangements for accommodations. "That may mean sharing a room with others or staying with friends," said the genial consul with whom I talked. "Our hotels are crowded, but I believe that such a condition is not restricted to my country." I agreed. "Have you visited Indonesia before?" he asked, without looking at the multiple copies of the entrance form I had filled out. I mentioned that I had been in Java and Sumatra many years ago and had done articles and color photographs on both islands.* "Then you are familiar with my country, but you will find many changes now," he said. Indonesians Hail Merdeka (Freedom) One of the first changes I found when I reached the islands was in the place names. Dutch names, many of which existed during the 300 years of colonial rule, are gone. Indonesian ones have taken their place. Flying to Java, I landed at Djakarta, new name for old Batavia. Buitenzorg, formerly the residence of the Dutch Governor General, inland in the mountains, now is Bogor. Government offices and streets bear Indonesian names. The big rectangular greensward in the center of the modern section of Djakarta, once known as the Koenigsplein, has become Lapan-gan Merdeka (Freedom Place). Merdeka (Freedom), a key word among the Indonesians ever since they announced their independence immediately following the capitulation of the Japanese in World War II, is * See, in the National Geographic Magazine: "Among the Hill Tribes of Sumatra," February, 1930, and "Through Java in Pursuit of Color," September, 1929, both by W. Robert Moore.