4 Interesting Facts About Betawi: Jakarta’s Indigenous Tribe

Not much different from Balikpapan Indonesia, which has the Balik Tribe as the indigenous tribe, Jakarta also has the Betawi Tribe. Currently, both cities are inhabited by various tribes. However, it is always interesting to review the indigenous tribe of a city.

For example, Jakarta, with its extraordinary potential being the center of government from the colonial era, has the indigenous Betawi  Indonesia. The life, customs, culture, and attitudes of Betawi residents also support the tourism potential in Jakarta. This also includes the culinary.

4 Interesting Facts about the Betawi Tribe

There are some interesting facts about Betawi as the indigenous tribe of Jakarta. Betawi itself is also spread to several areas such as Depok, Bogor, and even to the Thousand Islands.

Language

Betawi has an Indonesian basic language. However, what is interesting is the dialect. They change the letter ‘A’ at the end of a word to ‘E’. For example, “What” in Indonesian is “apa”, it will become “ape”, “So” in Indonesian is “jadi” or “makanya” it will become “makanye” and so on. This dialect is very unique, especially with the accent or way of speaking of the Betawi people.

The dialect of the Betawi tribe is very distinctive and very different from other tribes in Indonesia. Of course, this cannot be separated from the character of the Betawi tribe. Some say, when communicating with Betawi people, don’t get carried away easily. Their language delivery style is unique.

Music

Second, is that they have several types of distinctive music. There is Gambang and Kromong which are originally from Chinese music and there is Tambourine which is originally from Arabic music. There is another Keroncong Tugu, Lenong and Tanjidor. The Betawi tribe also has original songs such as Kicir-Kicir.

They usually bring this music during traditional events, including events such as weddings. For Betawi people who hold a wedding party, it will not be complete if there is no Tanjidor, Roti Buaya (crocodile shaped bread) to Dodol Betawi. These can be easily found when there is a big Betawi event.

Dance and Theater Performance

The Betawi tribe also has the art of dance and drama. Betawi dance consists of various kinds such as Yapong, Betawi Mask and others. For theater, the most famous are Tonil and Lenong. This drama is delivered in a humorous style and has become a cultural heritage for Betawi Tribe.

Culinary

Betawi is also rich in culinary tourism. Some of them are Soto Betawi, Kerak Telor (Egg Crust), Roti Buaya (crocodile shaped bread), Dodol Betawi and many more. All of these dishes can be found easily when the Betawi people are having a party or big event.

Betawi does have its own peculiarities and uniqueness. Not only from the 4 things above, but from where they live as well. Betawi houses, for example, have a distinctive design. All of these have become a heritage of the nation’s cultural wealth and have also attracted the attention of both local and foreign tourists.