Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Indo
Indo or Eurasian is a term used to describe people of European and Indonesian ancestry, in particular, people of Dutch and Indonesian ancestry. Indos descend from inhabitants of the Dutch East Indies, and as a result are primarily found in The Netherlands and Indonesia, but also in the United States.
One of the larger issue in the Indo community is the internment of Indos during WWII in the Dutch East Indies. When the Japanese arrived in Indonesia, they were welcomed by many Indonesian nationalists who thought they were coming to kick out the Dutch and give independence to the Indonesians. Instead, the Japanese wanted Indonesia ruled by Asian colonialists, themselves, rather than European colonialists. As a result of this, the Japanese gathered all people of European descent into camps in Indonesia. Eventually, the Indos and anyone who was partly European was also thrown in the camps. Many Indos were killed in the camps, and many other Indos carry memories from the camps like Jews have of the holocaust.
After WWII, many Indo children were orphans, and adopted by families in the Netherlands. Many Indos also moved to the Netherlands because of Indonesia's independence. Because of their refugee status leaving Indonesia, many Indos were able to immigrate to the United States. Today there are many famous Indos in the United States, including the Van Halen brothers, Mark Paul Gosselaar , and Michelle Branch.
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