Vedic Osings of Indonesia

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"Even though the Dutch have converted many of the Osings to Islam

(and Christianity), it is not that easy to tame the fighting of many

of the Osings who refuse to convert to Islam. Today, a large Hindu

population still prevails among the Osings."

 

The Osing are the descendants of the Majapahit princes who refused to

convert to Islam in the 16th century. Their population of

approximately 400,000 is centered in the province of East Java in the

district of Banyuwangi. The Osings speak a dialect which shows

influences from both the Javanese and Balinese

 

 

Religion and Culture

The Osings are adherents of either the Muslim or Hindu faith.

Elements of Animism can be seen in their religion too. The Osings

share a similar culture and spirit with the Balinese, and the Hindus

celebrate ceromonies like Nyepi. It is not uncommon to see mosques

and puras (Hindu temples) to be built nearby to each other in

Banyuwangi. About 2-3,000 of them are Christians, who also mix some

Hindu or Muslim beliefs into their religion.

 

 

History

The history of the Osings date back to the end of the 15th century,

at the time of the fall of the Majapahit kingdom, and for the sake of

resisting the conversion of Islam, many of them fled east to

Banyuwangi, Bali and Lombok, and later it was converted to Islam by

the Muslim Makassarese in the 16th century. The princes from

Majapahit thus established the Blambangan kingdom, which stretched

from the Blambangan peninsula right up to the Tengger mountains of

Central Java. The Blambangan kingdom held sway for slightly more than

two hundred years, before they finally surrendered to the second

Mataram kingdom in 1743. Even then, they did not officially convert

to Islam until the 19th century, though small communities of Muslims

do pre-exist this date. The cause of the Osing's conversion is that,

during the 19th century, when Banyuwangi was still unscathed by the

Dutch colony, but knowing that by launching an attack on Banyuwangi,

they will lose out in the battle as the Hindu principal puputan was a

fight-to-death, the Dutch sent Moslem (and Christian) missionaries to

tame the fighting spirit. Only then Banyuwangi was captured, a long

and ambitious dream toward further occupation on Bali was launched by

the Dutch.

 

Even though the Dutch have converted many of the Osings to Islam (and

Christianity), it is not that easy to tame the fighting of many of

the Osings who refuse to convert to Islam. Today, a large Hindu

population still prevails among the Osings.

 

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osing"