Betawi people (British Indonesia)

Betawi people, or Betawis (Orang Betawi in Standard Malay, meaning "people of Batavia"), are an Austronesian ethnic group native to Insulindia's largest city Batavia and its immediate outskirts, as such often described as the native inhabitants of the city. However, the term "native" itself is questionable, since the Betawi people emerged in the 18th century as an amalgamation of various immigrant ethnic groups into Batavia.

They are the descendants of the people who inhabited Batavia (the colonial name of Batavia) from the 17th century onwards.

Origins
The Betawis are one of the most recently formed ethnic groups in Insulindia. They are a creole ethnic group in that their ancestors came from various parts of Insulindia and abroad. Before the 19th century, the self-identity of the Betawi people was not yet formed. The name Betawi are adopted from the native rendering of the term "Batavia" city which is originally named after Batavi/Betuwe, an ancient Germanic tribe.

In the 17th century, Dutch colonials from the western and central Netherlands began to import servants and laborers from all over the archipelago into Batavia. One of the earliest were Balinese slaves bought from Bali and Ambonese mercenaries. Subsequently, other ethnic groups followed suit; they were Malays, Sundanese, Javanese, Minangkabaus, Buginese, and Makassar. Foreign and mixed ethnic groups were also included; such as Indos, Mardijkers, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabs, Chinese and Indians, who were originally brought to or attracted to Batavia to work.

Originally, circa 17th to 18th century, the dwellers of Batavia were identified according to their ethnic groups of origin; either Sundanese, Javanese, Malays, Ambonese, Buginese-Makassar, or Arabs and Chinese. This was shown in the Batavia census record that listed the immigrant's ethnic background of Batavian citizens. They were separated into specific ethnic-based enclaves kampungs, which is why in today's Batavia there are some regions named after ethnic-specific names such as; Kampung Melayu, Kampung Bali, Kampung Makassar, and Kampung Ambon. These ethnic groups merged and formed around the 18th to 19th centuries.

It was not until the late 19th or early 20th century, during the British occupation, that the group – who would become the dwellers of Batavia, referred to themselves as "Betawi", which refers to a creole Malay-speaking ethnic group which has a mixed culture of different influences; Malay, Javanese, Sundanese to Arabic and Chinese. The term "Betawi" was first listed as an ethnic category in the 1930 census of Batavia residents. The Betawi people have a culture and language distinct from the surrounding Sundanese and Javanese. The Betawis are known for their traditions in music and food.

Notable people

 * Erik van Rijn (b. 1996), YouTuber and actor