Indo People - Terminology and Etymology

Terminology and Etymology

Indo is an abbreviation of the term Indo-European which originated in the Dutch East Indies of the 19th century, as an informal term to describe the Eurasians belonging to the European legal class, the highest class in the colonial hierarchy.

There are several other terms used for Indos, such as Indische people, an abbreviation of the Dutch term Indische Nederlander. In the United States of America the term Dutch Indonesians is used, which is a rough translation of the Dutch term - Indische Nederlander. The Dutch term Indische Nederlander more accurately translated to - Indies Dutchman, is a term first mentioned in literature in 1850, the term became popular after World War II.

In the Netherlands the term Indische Nederlander includes all Dutch nationals that lived in the Dutch East Indies, so with and without mixed ancestry. To distinguish between the two, Eurasians are called Indo and native Dutch are called Totok. Totok is the Malay and Indonesian word for pure or full blooded.

In contemporary Indonesia the term 'Indo' is not confined anymore to former inhabitants of the Dutch East Indies, but includes all people of a mixed European and native Indonesian background. Historical terms used in Indonesia are Belanda-Indo (Indo-Belanda) and Peranakan. Peranakan is the Malay and Indonesian word for descendant. Both terms were officially used for registration purposes during the Japanese occupation in WWII.

In early pre-colonial (16-18th century) history Eurasians were referred to by a Portuguese term 'mestiço' (Dutch: Mesties) or as 'coloured' (Dutch: Kleurling). Additionally a wide range of more contumelious terms, such as for instance 'liplap' can be found in literature from previous centuries.