On the Question of Contemporary Identity in Minahasa, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

Abstract

The article analyzes the developments behind the current shift in Indonesian nation building by discussing how the present societal changes in post-Suharto Indonesia have enabled the Minahasa, a Christian ethnic group in North Sulawesi Province, to initiate a reevaluation of their current identity in anticipation of more room for political maneuvers during the implementation of the national programme of economic decentralisation and regional autonomy, initiated on 1 January 2001. After positioning the Minahasa on the political map of contemporary North Sulawesi Province, the article focuses on past and present perceptions of Minahasa identity. This is then discussed in relation to new initiatives concerning a revival of pre-colonial culture in order to boost contemporary Minahasa identity. The objective is to be able to distinguish between three main aspects within contemporary Minahasa identity formation: the creation of Minahasa as an imagined community, the background for the current elusive Minahasa identity, and finally, the ongoing quest for an invigorated identity that is capable of dealing with the current political changes in North Sulawesi and Indonesia in general.