Currency Today : Indonesia 4

The last two notes from the 2016 banknotes of Indonesia:

50,000 and 100,000 rupiah note

The 50,000 rupiah note shows Ir. H. Djuanda Kartawidjaja, the 11th and last prime minister of Indonesia. After him, Soekarno combined the function of president and prime minister.
Kartawidjaja was minister during the independence war, after the second world war.
The 100,000 rupiah note is the last of the set. Here we see both president Soekarno and vice president Dr. H.C. Drs. Mohammad Hatta.
Hatta was a young left winged activist and politician, and was arrested many times before Indonesia became independent. He was elected in 1955 in the first free elections.
Soekarno was Indonesia's first president. His birthname was Kusno Sosrodihardjo actually. Soekarno was president from 1945 till 1966, when a military coup ended his presidency.
The airport of Jakarta is named after these two men : Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

reverse side of 50,000 and 100,000 rupiah note

At the back side two more dances :

Tari Legong - Legong dance

50,000 rupiah shows the Legong-dance, 'tari legong'. This is a Balinese dance, with complicated finger, feet and facial expressions. In the 19th century it was known as a royal entertainment.

Tari Topeng Betawi - Betawi mask dance

The last dance, on the 100,000 rupiah note is called the Tari Topeng Betawi (Topeng Betawi dance).
This dance, often with a 'topeng' or mask, is very old dance. Some tribes perform it to honour nature or ancestors spirits. There are many types of topeng / mask dances.

Currency Today : Indonesia 3

In this new post, 2 more Indonesian banknotes.
First comes the 10,000 rupiah note.

10,000 rupiah note - Indonesia - series 2016

Here Frans Kaisiepo is depicted on the front side. Frans Kaisiepo involved in a rebellion that broke out in Biak protesting against the Dutch government in March 1948. In 1949, Kaisiepo rejected the appointment as the delegate leader of Netherlands New Guinea in the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference - because he didn’t want to be dictated by the Dutch government. As a result, Kaisiepo was arrested from 1954 to 1961. In 1964, he served as the Governor of Irian and continuously promoted Papua as a part of Indonesia.

Tari Pakarena - Pakarena dance

The Pakarena dance is a traditional dance from South Sulawesi. The dancce is accompanied by 2 drum heads (gandrang) and a pair of instruments such as a flute instrument (puik-puik). It is unclear,  since when this dance exists and who created the Pakarena Gantarang Dance, but people believe that it is related to the appearance of Tumanurung. Tumanurung is an angel who came down from the sky to give instructions to humans on earth. The instructions given were in the form of symbols in the form of movement, now shown in the dance. 

The second note is a 20,000 rupiah note. 

20,000 rupiah note - Indonesia - series 2016

Dr. G.S.S.J. Ratulangi (or Ratu Langi), played a role in the ratification of the first constitution of Indonesia. He was also the first governor of Sulawesi. He studied in the Netherlands and in Switzerland, where he obtained a doctorate in mathematics and science. He died at the age of 58.

The reverse side continues with local dances of Indonesia.

On this note, we find the 'Tari Gong' or 'Gong dance'.

Tari Gong - Gong Dance

It is a traditional dance from East Kalimantan, more exactely from the Dayak Kenyah tribe. With the dance, the locals welcome a special guest or the birth of the tribal chief's baby.

The dance is performed on a platform (the Gong) and expresses beauty, elegance and intelligence.

more to follow...

Currency Today : Indonesia 2

The second note in the 2016 banknote series of Indonesia, is a 2000 rupiah note.
On the front side, Mohammad Hoesni Thamrin is depicted.

Mohammad Husni Thamrin

Thamrin was an active member of a group that fought for Indonesian self-determination, national unity, a democratically elected party answering to the Indonesian people, and solidarity between Indonesians and the Dutch to combat fascism. He died in 1941, few years before Indonesia's independence.

2000 rupiah note of Indonesia (2016)

At the reverse side of the note, again we see a traditional dance from Indonesia.

Here, the 'Tari Piring' or 'plate dance' is shown. The dance is a traditional dance from the Minang people, living in West Sumatra.

In this dance, the dancers hold plates in both hands and move them without falling down. In the mean time, they tap a metal ring on the plates, to create a sound and a rhythm.

The dance can be performed by females, males or couples.

Minang people, dancing the plate dance (Tari Piring)

Third note in the set is 5000 rupiah, depicting Dr. Idham Chalid.

Dr. K.H. Idham Chalid

Dr Idham Chalid was a former politician and minister of Indonesia. He died in 2010, and was honoured as National Hero in 2011.

5000 rupiah note of Indonesia (2016)

The reverse side of the 5,000 rupiah note, also depics a dancer. It shows the Gambyong dance,  a typical dance from east Java. Java is known for more traditional dances

Ladies performing the Gambyong dance

to be continued ...

Currency Today : Indonesia 1

In 2016, Indonesia replaced all of its banknotes (once more).
7 banknotes between 1000 and 100,000 rupiah.
All notes have the same hight, but slightly longer as the value goes up.

full set of Indonesian notes (series 2016)

On the side of each note, the ink is palpable. The lowest value (1000) has 7 sets of parallel stripes, and then one pair less as the value goes up, ending with one set of two parallel stripes on the 100,000 note. This makes the notes recognizable for the visually impaired.

palpable ink on the side of the notes

On the first note (1000 rupiah) we see Tjut Meutia, also known as Cut Nya(k) Meutia. She was a freedom fighter from Aceh (the city that was hit by the giant tsunami on Christmas 2004).

Cut / Tjut Nja(k) Meuthia

1000 rupiah Indonesia - 2016

At the reverse side of the note, we see a man with an instrument, the 'Tari'.
The tifa is a musical instrument typical of Eastern Indonesia especially Maluku and Papua. There are different types of tifa musical instruments like Tifa Jekir, Tifa Dasar, Tifa Potong, Tifa Jekir Potong and Tifa Bas.

Tifa instrument

The top of the drum is covered with deer skin. In the past, tifa was also used as a means of communication. The marinjo, the village announcer used the tifa to announce a village meeting. There were several tifa rhythms for different messages.

The word 'Tari' means 'dance.
Next to the musician on the note, we read 'tari tifa' or 'tifa dance'.

more to follow ...