Last modified: 2008-04-19 by ian macdonald
Keywords: indonesia | jack | naval jack | majapahit empire |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
![[Jack of Indonesia]](../images/i/id~jack.gif)
2:3 See also:
The Indonesian jack is a simple flag with nine alternating
red and white stripes. Why nine red and white stripes? Haven't got a clue; however,
many jacks are based on earlier versions of a national flag (e.g. the Dutch
jack) so I'm wondering if this one isn't perhaps rooted in Indonesian history.
Could it be an independence-movement flag, for instance? Anybody know?
Tom Gregg, 29 January 1997
According to Barraclough and Crampton [Flags of
the World, 1978] it was the flag of the Majapahit empire.
Also the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company) used flags
red-white-blue with 6, 9, 12. etc. stripes.
Mark Sensen, 31 January 1997
The [national] flag of Indonesia is based on the flag
of the Majapahit Empire on Java at the end of the 13th century. This
had nine stripes red and white, and is nowadays used as jack.
Mark Sensen, 21 May 1998
Following the Dutch tradition, different variants of the
jack are used by the navy and civilians respectively. The naval jack has nine
tripes; the civilian jack has eleven.
Miles Li, 7 July 1999