CultureIntroductionNus Antara can be considered one of the most diverse and unique nation in the world. The natives, the
Pribumi, make up of about 65% of the population, and even within that ethnic group there are dozens of different individual cultures. To add to that, many Europeans (mainly Dutch and German), Indian, Arab, and Chinese have settled in the nation, making a true 'melting pot'. All of these have contributed in making the Nus Antaran culture so special.
DressAncient Nus Antarans wore little - if anything - in thier daily life. The first tribes were topless at most except for ceremonial purposes, war, and hunting. Green jade and other gems would be sowed onto skirts made of dried leaves and capes made of feathers. During war, warriors would wear tough animal hides - usually from wild boar -on their chest, stomach, arms, thighs and calves. For hunting, men and women would not wear any clothing as it would limit their speed and movement, as well as create sound. they however, painted themselves shades of green and brown for camouflage.
Going a little further into the 1700's, the average Nus Antaran in the big city would wear a white silk shirt and trousers. European fashion was also starting to become trendy, although it never fully picked up among the general population.
Today, most people would be wearing what most in the rest of the world wear. Jeans, T-shirts, and sweatshirts are what the majority of Nus Antara's youth are wearing today.
Music and DanceThe traditional Nus Antaran music is a mix of local, Classical European, as well as Indian music. Orchestras with European instruments such as violins and cellos are mixed with the
angklung and other traditional instruments to create Nus Antaran symphonies. Also following European culture in a way, the Nus Antaran rich and elite find opera very popular in the mid 1700's until the late 1800's.
Modern music is dominated by the Indonesian music scene, and to a lesser extent America's and Germany's as well. Most of these songs are in the rock genre, though generally softer than most westerners are used to. Rap and R&B have recently been gaining popularity, though unlike in the US where these types of songs are about glamor and wealth most Nus Antaran rap has a deeper meaning. Many Nus Antaran Rap and R&B are also made to make people laugh, usually sung by comedy groups.
Large parties and celebrations in Nus Antara were - and are - usually accompanied by the
[u=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87ZIfpL9nSk]Tari Saman[/u], also called the dance of a thousand hands. This dance takes years of practice and only the best may join the dance groups because if one person makes a mistake the whole group will suffer. These parties usually also have a European feel to it, as the men and women could also dance a waltz or other classical dance with a small orchestra playing a piece of music.
LanguageThe official languages of Nus Antara are English and Nus Antaran. However, these are only spoken by 75% and 45% of the population, respectively. The
lingua franca of the nation has historically been Bahasa, a creole language with roots from Indonesian, Nus Antaran, German, Hindi, Arabic, and many more. It has been mixed so much that many speakers of the languages that Bahasa derived from would find it nearly impossible to understand.
Bahasa now uses the latin alphabet, but with a few minor changes.
- The letter "C" makes an English "ch" sound
- The letter "J" replaces the "Y"
- The letter "Z" replaces the "J"
- The letter "Y" is used to make it's sound, but is rarely used
- The letter "ɲ" is added. It makes the "ny" sound
- The letter "ŋ" is added. It makes the "ng" sound
- The use of "wv" in the beginning of a word is also common. The w, however, is silent.
SportsThe most popular sport in Nus Antara is association football, also called soccer, and the sport has been played ever since its creation. When it was brought to the nation by English traders in the 1890's, Nus Antarans have already been playing a similar sport called
Cafieur Satgo. Cafieur Satgo is played on a circular field with another circle drawn out as a goal in the center. Two goalkeepers defend the one goal - one goalkeeper a team with 5 other players per team. The aim of the game is to get the ball inside the circle without using the hands. By the 1840's, the game was so popular that school clubs began playing the game, and to make it easier the goal circle became the goal wall, and to make a goal one had to hit the bamboo wall representing the circle. This game however, failed to keep up with football as football attracted international audiences. There is, however, a Cafieur Satgo premier league as well as a div. one league.
Association football is played by most Nus Antarans. Schools usually have a team and play in city-wide tournaments. There are 16 professional clubs across the nation that make up the Liga ŋalsha Nus Antara (Premier League). Another 24 make up the Liga Palma I Nus Antara. At the end of the season two teams from the Liga ŋalsha are relegated and two from the Liga Palma I go up. The Nus Antaran National Football Team is waiting to make its first international appearence in the regional Dienstad Cup.
[Note, this is a WIP]