Last Thursday was a special day for the newly formed Portland State Indonesian Student Association, called Permias PDX, which held its first-ever community event on the second floor of Smith Memorial Student Union.
Last Thursday was a special day for the newly formed Portland State Indonesian Student Association, called Permias PDX, which held its first-ever community event on the second floor of Smith Memorial Student Union.
Permias PDX president and founder, business senior Fraya Saquina, conceived the event as a way of raising the association’s profile throughout the university. After moving to Portland five years ago, Saquina realized that the majority of individuals she met knew little to nothing about Indonesia.
“Most people don’t know much about Indonesia and our culture…most people don’t even know geographically where Indonesia is,” Saquina said. “I want people at PSU to know about us.”
Nolan Limbong, a PSU business senior and Permias PDX member, said that because there are so few Indonesian students attending the university, the culture doesn’t have much in the way of representation.
“Most of them attend Oregon State or University of Oregon, so we wanted to make people in Portland become aware of the diversity in Indonesia,” Limbong said. “We have so much to offer there that many people are unaware of. Like, we have 17,000 islands and hundreds, if not thousands, of diverse cultures.”
Permias PDX formed in December 2011 thanks to a small group of friends and has since been working to become better known in the community.
“We try and approach all students from Indonesia about joining our association,” explained business senior and Permias PDX member Edward Kosasin. “We have meetings every week and try and invite students to come to those.”
Thursday’s event was a way to share some Indonesian culture with the campus. There was Indonesian food and beverages for attendees to enjoy, along with a video of traditional song and dance.
“We want to use this as a means of introducing our culture to PSU,” Saquina said. “Also, Portland State is trying to attract more students from Indonesia, so we figured this is one of the ways we could help.”
Complementing the video was a display of musical instruments, which included an Angklung, a traditional wooden instrument made of bamboo tubes in a bamboo frame. Saquina excitedly demonstrated how shaking the different wooden pieces produced different sounds.
“There is actually a whole Angklung orchestra in the U.S., and it is even more popular in Southeast Asia, but I don’t think a lot of people know about it,” she said.
Attendees got to sample es teler, an Indonesian fruit cocktail made of avocado, young coconut, cincau, jackfruit and a variety of other fruits. The drink is served in coconut milk, mixed with sweetened condensed milk, Pandanus and amaryllifolius leaf and finished with a sprinkling of salt.
“We are working to educate students as well as give them a new experience,” Saquina said. “We also work a lot with the Indonesian community in the greater Portland area, so it’s not just PSU students.”
Saquina’s mother was in attendance while visiting Portland and brought a variety of artifacts from home, including blankets, native musical instruments and an eagerness to share her enthusiasm for her culture.
Permias PDX, currently composed of 15 students, hopes to expand in the near future. They plan to participate in other events, including PSU’s annual International Night, and to have a booth set up during the city’s famous Rose Festival. In addition, the group interfaces with other community groups to help students attain scholarships to travel to Indonesia.
“Permias started small, and I hope that it will continue to grow and that people will be encouraged to learn more about cultures other than their own,” Saquina said. “One of the things I love most about PSU is its diverse cultural climate.”
