Islam in Indonesia?

i cannot reply your private message. this is what i get

 

I think so. In addition, Dayaks and other tribal groups who converted to Christianity would have been generally protected by Dutch authorities.

The Cham states in what is today Central Vietnam, were in the process of conversion when the armies of the Nguyen Lords reduced them to vassal status, perhaps explaining the popularity of a new and more militant religion among the Cham. When the Vietnamese expelled the Cham, many fled overseas to Muslim sultanates, which suggests continuing connections through which religious conversion could have spread. If I can find my history on it, I'll post a laundry list of the locations in Malaysia and Indonesia where Cham communities exist today. 

There may not be purely secular dance or theatre productions in traditional Indoesian culture. In a traditional culture, even "secular" stories have a religous spin. 

 

Though it is highly unlikley that the mask were used by Christians or Muslims in formal religous worship, I think it is entirely possible that the masks were used, as you alluded to, in telling folk stories or stories from  Indonesian mythology.   Since Muslim and Christian Indonesians were syncrestic until recently, both groups would have tolerated theatrical performances containing references to Hindu or folk gods, demons etc.

 

Just out of curiosity,

 

-Do the masks show patinas?  ie are there wear marks showing that the masks were actually used, or do they look un-used?

 

 

It might be a Abrahamic devil representation, but my guess is it is either Hindu or, if Christian or Muslim, it represents a folk religious belief or mythological figure.  Christian Indonesians were pretty syncrestic as well until the last generation or two.

 

  

 

They might still be from a Muslim culture.  Historically, many Indonesians practiced a syncrestic religion that while being mostly Islamic, combined influences from Hindusim and indigenous folk beliefs. Other Indonesian groups such as the (Ambonese, however, fully to coverted to Orthodox Islam very early (AD 650?). 

 

Since the 1970s, however, Orthodox Islam has been gaining rapidly and folk traditions from earlier religions have been suppressed.  The masks might also be from a Christian ethnic group.