The purpose of this research is to supplement the small but growing topic of Dutch-Indonesian history. Also known as Indo or Indische, Dutch-Indonesians are people of both Dutch and Indonesian heritage whose lineage was a result of Dutch imperialism in Indonesia. After decolonization, their mixed race background restrained their status to liminal citizens. They belonged to neither Indonesia nor the Netherlands. Their history remained relatively silent until a recent effort by second and third generation Dutch-Indonesians to recover it. This research focuses on the life of my Oma, Ingrid Hielckert, whose journey outlines adversity familiar only to those who experienced it themselves. This research follows her life from childhood to adulthood and takes inspiration from letters written by Ingrid during her youth. As a youth, Ingrid experienced orphanhood. As an adult, Ingrid struggled to find a permanent home in a post-colonial landscape. I maintain the orphanhood experienced in her youth caused similar effects of abandonment as the statelessness she experienced as an adult. While her story is unique to her, it is important to promote documentation of the lives of Dutch-Indonesian people so to preserve the history of an otherwise silent people.
