West Java eyes name change to 'Sunda' to reflect deep historical roots

A proposal to rename the Indonesian province of West Java to Tatar Sunda or Sunda has gained momentum, with all factions in the West Java Regional People's Representative Council reportedly giving their approval for legislative discussion. This potential change signifies a deeper reflection on the region's identity.

Ganjar Kurnia, a professor at Padjadjaran University and part of the team studying the Sunda or Tatar Sunda Province proposal, explained that the name change seeks to assert a living space with long-standing terrestrial roots, history, diverse cultures, languages, and collective memory. He noted that 'West Java' is merely an administrative label indicating direction, which is geographically inaccurate as Banten province lies further west.

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West Java is an administrative name that is more of a positional marker. The word 'west' only indicates a direction, and in reality, there is something further west, namely Banten Province.

Kurnia elaborated that the term 'Sunda' carries a more profound territorial meaning beyond just cultural or ethnic identity. It is closely linked to a geological space far older than the province's administrative boundaries. In geology, the term Sunda Shelf (or Sundaland) refers to the Southeast Asian continental shelf, encompassing large areas like Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, which submerged as sea levels rose after the ice age.

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Sunda has a deeper territorial meaning. Not just cultural or ethnic identity, 'Sunda' is closely related to a geological space that is much older.

This geographical and geological naming predates any ethnic or political references. "We have also long known the geographical terms Greater Sunda and Lesser Sunda. The term Sunda has an older basis than the provincial administrative boundaries and is more profound than a mere division of territory based on cardinal directions," he told CNNIndonesia.com.

Citing the official website of Padjadjaran University, historical accounts suggest the name 'Sunda' in a geographical context dates back to the 2nd century AD. Claudius Ptolemaeus, a geographer from that era, reportedly mentioned islands named Sunda east of India in his travelogues. This data later informed the Portuguese when they first arrived in the Nusantara archipelago in 1500 AD, finding a kingdom named Sunda, leading to the assumption that the Portuguese, unfamiliar with the term Nusantara, concluded the archipelago was named Sunda.

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We have also long known the geographical terms Greater Sunda and Lesser Sunda. The term Sunda has an older basis than the provincial administrative boundaries and is more profound than a mere division of territory based on cardinal directions.