Ibu Pertiwi (English: Mother Prithvi or Mother Earth)[1] is a national personification of Indonesia, the allegory of Tanah Air (Indonesian: land and water), the Indonesian motherland. Since prehistoric times, the tribes of the Indonesian archipelago often revered earth and nature spirits as a life giving mother, a female deity of nature. After the adoption of Hinduism in the early first millennium, this mother figure was identified with Prithvi, the Hindu mother goddess of the earth, who was thus given the name "Pertiwi".[citation needed]

The image of a woman or a goddess in ancient regal attire at Indonesian National Monument, Jakarta. It is probably the most popular depiction of Ibu Pertiwi in Indonesia.
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Ibu Pertiwi is a popular theme in Indonesian patriotic songs and poems and was mentioned in several of them, such as the song "Ibu Pertiwi" and "Indonesia Pusaka". In the national anthem "Indonesia Raya", the lyrics "Jadi pandu ibuku" ("[is] the scout/guide to my mother") is a reference to Ibu Pertiwi as the metaphorical mother of the Indonesian people.[2] Despite her popularity in patriotic songs and poems, her physical representations and images are rare.[citation needed]

In nationalistic TV commercials commemorating Indonesian independence day, Ibu Pertiwi is often depicted as a beautiful Indonesian maiden lovingly nurturing Indonesian children, such as depicted in a 2017 TV commercial Hari Merdeka special.[3]

In 2017, the Ibu Pertiwi costume won the best national costume in the Miss Grand International beauty pageant.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Yayasan Kemanusiaan Ibu Pertiwi Archived 16 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine YKIP
  2. ^ "Kisah tentang Ibu Pertiwi". kumparan (in Indonesian). Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  3. ^ IKLANESIA HD (25 February 2017), Iklan Gudang Garam edisi Hari Kemerdekaan Indonesia (120s), archived from the original on 20 December 2021, retrieved 3 April 2019
  4. ^ Kustiani, Rini (26 October 2017). "Kostum Ibu Pertiwi Juarai Miss Grand International 2017". Tempo. Retrieved 3 April 2019.