Home

OostIndische

Oostindische is a Dutch adjective meaning "East Indian" or "from the East Indies" (Oost-Indië). Historically, the term designated things connected with the Dutch East Indies, the colonial realm the Netherlands controlled in Southeast Asia, especially what is now Indonesia.

The most famous usage is in the name Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC), the Dutch United East India

Geographically, Oost-Indië referred to the Dutch possessions and sphere of influence in Asia, principally present-day Indonesia,

Company,
founded
in
1602
to
organize
trade
with
Asia
and
to
manage
Dutch
interests
there.
The
adjective
appears
in
the
names
of
ships,
offices,
and
goods
associated
with
the
East
Indies,
and
more
broadly
in
17th-
and
18th-century
descriptions
of
commerce,
navigation,
and
colonial
administration.
but
also
to
the
broader
East
Asian
trade
network
of
the
period.
In
modern
Dutch,
the
term
is
mostly
encountered
in
historical
contexts
or
in
the
preserved
language
of
the
VOC
era,
including
in
the
full
name
of
the
company
and
in
museums,
literature,
and
archival
sources.
The
usage
of
Oostindisch
or
Oostindische
as
descriptors
has
diminished
outside
of
historical
writing,
with
contemporary
references
to
the
region
typically
using
more
current
terms
related
to
Indonesia
rather
than
the
obsolete
administrative
label.