Indonesia was a prominent and thriving trading archipelago with distinct social, political, and econimic customs. Indonesia had a large indigenous population that descended from the Malay peoples spread around the various islands. Indonesia had a highly developed society with a wet field rice cultivation that was the basis of agriculture. Their advance knowledge of navigation allowed them to trade and interact with China, India, and Ceylon. Indonesia’s economy functioned well through international and regional trade among the numerous islands in Indonesia. There was a large trade of sugar, ivory, spices, and cotton cloth. Indonesia’s politics were run by different empires or regional rulers before the imposing of Dutch rule. The most succesful ruler was Gadjah Mada who ruled from 1331-164 during the Madjapahit empire. Mada re-united the archipelago, standardized the bureaucracy and the administration, as well as codified many laws and customs. However, Indonesia’s culture was influenced by surrounding countries before European arrival. During the thirteenth century, sufi Islam and many other Islamic values spread throughout the archipelago. Islam arrived through trade into Indonesia, by Arab merchants. The Islamic faith contradicted previous beliefs held by the indigenous natives. Monotheism in Islam undermined the power of the emperors because they could no longer be considered as god-kings. Before the Netherlands’ United East India Company and other Europeans powers approached Indonesia, it was socially distinct, embracing varied forms of art and culture. Women had relative freedom in Indonesia, however most of them worked. Indonesia enjoyed a remarkable culture that inlcuded a unique form of puppet theatre called wajang, in which wooden figures were controlled by people and presented a play demonstrating Indonesian life or religious values. Wajang was a form of expression which provided conversion stories and where true Indonesian culture remained. Indonesia’s main religion, before the influence of Dutch Christianity and Buddhism and Hinduism from India, was an animist relgion.