Devi Dja

Devi Dja (born Misria Dja; August 1, 1914 – January 19, 1989), better known as Miss Dja, was an Indonesian-born American actress, dancer, and singer. A member of the Dardanella Opera group, founded by Willy A. Piedro, who later became her husband. She moved with him to the United States around 1940, and remained there for the rest of her life as a professional entertainer, taking American citizenship.

Life and career

1914–1930: Childhood and early career Devi Dja was born Misria Dja on August 1, 1914, in Sentul, a part of Sidoagung, the village in Godean, Sleman Regency, to Adiredjo from the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta, and Sriami from Sumenep. Some sources such as United States Immigration Service document stated her birthplace as Pandaan, a city in East Java near 60 km from south part of Surabaya, and the naturalization form in the United States in 1953 recorded Kali Baru, a district in Banyuwangi, as her birthplace which Dja also mentioned during her interview with Saeroen in the Pemandangan newspaper, in 1934. She had a younger sister, Sutijem, who later married Ali Joego and became an actress using the stage name Dewi Kusna. Her paternal grandfather, Satiran, was a soldier of the royal palace of Yogyakarta who fled after the rebellion of the followers of Prince Suryegalaga.

The remaining players were on the last voyage of the SS Rotterdam out of the Netherlands in 1939. In New York City, they changed their name to "Devi Dja's Bali and Java Cultural Dancers", performing in restaurants in the city. Following the outbreak of World War II and the occupation of Indonesia by Japanese troops, they were unable to return home and were effectively stuck in the US. At the end of the war, she and her husband opened a nightclub in Chicago, called the Sarong Room, but it burned down in 1946. Klimanoff died in Chicago in 1952.

In 1947, Dja met Sutan Sjahrir who, as prime minister, was leading the Indonesian delegation to the United Nations in New York to fight for international recognition of Indonesia's independence. He introduced her to the American public as an ambassador for Indonesian culture, resulting in her name becoming increasingly known in the US. In 1951, she became an American citizen, believed to be the first Indonesian woman to be naturalized. This might have been done in order to protect her from possible deportation in light of her friendship with the Indonesian communist, Lari Bogk, who had been in the US supporting Indonesian seamen and port workers who were refusing to load supplies destined for the Dutch East Indies colonial government. After her husband's death, she continued to perform, together with the few remaining Dardanella group members.

She married Acee Blue Eagle, a Native American artist, but the marriage was short-lived, allegedly because he did not like her continuing to interact with Indonesians in the US. After they divorced, she moved to Los Angeles, but failed to break into the movie industry, obtaining only a few bit parts, despite establishing friendships with stars such as Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, and Bing Crosby. Her main difficulty in getting employment was her poor spoken English. She then married an Indonesian, Ali Assan, six years her junior, with whom she had a daughter, Ratna Assan in 1954. Again, the marriage was short-lived.

Dja continued to work in California, performing and teaching Indonesian dancing, for a time having her own dance school in the Vermont area of Los Angeles. She was represented by the agent Raymond D. Bowman who specialized in "world music" and jazz performers. When the first Indonesia president, Sukarno, visited the US she met with him and on a visit to Indonesia she was received by him at the State Palace. He tried to persuade her to give up her US citizenship, but this would have made work in the US difficult. In 1960, she teamed up with modern dance pioneer, Ruth St. Denis, to present the first Balinese shadow puppet play in the United States.

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes 1937 Dr. Samsi Soekasih 1940 Road to Singapore Native Girl Uncredited 1942 The Moon and Sixpence Dancer Technical Advisor 1942 Road to Morocco Dancer Uncredited 1945 The Picture of Dorian Gray Lead Dancer 1949 Beyond the Forest Dancer Uncredited 1950 Three Came Home Ah Yin Uncredited 1950 Cargo to Capetown Dancer Uncredited 1952 Road to Bali Dancer Uncredited

Death and legacy Dja died at Northridge Hospital in Northridge, Los Angeles, on January 19, 1989, from cancer at the age of 74. She was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). Two books have been written about her: Gelombang Hidupku: Dewi Dja dari Dardanella (My Life's Wave: Devi Dja of Dardanella) by Ramadhan Karta Hadimadja, and Standing Ovations: Devi Dja, Woman of Java by Leona Merrin. Both biographies are based on interviews with Dja.