The introduction to this English translation of a selection from Van Vollenhoven's study of indigenous Indonesian law outlines the historical significance of his work, showing its background in the complex administrative and legal system of the Dutch East Indies, the trends in Dutch colonial legal and economic policy, and the development of adat law scholarship from the early 1900s onwards. The chapters chosen concentrate almost entirely on the adat law of some of the indigenous peoples of Indonesia and are the following: Adat, adat law, native law; The elements of adat law; The study of adat law; Law areas; Aceh; The Minangkabau law area; Central and East Java, with Madura; The maintenance and development of Indonesian adat law; Epilogue. A list of publications on adat law by Van Vollenhoven has been added.