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| Bajau 7.000 Islam |
The Bajau (also called the Bayo, Gaj, Luaan, or Lutaos)
are a highly mobile maritime people group that is found
throughout the coastal areas of Sulawesi, Maluku,
Kalimantan, Sumatera, and East Nusa Tenggara. Their high
mobility led to outsiders calling them 'sea gypsies.' In
eastern Indonesia, the largest numbers of Bajau are found on
the islands and in the coastal districts of Sulawesi. Their
everyday language is the Bajau language, which is a branch
of the Melayu (Malay) language cluster.
While some Bajau have begun to live on land, many Bajau are
still boat dwellers. Among the Bajau boat dwellers, local
communities consist of scattered moorage groups made up of
families whose members regularly return, between intervals
of fishing, to a common anchorage site. Two to six families
will group together in an alliance to regularly fish and
anchor together, often sharing food and pooling labor, nets,
and other gear. The boats that are used as family dwellings
vary in size and construction. In Indonesia and Malaysia,
boats average 10 meters in length with a beam of about 2
meters. They are plank constructed with solid keel and bow
sections. All are equipped with a roofed living area made of
poles and kajang matting and a portable earthenware hearth,
usually carried near the stern, used for preparing family
meals. The marine life exploited by the Bajau fishermen is
diverse, including over 200 species of fish. Fishing
activity varies with the tides, monsoonal and local winds,
currents, migrations of pelagic fish, and the monthly lunar
cycle. During moonless nights, fishing is often done with
lanterns, using spears and handlines. Today, fishing is
primarily for market sale. Most fish are preserved by
salting or drying. The boat-dwelling Bajau see themselves
(in contrast to their neighbors), as non-aggressive people
who prefer flight to physical confrontation. As a
consequence, the politically dominant groups of the region
have historically viewed the Bajau with disdain as timid,
unreliable subjects.
The Bajau are Sunni Muslims |
| Bantik 17.000 Animism |
| 11 villages around Manado |
| Bintauna 12.000 Islam |
| around Bintauna |
| Bolango 20.000 Islam |
| 5,000 in Bolango, 15,000 in Atinggola. North Sulawesi
Province, south coast of the peninsula, Bolaang Mongondow
District, around Molibagu; Gorontalo Province, north coast
around Atinggola, between Kaidipang and Gorontalo. |
| Gorontalo 900.000 Islam |
The Gorontalo homelan d in northern Sulawesi is
surrounded by North Sulawesi Province to the east, Central
Sulawesi Province to the west, the Sulawesi Sea to the
north, and Tomini Bay to the south. In the year 2000,
Gorontalo officially gained povincial status when North
Sulawesi Province was divded in two. This new province has
two counties; Gorontalo and Bualemo. The area is composed of
extensive coastlines, rugged mountains, and a large central
valley with beautiful Lake Limboto at its center. The
Gorontalo have traditionally lived along the coast and in
the fertile lowlands beside rivers and streams. The
Gorontalo language cluster includes three branches:
Gorontalo (spoken by 90% of Gorontalo), Suwawa (spoken in
the extreme eastern district) and Atinggola (spoken on the
northern coast near Bolaang Mongondow Regency).
The Gorontalo make their living by farming or fishing. An
important segment is active in various businesses, from
selling used clothing in the marketplace to running national
companies. A number are powerful national figures. Locally
made crafts include rattan kopiah (a type of Muslim hat),
distinctive Kerawang embroidery, and woven mats. Handicraft
centers are found in the various districts and in the
municipality of Gorontalo. Tourists enjoy the view of Lake
Limboto from a cluster of three ancient Portuguese forts.
The city offers a number of budget hotels. Currently, four
airlines serve the newly expanded airport. Gorontalo
genealogy is bilateral (traced through both parents). Within
the immediate family, children are not allowed to joke with
their father, but must act respectfully. This is also true
for dealings with older adult relatives. However,
relationships are more open with grandmothers and older
siblings.
The Gorontalo have been Muslims |
| Kaidipang 27.000 Islam |
The Kaidipang are found on the outskirts of the Bolaang
Mongondow District of North Sulawesi Province. Sulawesi is a
large mountainous island often described as being shaped
like an orchid or crab. It has a coastline of about 5,000
kilometers and consists mainly of four peninsulas separated
by deep gulfs, with two of the peninsulas extending
southward and two northeastward. The Kaidipang area is
surrounded by North Sulawesi Province to the east, Gorontalo
Province to the west, the Sulawesi Sea to the north, and
Tomini Bay to the south.Historically, the Kaidipang formed
their own kingdom. In 1910, they joined with the neighboring
Bolang Itang kingdom. This enlarged kingdom lasted until
1950 when it joined the recently independent Republic of
Indonesia.
Traditional lifestyle was one of shifting agricultural. New
fields were cleared, farmed and then abandoned after
becoming depleted of nutrients and unproductive. After three
to five years of lying fallow, an old area would be fertile
enough to be cleared and farmed again. This method is called
"slash and burn" farming because clearing of land is done by
cutting down the bigger trees and burning unwanted
vegetation. Unfortunately, this method is often cited as a
primary cause for deforestation as well as forest fires
which often rage out of control. In recent times, however,
the Kaidipang have become more settled, resulting in an
increase of their population. Kaidipang villages are usually
found along roadways in the highlands. Many have already
become rice farmers, fishers, day laborers, and owners of
small shops. They also raise livestock such as cattle,
goats, and chickens.The lineage of descent for the Kaidipang
people is bilateral (traced through both mother and father).
Inheritance is handled in the same way for both male and
female descendants. Unlike most other ethnic groups in
Indonesia, the Kaidipang reserve no special treatment or
rights for male family members.
Traditional law (adat) is still in use, although it has
become intertwined with Islamic practice. |
| Lolak 3.000 Islam |
| Bolaang Mongondow District, Lolak, Mongkoinit, and
Motabang villages. Dialects: Structurally related to
Gorontalo [gor], but with heavy lexical borrowing from
Mongondow [mog]. Lexical similarity: 79% with Mongondow, 66%
with Ponosakan [pns], 63% with Kaidipang [kzp]. |
The Lolak are an agrarian people who have always lived
on the fringes of more powerful neighboring groups. They
live in the Lolak District in the northeastern portion of
Sulawesi. Sulawesi is a large mountainous island often
described as being shaped like an orchid or crab. In their
district, the Lolak comprise 80% of the population and live
in only three villages: Lolak, Mongkoinit, and Motabang.
Lolak District is sparsely populated, with only 21,000
inhabitants. The chief characteristic that distinguishes the
Lolak from other native Mongondow groups is their language
which is structurally similar to Gorontalo. Despite this
similarity, the Lolak language has heavily borrowed from the
neighboring Mongondow language. In fact, the Lolak homeland
is surrounded by the Mongondow people, and Mongondow is the
second language of most Lolak people.
The Lolak area is a fertile area with long black sand
beaches, flat grassy fields, coconut plantations, and rugged
inland mountains. The Lolak are farmers who grow rice,
coconuts, corn, cacao, and large healthy cattle. The
government provides assistance in the form of subsidized
pesticides when insects or blight threaten the rice crop.
Large areas belong to rich absentee landowners and are
worked by area residents. Rice and sago are food staples.
Sometimes they hunt deer in the forest. Housing is basic and
in some places very poor. When a Lolak family becomes
wealthy enough, they replace their thatch roof (made from
rumbia or sago leaves) with tin. The wealthiest ones will
buy satellite dishes. Access to fresh water is not a problem
since many families have wells. Their main village of Lolak
has its own small hospital. Although the area has typhoid,
there is very little malaria. The district has twenty
elementary schools and most Lolak children are able to
attend. Further education requires relocation. Those able to
attend high school typically study in Kotamobagu or Manado.
Of the few who seek further education, most study farming,
husbandry (livestock breeding), economics, or law at Sam
Ratulangi University in Manado. Lolak genealogy is bilateral
(traced through both parents). Inheritance is handled in the
same way for both male and female descendants. Male family
members receive no special treatment. They typically marry
before 20 years of age and have more than two children per
family.
The Lolak are Sunni Muslims. |
| Mongondow 1.158.000
Christian |
| between Tontemboan and Gorontalo. Alternate names:
Bolaang Mongondow, Minahassa, Mongondou. Dialects: Lolayan,
Dumoga, Pasi. |
| Ponosakan 3.000 Animism |
| Belang area. Alternate names: Ponasakan. Dialects:
Lexical similarity: 75% with Mongondow [mog], 66% with Lolak
[llq]. |
| Ratahan 39.000 Christian |
| northeast section, Ratahan area to southeast coast.
Alternate names: Bentenan, Pasan. |
| Suwawa 21.000 Islam |
Su wawa and Pinogu area, east of Gorontalo town, Lake
Limboto. Alternate names: Bonda, Bunda, Bune, Suwawa-Bunda.
Dialects: Bunda. |
| Tombulu 60.000 Christian |
| Tanawangko and Tomohon areas. Alternate names: Minahasa,
Minhasa, Tombalu, Tombula, Tombulu’, Toumbulu. Dialects:
Taratara, Tomohon. Most similar to Tondano [tdn], Tonsea [txs].
|
| Tondano 100.000 Christian |
Tondan o area and north peninsula; southeast coast,
Toulour District. Also in United States. Alternate names:
Tolou, Tolour, Tondanou, Toulour. Dialects: Tondano, Kakas (Ka’kas),
Remboken. Most similar to Tombulu [tom], Tonsea [txs]. |
| Tonsawang 30.000
Christian |
| Tombatu area. Alternate names: Tombatu. |
|
Tontemboang
189.000 Christian |
| northeast coast, Sonder to Motoling and Tompasobaru
areas. Alternate names: Pakewa, Tompakewa, Tountemboan.
Dialects: Langoan, Tompaso (Makelai, Makela’i-Maotow),
Sonder (Matanai, Matana’i-Maore’). |
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