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|
Total population | |
---|---|
93,000 [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Indonesia (Aceh) | |
Languages | |
Alas and Indonesian | |
Religion | |
Islam | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Kluet people, Singkil people, Karo people |
The Alas people is an indigenous ethnic group from Kutacane, Southeast Aceh district, Sumatra, Indonesia. The Alas are found in the Gunung Leuser, Ketambe, and Alas River areas.
The Alas (ukhang Alas or kalak Alas) are an agrarian people, who cultivate rice on irrigated fields, but some grow cash crops in gardens. Freshwater fishing in Alas River or brooks used to be indispensable as a source of animal protein, while raising fish in ponds is becoming important. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, they converted to Islam, The Alas society is a patrilineal descent society; each belongs to one exogamous clan. Sometimes an Alas village (kute) consists of a single clan, while several clans could frequently be observed in one village. [2] As Alas clan names suggest, the Alas people have composite origins.
At the final stage of the Aceh War in 1904, Gotfried Coenraad Ernst van Daalen started on his campaign to Gayoland, Alasland, and Batakland in order to establish the Dutch colonial control over them. After demolishing 7 forts and killing nearly 1300 inhabitants in Gayoland, his Korps Marechaussee te voet appeared in the Alas valley on 10 June 1904. One local lord (kejukhun) at northern Alasland surrendered immediately, but, as the other local lord of Gayonese descent at southern Alasland had already been killed in Gayoland by Gotfried Coenraad Ernst van Daalen, his son, the acting southern local lord, and a brother of the northern local lord decided to confront the non-Islamic Dutch, building 3 forts or fortified villages.
On 14 June 1904, the Dutch troops demolished the fort of Kuta Reh, killing 313 indigenous men, 189 women, and 59 children, while 2 Dutch soldiers were killed. On 20 June 1904, then, they demolished the fort of Likat, killing 220 men, 124 women, and 88 children, while a single soldier was killed. Indeed, the village of Likat was one of Gayonese migrants into the Alas valley. On 24 June 1904, finally, they demolished the fort of Kute Lengat Baru, killing 338 men, 186 women, and 130 children, including the acting southern local lord, while 3 soldiers were killed. On 29 June 1904, Gotfried Coenraad Ernst van Daalen summoned the northern local lord and the son of the deceased southern local lord with all other Alas chiefs and headmen to the village of Pedesi in front of him, to declare that the whole of Alasland belonged to the Dutch East Indies.
During this campaign, Henricus Marinus Neeb, a military doctor, took many photos, including ones of fighting scenes, marching through the tropical rain forest, local fishing activities, traditional houses, mosques, and so on. [3]
The Alas people uses the Alas language (Cekhok Alas) on a daily basis. The Alas language is most closely related to the language of the Kluet people in Aceh Selatan Regency, [4] and often, these two languages are unified under a single label Alas–Kluet. Together with Karo and Dairi, Alas–Kluet belongs to the northern branch of the Batak subgroup of the Austronesian language family. [5] It is estimated that 80,000 people spoke the language in 2000. [6] Although Alas people live in Aceh Province, the language they use is entirely distinct from Acehnese.
Each Alas person belongs to a patrilineal clan or descent group (mekhge). It has its own name, which is used as surname of the Alas people. [7] In 1988 there were 27 clans as follows, but some had already had no member. Out of them, 8 clans, viz. Bangko, Cibekho, Deski, Keling, Kepale Dese, Kekhuas, Pagan, and Selian, are believed to be original among the Alas.
Alas traditional dances [8] and musical instruments [9] are as follows:
Alas traditional crafts are as follows:
Alas traditional dishes are as follows: [11]
The Aceh War, also known as the Dutch War or the Infidel War (1873–1913), was an armed military conflict between the Sultanate of Aceh and the Kingdom of the Netherlands which was triggered by discussions between representatives of Aceh and the United States in Singapore during early 1873. The war was part of a series of conflicts in the late 19th century that consolidated Dutch rule over modern-day Indonesia.
Joannes Benedictus van Heutsz was a Dutch military officer who was appointed governor general of the Dutch East Indies in 1904, years after he had become famous years by bringing to an end to the long Aceh War.
Pagaruyung, also known as Pagarruyung, Pagar Ruyung and, Malayapura or Malayupura, was a kingdom that once stood in the island of Sumatra and the seat of the Minangkabau kings of Western Sumatra. Modern Pagaruyung is a village in Tanjung Emas subdistrict, Tanah Datar regency, located near the town of Batusangkar, Indonesia.
The Batak languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken by the Batak people in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra and surrounding areas.
The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam, was a sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major regional power in the 16th and 17th centuries, before experiencing a long period of decline. Its capital was Kutaraja, the present-day Banda Aceh.
Fort de Kock was a 19th-century Dutch sconce fortification established over a hill in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Around the fortification, a new settlement grew, which eventually grew into the city of Bukittinggi, the second largest city in West Sumatra. Although the remnants of the mound and some cannons can still be seen, the original buildings on top of the sconce have been demolished.
Central Aceh Regency is a regency in Aceh Special Region of Indonesia. It is located on Sumatra island. Formerly this regency covered a much larger area; in 1969, the Southeast Aceh Regency was separated from the Central Aceh Regency, and in 2003 the Bener Meriah Regency was separated from the remaining Central Aceh Regency. The remaining regency covers an area of 4,454.04 square kilometres and had a population of 175,527 according to the 2010 census, which rose to 215,576 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 218,684. Most of its inhabitants are Gayo. Central Aceh is famous for its Lake Laut Tawar. Its capital is Takengon, in Lut Tawar District.
The Acehnese are an indigenous ethnic group from Aceh, Indonesia on the northernmost tip of the island of Sumatra. The area has a history of political struggle against the Dutch colonial rule. The vast majority of the Acehnese people are Muslims. The Acehnese people are also referred to by other names such as Lam Muri, Lambri, Akhir, Achin, Asji, A-tse and Atse. Their language, Acehnese, belongs to the Aceh–Chamic group of Malayo-Polynesian of the Austronesian language family.
Alexander Willem Frederik Idenburg was a Dutch military officer and politician of the Anti Revolutionary Party who served as Governor-General of Suriname from 1905 until 1908, and the Dutch East Indies from 1909 until 1916. He also served as Minister of Colonies on three occasions between 1902 and 1919. Idenburg served on the Council of State from 1925 until his death in 1935.
The Gayo people are an ethnic group living in the highlands of Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. The Gayo tribe has a population of 336,856 and they live predominantly in the mountains. Most Gayo live in three regencies in Aceh namely Bener Meriah, Central Aceh, and Gayo Lues. Some of them live in several districts in other regencies, such as Serbejadi District, Simpang Jernih District, and Peunaron District in East Aceh Regency and Beutong District in Nagan Raya Regency. Other than that, the Gayo population also covers Southeast Aceh Regency and Aceh Tamiang Regency. Their homeland lies in the Barisan Mountains which has elevations of over 12,000 feet and extends more than one thousand miles. The Gayonese language has four dialects: Lut, Serbejadi-Lukup, Lut and Luwes. Their language does not have a writing system, but folk tales, stories and poetry are passed down in oral tradition. The traditional house of the Gayo is called Umah.
Patuan Bosar SinambelaginoarOmpu Pulo Batu, better known as Si Singamangaraja XII, was the last priest-king of the Batak peoples of north Sumatra. In the course of fighting a lengthy guerrilla war against the Dutch colonisation of Sumatra from 1878 onwards, he was killed in a skirmish with Dutch troops in 1907. He was declared a National Hero of Indonesia in 1961 for his resistance to Dutch colonialism.
Gotfried Coenraad Ernst "Frits" van Daalen was an Indo (Eurasian) Lieutenant General of the Royal Dutch East Indies Army who served in the Dutch East Indies. He was also the appointed Governor of Aceh from 1905 until 1908.
Van Dalen is a Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from/of Dalen", a town in the province of Drenthe. Variant spellings are "Van Daalen" and Van Daelen. The name sometimes may be a hypercorrection of the form Van Dale, with the meaning "from (the) valley". Notable people with the surname include:
The Korps Marechaussee te voet were a colonial gendarmerie of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL), principally used for counter-insurgency in the Dutch East Indies.
Pakpak people or Batak Pakpak are one of the ethnic groups found mainly in North Sumatra, Indonesia. They are scattered in a few regencies and cities in North Sumatra and Aceh, such as Dairi Regency, Pakpak Bharat Regency, Humbang Hasundutan Regency and Central Tapanuli Regency of North Sumatra, and also in Aceh Singkil Regency and Subulussalam, Aceh. Pakpak people have some communities in other cities across Indonesia. The term "Batak Pakpak" also refers to the culture and language of the pakpak people.
Singkil people are an ethnic group of people found in Aceh Singkil Regency and Subulussalam, Aceh province, Indonesia.
Kluet or Kluwat people dwell in a number of districts in South Aceh Regency, Aceh, Indonesia namely North Kluet, South Kluet, Central Kluet and East Kluet. The Kluet people are regarded as part of the Batak people sub-ethnicity. The Kluet regions are separated by Lawé Kluet River, where it disgorges from the Mount Leuser and disembogues into the Indian Ocean. Residential region of the Kluet people is 30 km from Tapaktuan city or 500 km from Banda Aceh. Majority of the population and as well as the Kluet people practices Islam.
Henricus Marinus Neeb, often recorded as H.M. Neeb, was a Dutch military doctor during the later stages of the long lasting Aceh War. He photographed sights in the area beginning in 1904 including architecture, indigenous peoples, colonial buildings such rail infrastructure and buildings, topography, scenes of Dutch soldiers, and Acehnese killed in the conflict.
Payung mesikhat is the traditional ritual umbrella of the Alas people in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is used for various ceremonies such as circumcisions, weddings, and meeting guests of honor. It is made from black waterproof fabric with embroidery that reflects the purpose of the umbrella. For example, a wedding umbrella depicts several scenes from the life of a girl during her girlhood, including scenes of the domestic works such as rice pounding and others. In addition, Islamic embroidered designs are on the edge of the umbrella, and around it, many strips of silver are hung.
Minangkabau culture is the culture of the Minangkabau ethnic group in Indonesia, part of the Indonesian culture. This culture is one of the two major cultures in the Indonesian archipelago which is very prominent and influential.