Ambai people

Last updated
Ambai people
Ampari
Papuan Dance from Yapen.jpg
The Afaitaneng dance (id) from Menawi village and Ambai village
Total population
7,500
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia (Yapen Islands Regency)
Languages
Ambai, Indonesian
Religion
Protestant Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Yapen peoples (Yawa Unat, Busami, Arui Sai, Berbai, Pombawo, Wondau–Wondei–Wonawa)

The Ambai people (Ambai : Ampari) are an ethnic subgroup of the Yapen people who inhabit the eastern coast of Yapen Island in Yapen Islands Regency, Papua Province, Indonesia. Their settlements also include the Ambai Archipelago, Nusawani, Angkaisera, Ampimoi Bay, and the western coast of East Yapen District.

Contents

The Ambai population is estimated to be around 7,500 people living in ten villages. [1] These villages are Ambai, Rondepi, Adiwipi, Randawaipi, Menawi, Wadapi-Laut, Randaways, Wari-roni, Sumberbaba, Nunsembai, and Dawai. [1]

The Ambai have long interacted with outside communities, evident from their early adoption of rice-field agriculture and their participation in regional trade networks, especially the exchange of "eastern cloth". [1] Ambai migrants can now also be found in areas outside the Yapen Islands such as Waropen, Jayapura, Nabire, Wasior, Biak, Sorong, and Manokwari. [2]

Etymology

The word "Ambai" comes from the Ambai language term embai, meaning "moon." Ampari is also the name of a deity in local mythology, an animal-shaped figure appearing in the folk story "Serador and Ampari". [3]

Residents are also commonly identified by their village of origin, such as Ambai people, Menawi people, Wadapi people, Saweru people, Korombobi people, and Randawaya people.

Language

The Ambai people speak the Ambai language, [4] which has dialectal variation between villages. According to Glottolog , there are three main Ambai dialects: [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hidayah, Zulyani (1 April 2013). Ensiklopedi Suku Bangsa di Indonesia[Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Indonesia]. Jakarta: Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia. p. 475. ISBN   978-979-461-929-2.
  2. Krey, Yulita (5 July 2024). "Awal Keberadaan Suku Ambai di Manokwari" [The Origins of the Ambai People in Manokwari]. RRI (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  3. Embram, Esther Rita (6 April 2021). "Representasi Sosial Budaya Suku Ambai dalam Cerita Rakyat" [Cultural Representation of the Ambai People in Folklore]. Kibas Cenderawasih (in Indonesian). Balai Bahasa Provinsi Papua. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  4. Limbu, Anggun Permata Indah (10 May 2022). Studi Ecoliteracy terhadap Sakralitas Tanah sebagai Ibu Menurut Pandangan Suku Yawa Unat, Papua, Bab III Analisa Data Lapangan dalam Masyarakat Adat Suku Yawa Unat [Ecoliteracy Study on the Sacredness of Land as Mother in the Perspective of the Yawa Unat People, Papua, Chapter III Field Data Analysis]. Repositori Institusi (Thesis) (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  5. "Glottolog 5.0 - Ambai". Glottolog 5.0. Retrieved 16 November 2025.