Ambonese

Last updated
Ambonese
Orang Ambong
Pakaian Adat Pengantin Ambon.jpg
Ambon bride and groom in traditional costumes.
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Flag of Suriname.svg  Suriname
Languages
Ambonese Malay, Indonesian (in Indonesia), Dutch (in Netherlands)
Religion
Christianity (Protestantism-Reformed Church, Roman Catholicism), Islam (Sunni Islam)
Related ethnic groups
Melanesians, Polynesians, Moluccans, Malagasy

The Ambonese (Ambonese: Orang Ambong), misunderstood as well as Moluccans , are an ethnic group of mixed Austronesian and Melanesian origin. They are majority Christians followed by Muslims. The Ambonese are from Ambon Island in Maluku, an island group east of Sulawesi and north of Timor in Indonesia. They also live on the southwest of Seram Island; which is part of the Moluccas, Java, New Guinea; on the West Papua side and other regions of Indonesia. Additionally, there are about 35,000 Ambonese people living in the Netherlands. [1] By the end of the 20th century, there were 258,331 (2007 census) Ambonese people living in Ambon, Maluku. [2]

Contents

Language

An Ambonese Malay speaker, recorded in the United States.

The predominant language of the island is Ambonese Malay, also called Ambonese. It developed as the trade language of central Maluku, and is spoken elsewhere in Maluku as a second language. Bilingualism in Indonesian is high around Ambon City. They are an ethnic mixture of Austronesians and the Melanesians. [3]

Religion

Oldest mosque in Ambon. The oldest mosque.jpg
Oldest mosque in Ambon.

The Ambonese ethnicity is split of Christian (Reformed Christianity and Roman Catholicism) and Muslim (Sunni Islam), while indigenous customs such as tattooing have largely disappeared. [4] [5] According to Mikhail Anatolievich Chlenov, relationship between the adherents of both faiths here have traditionally been neighborly peaceful, based on the union of the communities' pela; which in the Ambonese language means "friend". [6] However, he also mentions that clashes between Ambonese people and other non-indigenous ethnic groups occurs on religious grounds. Mounted tension then resulted in the 1998 inter-religious conflict in Ambon, of which until today the number of victims have turned into thousands of people. In the situation of an almost civil war, people were forced to move to refugee camps across the capital of the island, Ambon, Maluku, with lines dividing its Muslim and Christian sections were made. [7]

The problem is not completely resolved, and the religious issue is still acute, as indeed, in other parts of Indonesia.

History

A group of men after the institute of the M.P. in a church in Ambon, pre-1943. COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een groep mannen na de instituering van de M.P. in de kerk op Ambon TMnr 10000762.jpg
A group of men after the institute of the M.P. in a church in Ambon, pre-1943.

Ambon belonged to the so-called colonial ethnic group. [8] They were formed in the 16th to 18th century as a result of the mixing of the indigenous population of Ambon Island and West Seram Regency, the human trade of the Hitu people, and with the immigrants from both other parts of Indonesia and Europeans. [9] In the 15th to 16th century, the largest center of spice trade was established under the rule of the Sultanate of Ternate, and its capture then became the goal of the foreign colonialists, who at the beginning of the 16th century were the Portuguese colonials, and at the beginning of the 17th century the Dutch colonials. [10]

The Ambonese people resisted the Dutch colonization until the beginning of the 19th century. However, their resistance did not help in preventing the Dutch conquering the Indonesian Archipelago and suppressing uprisings of local ethnic groups against the colonialists. Due to its far-sighted policy, the Ambonese people have achieved a privileged position in Indonesia since the mid-19th century. Many of them were Europeanized, adopted Christianity, the wealthy townspeople were legally equated with the ruling colonizers, and they were involved in state and military services. For such loyalty, the Ambonese authorities were nicknamed "black Dutch". [11]

During the Indonesian National Revolution war for the Independence of Indonesia in 1945–1949, large groups of Ambonese people, especially members of the colonial army, emigrated to the Netherlands and New Guinea. [1]

Economy

The arrival of the fishermen at Ambon, Maluku, pre-1919. COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De binnenkomst van de vissers op Ambon Molukken. TMnr 60013216.jpg
The arrival of the fishermen at Ambon, Maluku, pre-1919.

At present, the Ambonese people are considered one of the most developed peoples of Indonesia, belong to the class of local intellectuals. Mostly engaged in the production for sale of spices such as carnation and nutmeg, [12] as well as sago as a food source. [13] Since the 17th century, they were producers of nutmeg; which led to the conquest of the Dutch colonial in Ambon Island and its surrounding region in 1605 as an attempt to monopolized the nutmeg trade, and finally the Amboyna massacre. [12] Developed fishery, agriculture, horticulture and small trades are also means of earning a living. [14] Ambonese craftsmen work in various industries such as pottery, blacksmithing, weapons making, shipbuilding, carving on tortoiseshell shell and mother of pearl, making ornamental crafts from buds of carnation, weaving boxes and mats from strips of palm leaves. Traditionally, they serve in the army and the administrative sector. [15]

Social structure

A portrait of the King and his entourage in Ambon, Maluku, between 1890 and 1915. COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Portret van een vorst met zijn gevolg Ambon TMnr 60039375.jpg
A portrait of the King and his entourage in Ambon, Maluku, between 1890 and 1915.

The Ambonese people live in traditional rural communities, called negeri and headed by a starosta called raja. Communities are divided into territorial-related groups called soa, which, in turn, unites the patrilineal clans that are called mata ruma. Marriages are concluded only within confessional groups. For the Ambonese people, they have been traditionally characterized by patrilocal marriage settlement. [16] Relations between members of the community are regulated by traditional norms of behavior called adat, coming from the customs of the ancestors. Today the adat largely regulates matter on family, hereditary, land law, as well as on elections for leadership positions. [17]

Culture and lifestyle

A group portrait of Ambonese people with musical instruments. COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Groepsportret van Ambonezen met muziekinstrumenten TMnr 10000859.jpg
A group portrait of Ambonese people with musical instruments.

A typical Ambonese village consists of about 1,500 people who live in houses made of materials from woven sago leaves [13] or plastered bamboo, wood, coral stones, on stone foundations; [18] they cultivate surrounding hillsides. [4] Traditional rural settlements of Ambonese people are located on the shore and have a linear layout. Houses are built on stilts.

Clothing

Men adopted modern European style clothing, [19] and only on special occasions they would wear short jackets and black trousers. [20] Women also wear thin blouses or small-patterned sarongs with black color for the older women and the younger women wear bright colored cotton dresses up to knee-length. [21] [22]

Food

The basis of the diet of Ambonese people is a porridge of sago starch, [13] vegetables, taro, cassava, and fish. The inhabitants of the Ambon Island also have access to imported rice.

Music

The Ambonese people have rich musical folklore, many of which have absorbed many European musical elements, for example, the Ambonese quadrille (katreji) [23] and the songs of the lagoon, accompanied by a violin and with a lap steel guitar. [24] As of traditional musical instruments such as the 12 gongs, [25] drums, bamboo flute (efluit), [26] xylophone (tatabuhan kayu) [27] and Aeolian harp are included.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banda Islands</span> Volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, Maluku, Indonesia

The Banda Islands are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about 140 km (87 mi) south of Seram Island and about 2,000 km (1,243 mi) east of Java, and constitute an administrative district (kecamatan) within the Central Maluku Regency in the Indonesian province of Maluku. The islands rise out of 4-to-6-kilometre deep ocean and have a total land area of approximately 172 square kilometres (66 sq mi). They had a population of 18,544 at the 2010 Census and 20,924 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 21,902. Until the mid-19th century the Banda Islands were the world's only source of the spices nutmeg and mace, produced from the nutmeg tree. The islands are also popular destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling. The main town and administrative centre is Banda Neira, located on the island of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maluku Islands</span> Archipelago in eastern Indonesia

The Maluku Islands or the Moluccas are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located east of Sulawesi, west of New Guinea, and north and east of Timor. Lying within Wallacea, the Moluccas have been considered a geographical and cultural intersection of Asia and Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambon Island</span> One of the Maluku Islands in Indonesia

Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of 743.37 km2 (287.02 sq mi) and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of two territories: the city of Ambon to the south and various districts (kecamatan) of the Central Maluku Regency to the north. The main city and seaport is Ambon, which is also the capital of Maluku province, while those districts of Maluku Tengah Regency situated on Ambon Island had a 2020 Census population of 128,069. By mid 2023 those populations were estimated to have become 354,052 and 128,754 respectively, resulting in an all-island population of 482,806.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Maluku</span> Province of Indonesia

North Maluku is a province of Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Halmahera Sea to the east, the Molucca Sea to the west, and the Seram Sea to the south. It shares maritime borders with North Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi to the west, Maluku to the south, Southwest Papua to the west, and Palau and the Philippines to the north. The provincial capital is Sofifi on the largest island of Halmahera, while the largest city is the island city of Ternate. The population of North Maluku was 1,038,087 in the 2010 census, making it one of the least-populous provinces in Indonesia, but by the 2020 Census the population had risen to 1,282,937, and the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 1,328,594.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambon, Maluku</span> City and capital of Maluku, Indonesia

Ambon is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Maluku. This city is also known as Ambon Manise, which means "beautiful" or "pretty" Ambon in the Ambonese language. It covers a land area of 359.45 km2, and had a population of 331,254 at the 2010 Census and 347,288 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 354,052. The city is divided into five administrative districts – namely Nusaniwe, Sirimau, Teluk Ambon, Baguala and Leitimur Selatan. Known as Indonesia's music city, Ambon became the first city in Southeast Asia to be recognised as the UNESCO City of Music in 2019.

In addition to its classical and modern literary form, Malay had various regional dialects established after the rise of the Srivijaya empire in Sumatra, Indonesia. Also, Malay spread through interethnic contact and trade across the south East Asia Archipelago as far as the Philippines. That contact resulted in a lingua franca that was called Bazaar Malay or low Malay and in Malay Melayu Pasar. It is generally believed that Bazaar Malay was a pidgin, influenced by contact among Malay, Hokkien, Portuguese, and Dutch traders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buru</span> Island in Maluku, Indonesia

Buru is the third largest island within the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon and Seram islands. The island belongs to Maluku province and includes the Buru and South Buru regencies. Their administrative centers, Namlea and Namrole, respectively, have ports and are the largest towns of the island, served by Namlea Airport and Namrole Airport respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maluku (province)</span> Province of Indonesia

Maluku is a province of Indonesia. It comprises the central and southern regions of the Maluku Islands. The largest city and capital of Maluku province is Ambon on the small Ambon Island. It is directly adjacent to North Maluku, Southwest Papua, and West Papua in the north, Central Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi in the west, Banda Sea, Australia, East Timor and East Nusa Tenggara in the south and Arafura Sea, Central Papua and South Papua in the east. The land area is 57803.81 km2, and the total population of this province at the 2010 census was 1,533,506 people, rising to 1,848,923 at the 2020 census, the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 1,908,753. Maluku is located in Eastern Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of South Maluku</span> Former seccesionist country in Indonesia

South Maluku, also South Moluccas, officially the Republic of South Maluku, is an unrecognised secessionist republic that originally claimed the islands of Ambon, Buru, and Seram, which currently make up the Indonesian province of Maluku.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pattimura</span> National hero of Indonesia

Thomas Matulessy, also known as Kapitan Pattimura or simply Pattimura, was a famous Ambonese soldier who became a symbol of both the Maluku and Indonesian struggle for independence, praised by President Sukarno and declared a national hero by President Suharto. He has several namesakes in both the Netherlands and in the Indonesian archipelago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultanate of Ternate</span> Sultanate

The Sultanate of Ternate, previously also known as the Kingdom of Gapi is one of the oldest Muslim kingdoms in Indonesia besides the sultanates of Tidore, Jailolo, and Bacan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moluccans</span> Ethnic group from the Moluccas Islands

Moluccans are the Austronesian-speaking and Papuan-speaking ethnic groups indigenous to the Maluku Islands, Eastern Indonesia. The region was historically known as the Spice Islands, and today consists of two Indonesian provinces of Maluku and North Maluku. As such, "Moluccans" is used as a blanket term for the various ethnic and linguistic groups native to the islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buru people</span> Ethnic Group in Indonesia

Buru people is an ethnic group mostly living on Indonesian island Buru, as well as on some other Maluku Islands. They also call themselves Gebfuka or Gebemliar, which literally means "people of the world" or "people of the land". Buru people are related to the eastern Indonesian anthropological group and from an ethnographic point of view are similar to other indigenous peoples of the island Buru. They speak the Buru language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisela people</span> Ethnic group of Indonesia

Lisela or Rana people is an ethnic group mostly living on Indonesian island Buru, as well as on some other Maluku Islands. They belong to the eastern Indonesian anthropological group and are sometimes referred to as northern Buru people. From an ethnographic point of view, Lisela are similar to other indigenous peoples of Buru island. They speak the Lisela language.

The Ambelau people are an ethnic group who form the majority of the population of the Indonesian island of Ambalau. They also live on nearby island Buru and other islands. By ethnography, Ambelau are close to most indigenous peoples of Buru island. They number about 8,260, and speak the Ambelau language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambelau</span> Island and district in Buru Selatan Regency, Maluku Province, Indonesia

Ambelau or Ambalau is a volcanic island in the Banda Sea within Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island forms an administrative district which is part of the South Buru Regency of Maluku province, Indonesia. It has a land area of 306 km2, and had a population of 6,846 at the 2010 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 9,225. The administrative center is Wailua, a settlement located at the south of the island. About half of the island's population is composed of indigenous Ambelau people who speak the Ambelau language; the other half are mostly immigrants from the nearby Maluku Islands and Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boano</span> Island in Maluku, Indonesia

Boano Island is an island in West Seram Regency, Maluku Province, Indonesia. It is located off the northern coast of the Hoamoal Peninsula at the western end of Seram Island, across the Boano Strait. The inhabitants speak the Boano, Luhu, as well as Indonesian and Ambonese Malay.

The Moluccan diaspora refers to overseas Indonesians of Moluccan birth or descent living outside Indonesia. The most significant Moluccan diaspora community lives in the Netherlands, where it numbers c. 70,000 people as of 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invasion of Ambon</span> Indonesian military operation against Republic of South Maluku

The Invasion of Ambon was a combined Indonesian military operation which aimed to seize and annex the self proclaimed Republic of South Maluku.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannes Latuharhary</span> Indonesian politician and nationalist (1900–1959)

Johannes Latuharhary was an Indonesian politician and nationalist of Moluccan descent, who served as the first Indonesian governor of Maluku from 1945 until 1955, though he did not assume office in Maluku until 1950. A Protestant Christian, Latuharhary was an early proponent of Moluccan inclusion in the Indonesian state and he was an active participant in the struggle for Indonesia's independence.

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