Regions with significant populations | |
---|---|
Central Sulawesi | |
Languages | |
Bahasa Indonesia, Balantak | |
Religion | |
Islam (majority), Protestantism (minority) | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Banggai • Saluan |
Balantak is an ethnic group residing in Banggai Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Balantak community is divided into two sub-ethnic groups: the Tanoturan and the Dale-Dale. [1] Most Balantak people in Banggai live on the East Peninsula. [2]
Balantak originates from the word Bala, which means fence or fortress, and Tak, which means us. Hence, Balantak can be interpreted as our defense. [3]
According to belief, the origin of the Balantak people began with the receding seawater in the land of Balantak, known as Bokol Balu, due to human actions that violated the law. Bokol Balu then destroyed part of the population, and those who survived became the group that formed the Balantak tribe. [3]
In the past, the Balantak people were part of the Kingdom of Banggai. However, there is no longer any influence of the kingdom on their social stratification. Initially, the Balantak people worshiped ancestral spirits and deities, such as the solar deity called Mola and the earth deity called Kere. Today, the Balantak people have embraced Islam or Christianity. Despite the presence of Islam and Christianity, remnants of their traditional beliefs are still evident. [1]
The Balantak people speak Balantak. [2] The Balantak language is part of the Loinang languages, which belong to the Ingkar language group. [1] To preserve their local language, the Balantak community has developed an electronic dictionary Balantak-Indonesian. It was launched during the 57th anniversary celebration of Banggai Regency in 2017, led by the Governor of Central Sulawesi, H. Longki Djanggola. [4]
The Balantak people rely on agriculture as their main livelihood. They cultivate rice in fields using a shifting cultivation and slash-and-burn system, and they grow tubers and coconut as key commodities. In addition, they engage in gathering forest products and hunting fish and wild animals as supplementary activities alongside farming. [1]
The Balantak people are one of the major ethnic groups in the Banggai Regency, alongside two other ethnic groups, the Banggai and Saluan. [5] Meanwhile, Balantak is one of the 12 ethnic groups residing in the Central Sulawesi Province. The other 11 ethnic groups besides Balantak are Kaili , Kulawi , Lore , Pamona, Mori , Bungku, Saluan, Banggai, Buol , and Totoli . [6]
Four cultural elements are considered the most important for the Balantak people. These are dignity, kinship, social order, and generosity. In terms of kinship, the Balantak community is known for having strong familial bonds. The spirit of mutual cooperation (gotong royong) in daily life is one of its manifestations. [7]
As mentioned earlier, kinship is one of the most important aspects of Balantak culture. The kinship bond in Balantak culture is bilateral, with nuclear families forming units called bense. Usually, two or three bense inhabit a village, and these villages are further grouped into a residential unit or settlement called bosano. The term bosano is also used for the village head who leads a certain area. [1]
The Balantak also has its own way of uniting two families into a kinship system through a marriage tradition called Monsara no Ana Wiwin Nono, which means "secret investigation." This tradition is performed when someone is about to marry off their son. The goal is to observe closely the behavior of the woman who will become their daughter-in-law. Before formally proposing, a family member from the groom's side will visit the woman's house to inform her family of their intention to marry her. Then, the groom's family will present their plan to propose to the woman's parents. [8]
The proposal stage is carried out by the groom's family, who visits the woman's parents' house bringing items such as betel leaves, areca nuts, slaked lime, gambier, and some money. Three days later, both families gather again to discuss the details of the wedding plans. [8]
Central Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia located at the centre of the island of Sulawesi. The administrative capital and largest city is located in Palu. The province borders the provinces of Gorontalo to the east, Southeast Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, and West Sulawesi to the south, and sharing maritime borders with East Kalimantan to the west, North Maluku to the east, and Malaysia and the Philippines to the north.
South Sulawesi is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital and largest city is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi and West Sulawesi to the north, the Gulf of Bone and Southeast Sulawesi to the east, Makassar Strait to the west, and Flores Sea to the south.
The Torajan are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the regency of Tana Toraja. Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk. The Indonesian government has recognised this animistic belief as Aluk To Dolo as well as Hindu Alukta, namely, a form of Hinduism in Indonesia.
Luwuk is the capital of Banggai Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its area is 72.82 km2 following boundary changes in 2012 and 2015. There used to be an oil industry in the region. At the 2020 census the town had a population of 34,849.
The Cirebon or Cirebonese are an indigenous ethnic group native to Cirebon in the northeastern region of West Java Province of Indonesia. With a population of approximately 2 million, the Cirebonese population are mainly adherents of Sunni Islam. Their native language is Cirebonese, which combines elements of both Javanese and Sundanese, but with a heavier influence from Javanese.
There are more than 600 ethnic groups in the multicultural Indonesian archipelago, making it one of the most diverse countries in the world. The vast majority of these belong to the Austronesian peoples, concentrated in western and central Indonesia (Asia), with a sizable minority are Melanesian peoples concentrated in eastern Indonesia (Oceania). However, genetic studies show that ethnic groups in Java and Bali have significant traces of Austroasiatic ancestry, even though Austroasiatic languages are no longer spoken.
The Saluan–Banggai languages are a group of closely related languages spoken in eastern Central Sulawesi province, Indonesia. They belong to the Celebic subgroup of the Austronesian family.
The Celebic languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, formerly called Celebes. Almost all of the languages spoken in the provinces of Central Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi belong to the Celebic group. A few Celebic languages are located in South Sulawesi province. By number of languages, Celebic is the largest subgroup of Austronesian languages on Sulawesi.
On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, 114 native languages are spoken, all of which belong to the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the Austronesian language family. With a total number of 17,200,000 inhabitants, Sulawesi displays a high linguistic diversity when compared with the most densely populated Indonesian island Java, which hosts 4–8 languages spoken by 145,100,000 inhabitants.
Ma'anyan, Dayak Maanyan or Eastern Barito Dayak people are an ethnic group of the Dayak people indigenous to Borneo. They are also considered as part of the east Barito Dusun group with the name Dusun Ma'anyan. According to J. Mallinckrodt (1927), the Dusun people group is part of the Ot Danum people cluster, although later that theory was disproved by A. B. Hudson (1967), who argues that the Ma'anyan people are a branch of the Barito family. The Ma'anyan people who are often referred to as Dayak people are also referred to as Dayak Ma'anyan. The Dayak Ma'anyan people inhabit the east side of Central Kalimantan, especially in the East Barito Regency and parts of South Barito Regency which are grouped as Ma'anyan I. The Dayak Ma'anyan people also inhabit the northern parts of South Kalimantan, especially in Tabalong Regency which refers to the Dayak Warukin people. The Dayak Balangan people or Dusun Balangan people which are found in the Balangan Regency and the Dayak Samihim people that are found in the Kotabaru Regency are grouped together with the Dayak Ma'anyan people group. The Dayak Ma'anyan people in South Kalimantan are grouped as Ma'anyan II.
Balantak is an Austronesian language spoken at the head of the eastern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is classified as a member of the Saluan-Banggai branch of the Celebic subgroup. The Balantak language is the primary language of the Balantak people. Although 90% of the population are also proficient in Indonesian, the vernacular is still vigorously used in everyday contexts, and most children only speak Balantak before entering school.
Gorontalo people, also known as Gorontalese, are a native ethnic group and the most populous ethnicity in the northern part of Sulawesi. The Gorontalo people have traditionally been concentrated in the provinces of Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, and the northern part of Central Sulawesi.
Sangir is a native people of the Sangir Islands in the northern chain of islands in Sulawesi and the southern part of Mindanao. The Sangirese people are fishermen and nutmeg growers in their home areas and also work as wage labourers in industrial crops enterprises in Bolaang Mongondow Regency and Minahasa Regency.
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Balantak is a district in the Banggai regency, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Balantak people speak the Balantak language. As of 1982, there were an estimate 30,000 Balantak, spread over several districts. Traditionally they lived in rectangular houses on stilts over swidden fields. They raised fowl, goats, rice, yams, taro, and millet. The district was described in 1682 as being part of the Banggai Kingdom. Administration was via local chiefs and the Ternate Sultanate. Ancestor worship has been a feature of their traditional religion and Christianity and Islam have been influential since the turn of the 20th century.
Gorontalo is a province of Indonesia on the island of Sulawesi. Located on the Minahasa Peninsula, Gorontalo was formerly part of the province of North Sulawesi until its inauguration as a separate province on 5 December 2000. The province is bordered by the provinces of North Sulawesi to the east and Central Sulawesi to the west, as well sharing a maritime border with the Philippines in the Sulawesi Sea to the north, and a coastline on the Gulf of Tomini to the south. The provincial capital, as well as the main gateway to the province and its most populated city, is Gorontalo. The size is comparable to Vanuatu.
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