To Behoa | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 3,000 (1982) [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Central Sulawesi (Behoa Valley) | |
| Languages | |
| Behoa | |
| Religion | |
| Ethnic religion, Christianity, Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Lore peoples (Bada • Napu • Tawailia) |
Behoa people (Behoa: To Behoa), also known as Besoa, is an ethnic group in Indonesia who live in the interior of the Behoa Valley in Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi. The Swedish ethnologist, Walter Kaudern, classified them as a sub-ethnic of the Koro-Toraja people. Meanwhile, A.C. Kruyt and Nicolaus Adriani stated that the Behoa are a sub-ethnic of the Poso-Toraja people. Kruyt believes that this tribe originated from the Napu Valley, north of the area they currently occupy, although he does not explain this theory comprehensively. [2]
The Lempe settlement appears to have been founded and inhabited by indigenous Napu people. However, these inhabitants were not "actually" indigenous Napu. Kaudern argued that if the Behoa people came from the north, then he should have been able to find the oldest village in the northern part of this region, namely in the Torire Valley and the younger villages in the southern part of the Behoa Plateau. But the reality is the opposite, because the oldest villages are located in the south, while the younger villages are in the north. [3]
The area inhabited by Behoa people was originally still in the form of lakes and wilderness mountains. Based on research by Wiebke Kirleis and Hermann Behling from the University of Goettingen, Germany, in "Landscapes of Central Sulawesi the Environmental History of the Besoa Valley", where forest clearing in the region occurred around 3,500 years ago (2,000–2,500 BC). [4] Initially, this region is only inhabited by people who live in Wanua Rano (lit. 'Village of Rano') was used as the old Behoa village. The village was first built by a husband and wife, ancestors of the Behoa people, and assisted by their two followers. Her husband named Kapita and his wife named Katuno came from Sigi Biromaru and both of their followers, were people from the region. They together built the Rano village as a settlement to form family groups.
As time went by, the people of Wanua Rano grew and became more familiar with how to live in groups in the 1500s. In the 1800s, an expedition was carried out by A.C. Kruyt. The explorer explored the area and only found a husband and wife chopping wood. He took a piece of wood and asked the husband and wife about the activity of splitting wood in the their language. The husband and wife answered that the piece of wood was called behoa. Finally, due to this misunderstanding, Kruyt concluded that the place was called Behoa and that name is known until now. Clearer evidence of the existence of Behoa is the existence of an old grave of a husband and wife who were not buried, their existence is still intact above ground without experiencing any significant changes. After the death of her husband and wife, the people of Wanua Rano began to move to form a new village. At that time, the husband and wife were seen by the people of Wanua Rano as leaders or highly respected people. Their deaths prompted several families from Wanua Rano to choose to build new settlements.
At the same time as the Wanua Rano population moved, the Dutch people began to enter and form a government district by building several settlements in the region. The arrival of the Dutch people under the leadership of Kruyt was aimed at spreading Protestantism. Several villages were controlled by Dutch gangs. The first division of Wanua Rano was Wanua Longkea, and then the people of Wanua Rano spread to Wanua Katu and Wanua Podondia, namely Wanua Hanggira and Wanua Bariri. Some of the people of Wanua Katu moved to Wanua Doda. The people of Wanua Katu are part of Behoa people, their lives in the Ngamba Behoa region. One of the ancient relics that explains the original position of the Behoa people in 2000 BC is the megalithic site in the valley plains and Ngamba Behoa. Initially, all the native inhabitants of Behoa only had 1 village and then moved across the entire Behoa Plains. Administratively, he is currently domiciled in the district of Central Lore, Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi.
Before the 1920s, the people of Wanua Katu had long opened hinoe (fields) in Mapohi and Parabu until 1918. Initially, Wanua Katu was pioneered by several people leaders from Wanua Bariri and Wanua Hanggira in Behoa Ngamba. These people are Marota (Umana Ntoapa), Togoe (Umana Tahoe), Mpanda (Umana Geo), Tokena (Umana Toreo), Tobuse (Umana Duri), along with 7 followers who had opened a coffee plantation in Toporarena, which is now a settlement in Wanua Katu. [5]
The Behoa people speak the Behoa language, which is related to their neighbors, namely the Bada and Napu peoples. During the Dutch colonial era, this region was generally called Bada. After the division of the region, it was divided into two districts, namely South Lore and North Lore. North Lore is inhabited by the Napu and Besoa peoples, while South Lore is inhabited by Bada people.
The Behoa people occupies 7 of the 21 villages in the district of North Lore, which is the smallest number compared to the other two ethnic groups, namely the Bada and Napu peoples. This also causes the possibility of threat to the Behoa culture and language, as well as acculturation to other ethnic groups nearby. In 1982, there were approximately 3,000 Behoa people who spoke the Behoa language. [1]
The following is a list of villages inhabited by the Behoa people.
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