Lio people

Lio

Ata Li'o
The Lio people wearing traditional clothing in Ende Regency.
Total population
300,000 [1]
Regions with significant populations
Indonesia (Flores)
Languages
Lio and Indonesian
Religion
Christianity (mainly Catholicism) and Islam
Related ethnic groups
Ende  • Nage  • Sikka

The Lio people (Li'o : Ata Li'o) are an Austronesian-speaking ethnic group native to the island of Flores in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. They mainly inhabit the Ende Regency and the western part of Sikka Regency. ^[2] The population is around 300,000 people, one of the most numerous on the island, below the Manggarai people. ^[1]

In contrast to the Ende people who were heavily influenced by Islam, the Lio people who live in the mountains were more isolated during the spread of Islam since the 17th century. ^[3] Culturally, they have close ties with the Ende, Sikka, Nage, Keo, Ngada, and more distantly with the Manggarai. ^[2] Their language is sometimes considered to form a dialect chain with the Ende language. ^[4]

Religion

The Lio people are the indigenous people of Flores. They are predominantly Catholicism, with a small minority practicing Islam, especially in coastal areas. ^[1] Their ancestral beliefs live side by side, especially with Catholicism. ^[1] Their ancestral beliefs include the worship of the supreme creator Ndu'a Ngga'e, ^[2] ancestor worship, agricultural worship, ^[1] and belief in spirits. ^[2]

Language

The Lio people are spread across the central part of Flores.

They speak the Lio language (Sara Li'o), part of the Austronesian language family in the Central Flores branch. Their language is particularly closely related to Manggarai, Ngada, Nage, Keo, and Ende. ^{[2] [5]}

Livelihood

Traditionally, the Lio people made their living by farming manually (root crops, corn, and to a lesser extent rice), hunting, and gathering forest products (rattan and sandalwood), as well as pig and poultry farming. They also developed basket making and wood fiber processing. ^[1]

See also

• Ethnic groups in Indonesia
• Ende people
• Sikka people

References

1. Biernowa, A.A. (1998). "Lio". In Tiszkow, Walerij A. (ed.). Народы и религии мира: Энциклопедия (PDF) (in Russian). Moscow: Great Russian Encyclopedia. p. 291. ISBN   978-5-85270-155-8. OCLC   40821169.
2. Melalatoa, M. Junus (1995). Ensiklopedi Suku Bangsa di Indonesia Jilid L–Z (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. pp. 470–472. OCLC   1027453789.
3. Murtadho, M. (2015). "Jejak Kerajaan Islam Ende dan Sejarah Keagamaan di Flores" (PDF). Jurnal Lektur Keagamaan (in Indonesian). 13 (1). Jakarta: Badan Litbang dan Diklat Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia: 237–264.
4. Ende at Ethnologue (22nd ed., 2019)
5. Lio at Ethnologue (22nd ed., 2019)

External links

• Forth, Gregory (2019). "Culture Summary: Flores". eHRAF World Cultures. New Haven: Human Relations Area Files, Yale University.