This is a list of notable Minahasa people.
Sukarno was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967.
North Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia. It is mainly located on the Minahasa Peninsula of the island of Sulawesi, south of the Philippines and southeast of Sabah, Malaysia, but also includes various small archipelagoes situated between the Minahasa Peninsula and southern Philippines. It borders the Philippines province of Davao Occidental and Soccsksargen regions to the north, the Maluku Sea to the east, Gorontalo and the Celebes Sea to the west and the Gulf of Tomini to the southwest. The province's furthest extent, the outlying and isolated island of Miangas to its north, is the northernmost island of Indonesia as a bordering with the Philippines.
The Minahasans or Minahassa are an indigenous ethnic group from the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, formerly known as North Celebes. The Minahasa people sometimes refer to themselves as Manado people. Although the Minahasan pre-Christian creation myth entails some form of ethnic unification, before the nineteenth century the Minahasa region was in no way unified. Instead, a number of politically independent groups (walak) existed together, often in a permanent state of conflict.
Manado is the capital city of the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi. It is the second largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar, with the 2020 census giving a population of 451,916, and the official estimates for mid 2023 showing 458,582 inhabitants, distributed over a land area of 157.26 km2. The Manado metropolitan area had a population of 1,377,815 as of mid 2023. The city is situated on the Bay of Manado, and is surrounded by a mountainous area.
Permesta was a rebel movement in Indonesia that was declared on 2 March 1957 by civil and military leaders in East Indonesia. Initially the center of the movement was in Makassar, which at that time was the capital of the province of Sulawesi. However, support for the movement in South Sulawesi gradually dissipated, forcing the headquarters to move to Manado in North Sulawesi.
Gerungan Saul Samuel Jacob Ratulangi, known as Sam Ratulangi, was a Minahasan teacher, journalist, politician, and national hero from North Sulawesi, Indonesia. He was part of the committee that ratified the Constitution of Indonesia and served as the first Governor of Sulawesi.
General Andi Mohammad Jusuf Amir, more commonly known as M. Jusuf, was an Indonesian military general and a witness to the signing of the Supersemar document transferring power from President Sukarno to General Suharto.
Alexander Evert Kawilarang was an Indonesian freedom fighter, military commander, and founder of Kesko TT, which would become the Indonesian special forces unit Kopassus. However, in 1958 he resigned his post as military attaché to the United States to join the rebel Permesta movement where he encountered Kopassus as his opponent. His involvement in Permesta damaged his military career, but he remained popular and active in the armed forces community.
Arie Frederik Lasut was a National Hero of Indonesia, because of his involvement in the struggle for independence and his efforts to advance Indonesia’s mining and geological infrastructure during the nation’s beginnings. Arie Lasut was born in Kapataran, a village in the regency of Minahasa in the province of North Sulawesi. He was the eldest son of eight children born to Darius Lasut and Ingkan Supit. His brother, Willy Lasut, went on to become governor of North Sulawesi.
Maria Josephine Catherine Maramis, more commonly known as Maria Walanda Maramis, is recognized as a National Hero of Indonesia for her efforts to advance women's rights and conditions in Indonesia at the beginning of the 20th century.
Alexander Andries Maramis, more commonly known simply as A. A. Maramis, was an Indonesian politician and National Hero of Indonesia, who was involved in the struggle for independence. He was a member of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK), the organization which drafted the Constitution of Indonesia. In the early stages of the Indonesian government, following the Proclamation of Independence, he served as both Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs. After the end of the Indonesian National Revolution, he served as the Indonesian ambassador to several nations, including the Philippines, West Germany, and the Soviet Union.
Alexius Impurung Mendur was an Indonesian journalistic photographer who was part of a group that established the Indonesia Press Photo Service (IPPHOS). This organization is credited for the many iconic photographs of people and events during the Indonesian National Revolution.
Jacob Frederick Warouw, also known as Joop Warouw, was a military officer involved in the Indonesian National Revolution. After the revolution, his appointments include Commander of VII/East Indonesia Military Territory and Military Attaché in Beijing. He was subsequently involved in the Permesta movement that sought greater regional autonomy from the central government in Java. He was killed by a fractious unit toward the end of the movement.
Bernard Wilhelm "B. W." Lapian was a nationalist involved in the struggle for Indonesian independence. He published several newspapers that gave voice to the welfare of the Indonesian people and promoted Indonesian nationalism. He was also part a group who established a separate Christian denomination from the official Dutch East-Indies church institution. After Indonesia gained its independence, Lapian served as head of the district of Manado and acting governor of Sulawesi. In 2015, he was given the title of National Hero of Indonesia by President Joko Widodo.
Arnoldus Isaac Zacharias Mononutu was an Indonesian nationalist, politician, and national hero of Indonesia from North Sulawesi, who served as Minister of Information from 1949 until 1950, and the again from 1951 until 1953. He later became the first Indonesia Ambassador to China, as well as the third Rector of Hasanuddin University. A member of the Indonesian National Party, Mononutu was also involved in the struggle for Indonesia's independence. Having gained his sense of nationalism during his post-secondary studies in the Netherlands. In 2020, he was posthumously given the honorary title of National Hero of Indonesia.
Frits Johanes Tumbelaka, also known as Broer Tumbelaka, served in the Indonesian military, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He also served in the government as governor of North and Central Sulawesi and, after the province was split into North Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi, he served as the first governor of North Sulawesi. He played an important role in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict between the Indonesian government and the Permesta movement.
Herling Laoh was an Indonesian bureaucrat and engineer. A member of the Indonesian National Party (PNI), Laoh served as minister of public works (1947–1950) and minister of transportation (1949–1950). Born to a goldsmith and his wife in present-day North Sulawesi, he studied civil engineering at the Technische Hoogeschool te Bandoeng (THB). After graduating in 1928, he worked as an engineer in various construction projects. Following the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence in 1945, he joined the PNI and served as a minister in several cabinets. He was later involved in PRRI/Permesta rebellion, becoming a state minister in the rebel government.
Komando Daerah Militer XIII / Merdeka is a Defense Regional Military Command which is responsible for the defense of the provinces of North Sulawesi, Gorontalo and Central Sulawesi.
Komando Daerah Militer XV/Pattimura, abbreviated Kodam XV/Pattimura, is the Defense Regional Command which contains Maluku Islands.