| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 500 (1985) [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Indonesia (Mare Island) | |
| Languages | |
| Tidore (Mare dialect), North Moluccan Malay, and Indonesian | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
The Mare people is an ethnic group that is the native population of Mare Island to the west of Halmahera, Indonesia. Mare Island is part of the South Tidore district in Tidore, North Maluku. The name of the island and the name of its inhabitants come from the word mari which means 'stone'. The island, which covers approximately 200 hectares, is rocky, both on land and along the coast. The soil is infertile, mostly overgrown with reeds, and is home to numerous deer. [1]
Mare Island was originally inhabited by the Tidore people who migrated from Tidore Island to the north. However, it is not known for certain when this island began to be populated. Several figures and historians believe that the Tidore people who became the inhabitants of Mare Island originally existed long before the reign of Kolano Syahjati or Sultan Muhammad Naqil of the Tidore Sultanate, precisely in 1081. [2] In the 17th to 19th centuries, Makian people from Makian Island also migrated here and settled with the Tidore people who were already there. [3] Mare Island, which is part of the territory of the Ternate Sultanate, is also inhabited by migrants from outside the Maluku Islands, including Europeans, Makassarese, and Chinese. It is difficult to ascertain the exact population data, but they gradually assimilated into the pre-existing local population on Mare Island. [4]
There are several versions of the naming of Mare Island itself, the first comes from the word mari which means 'stone', because this island is full of stones. [1] Then, it was explained that the name "Mare" comes from the word more, which in Tidore language, mo means 'she is a woman' and re means 'here'. It is believed that the word more refers to the first woman to discover or make pottery on the island. As a tribute, his name was changed to the name of the island, with slight changes in phonology. This is also related to the prohibition on directly mentioning the names of ancestors for both Tidore and Mare peoples, which is known as boboso. [2]
In folklore, it is explained that originally the Mare people consisted of three clans (soa) who inhabited the mountains, they were the Fola Igo, the Fola Tuhila Solo, and the Fola Sayare. Among the three clans, the Fola Igo is the highest ranking and most respected. This is also related to the myth of the spread of Islam on Mare Island, A male immigrant known as Ing Kaimoi by the native people came to Mare Island and spread Islam to the Mare people. He said to the native people, in Tidore language, "ngori nena moru malo, to tomo-tomo, to mote-mote doro se pasi", which means "I came from a far with great difficulty to bring a message of salvation". Gradually, the Mare people began to convert to Islam. [2]
The Mare people, considered the indigenous people of Mare Island, previously lived in the mountains in the village inhabited by the clan (soa) called Fola Igo, the highest and most respected clan. [2] Some of the other residents are considered immigrants, including those from New Guinea, who do indeed show the same physical characteristics as the Melanesian population in general. Now the Mare people (a mix of native and immigrant) live in two villages, namely the Mare (Maregam) village located in the eastern part of the island, and the Mare Kofo (Marekofo) village in the western part. In 1985, the population of Mare village was 500 people living in 70 houses. There was a mosque and a primary school. Among them, there are those who have gone to migrate outside the island. [1]
The staple food of the Mare people is sago. Their primary livelihood is pottery making. In making pottery, there is a division of labor based on gender. Men do relatively heavier work, for example collecting red earth, looking for wood for burning, collecting sand, and selling it. Except for red soil, other materials such as wood and sand are obtained outside Mare Island. [5] The sand is taken from Tidore Island, while the soil paint (hale kohari) is obtained from Ternate Island. Women play a role in soaking the materials, mixing them with sand, making pottery, drying them, and burning them. [1] It is said that the Mare people's pottery-making culture was acquired from people from the Huamual Kingdom in the western part of Seram who interacted and often bartered with them. [6]
There are 15 types of pottery produced by the Mare people, for example sago heating tools (forno), pots, pot lids, mortars, flower pots, and others. [7] These craft products are sent outside the island of Mare via ports, for example to the islands of Tidore, Moti, Makian, Ternate, and Halmahera. Among the pottery, some were bought and transported by the traders using special boats called otti dong. This boat used to be a rowing boat or used a sail, but now it uses an outboard motor. In the context of the departure of the pottery, there is usually a ceremony with certain prayers in the hope that the boat will be safe on its journey. The ceremony was attended by the village head, the priest (imam), and the person who had sold the pottery to the merchant. The ceremony was quite lively, resembling a wedding reception. [1]
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