The name "Palue" or "Palu'e" comes from two phrases, namely palu meaning 'go home' or 'return' and the phrase e which is usually added to indicate an affirmative exclamation. So the name "Palue" can be interpreted as 'returning home', or in other words, everyone who comes from Palue is always expected to return to Palue.[1]
According to local elders, several large groups originally inhabited Palue Island. These include the Igo Enga, Ende-Roja, and Bugis (or Toraja?). Regarding the groups inhabiting Palue Island, Stefan Danerek in his book Palu'e–Indonesian Dictionary, reviewed that the Palu'e people are divided into 14 customary areas, including three small areas adjacent to the coast. For example, the Edo and Woto clans originate from the Ende-Roja people in south-central Flores. Apart from that, there are other clans or descent groups that inhabit Palue Island, for example the Cinde-Pima clan, which are related to migrants from Bima, and the Kimalaya clan, which is said to be related to the Himalayas. The groups in Palue are also divided into two large categories based on the animals sacrificed in the rituals in each region. The first group consists of seven places that use buffalo as sacrificial animals. In the Palu'e language, these seven places are called Thana Laja Karapau (lit.'land of buffalo blood'), which include Cua, Nitung, Ko'a, Cawalo, Tomu, Lei, and Ndeo. The second group uses pigs as sacrificial animals in traditional rituals. In the Palu'e language, these places are called Thana Laja Wawi (lit.'land of pig's blood'), which includes Uwa, Edo, Woja, Ona, and Awa.[1]
Apart from that, in another version, it is said that in the beginning Palue Island was inhabited by two brothers who were stranded on a voyage from Java heading east. These two brothers, known as Igo and Enga (the northern Palue version), were the first to live and reside in Palue. They are known to be Buginese from Bone. Throughout their lives, these two brothers have always lived in harmony and peace, living on the northern coast of Palue. Every afternoon, the two brothers spent time gazing at the vast ocean before them, leaving their families on the other side, who were surely awaiting their return. His family would approach every ship that entered Bone and call out Igo and Ega's names, shouting "palu'e, palu'e". It entered the minds of these two brothers to call the island where they were stranded as Palue Island. The name is said to be a prayer that everyone who comes to this island must return to Palue Island. At the end of the story, Igo finally married a Hindi woman who had drifted to the island, and became the ancestor of the Palue people. Meanwhile, Enga left the island by riding a piece of driftwood (wata) and finally landed on Adonara.[4]
The Palue people were originally the native inhabitants of Palue Island (endonym: Nua Lu'a), but due to the volcanic activity of Mount Rokatenda, many of them migrated out, mostly to the north coast of Flores. The Palue people have been known for a long time in several areas in Flores, they have different exonyms, For example, the Lio people call it Ata Rua or Ata Kua, the Ngada people call it Ata Nusa, and the Sikka people call it Ata Pulo. Meanwhile, the Palue people call themselves Ata Lu'a (lit.'people of the volcano').[1] The Palue people have had relations with the outside world for a long time, considering that their residence is an island which is a stopover for sailors from time to time.[4]
The Palue people have become accustomed to living in their harsh environment. According to Neumann van Padang's research report in The Tidal Waves During Rokatenda Volcano Eruption, Paluweh Island in 1928 (1930), the tsunami hit the residents of Palue Island who had taken refuge on the coast to avoid the eruption of Rokatenda (from August 4 to 25 September 1928; 266 people died). Neumann said the height of the tsunami waves that hit Palue Island reached 5–7 meters. After the eruption subsided, the Palue people gradually returned to Palue Island.[5] These natural conditions also influence the development of the physical condition of the Palue people. Tasuku Satō in the book I Remember Flores (1957), mentions that when he was in Maumere he met the Palue people who were in their boats on the beach, he saw that the Palue people had bigger and more muscular bodies than the people of Flores in general.[6]
Palue Island has been mentioned on old Portuguese maps with the name Luca Roja and on one of the old Dutch maps written Roesa Radjie.[1] The name Luca Roja in Portuguese is taken from the many kings (raja) who ruled or stopped on Palue Island (Pulau Raja in Indonesian) at that time.[4] The spellings for the name Palu'e in Dutch administrative documents are Paloeweh, Paloe'E, Paloweh, and Paloe. During the Dutch colonial period, Palue was included as part of the Kingdom of Sikka, with the King of Sikka acting as an intermediary in the first decade of the 20th century, even though it was located closer to Ende.[1] Currently, there are plans to relocate the Palue people from Palue Island, due to the ongoing eruptions of Mount Rokatenda.[7]
The Palue people inhabit Palue Island, a volcanic island, in the Flores Sea, north of the island of Flores. According to linguist Stefan Danerek, the population is around 10,000 people, most of whom live in Palue Island, while some others live on the north coast of Flores, especially in Maumere.[1] Apart from that, there is also quite significant migration of Palue people to Tanjung Benoa in Bali.[8]
The Palue people speak the Palu'e language (endonym: Patha Lu'a or Sara Lu'a), which is spoken throughout Palue Island, with varying accents and dialects. The Palu'e language belongs to the Central Flores language family, which also includes Ngada, Nage, Keo, Ende, and Lio, and is further related to Sikka, which is seen in many everyday words and expressions have similarities.[9]
Religion
Almost all the Palue people are adherents of Roman Catholicism. On the other hand, they highly value the customs and traditional values passed down from their ancestors. It is said that if someone violates customs, disaster will occur and the person who violates them must be punished with a customary fine. Like many other ethnic groups in Flores, and East Nusa Tenggara in general, they adhered to animist beliefs until the 20th century, and this view still persists. The beliefs of the Palue people are based on an asymmetrical binary worldview in which everything is animated by the spirit of the universe, Era Wula Watu Tana. Belief in ancestral spirits is actualized through several traditional ceremonies and rituals, including tu te'u, tata liba, nedi ngawu, and pati karapau are always performed in the name of God as the highest being.[1]
Livelihood
Most of the Palue people work as farmers, with an agrarian culture that is still very traditional. Land cultivation methods are still traditional, as is evident in the processes carried out, such as clearing the land, burning the grass that has been collected then waiting for the time to plant. Additionally, the process of clearing the garden and planting depends on rainfall or the rainy season. The main food ingredients are sweet potatoes, corn, and beans, while rice is imported from Flores, especially from Maumere or the northern part of Ende.[1]
On Palue Island, rice cannot be cultivated there, either in dryland or wetland rice. This is because there is a myth that the rice loaded from the Lio region (now Ende Regency) by the ancestors spilled into the sea on the way back to Palue. Furthermore, there are also myths or stories passed down through generations that tell of the inability or prohibition of the people of Palu'e to grow rice, even to this day. The ancestral tradition of prohibiting rice cultivation is strongly maintained on Palue Island.[1]
Besides farming, the Palue people also earn their living as livestock breeders and fishermen. The livestock kept by the Palue people include pigs, goats, chickens, and dogs. There is a custom that when the time comes, all livestock will be traded in traditional markets. Meanwhile, fishing is usually done by the Palue people who live on the coast and is predominantly done by men. They catch fish using traditional tools, namely trawls (pukat) and traps (bubu). Their fishing locations are usually in the area around Palue Island, on the north coast of Flores, and even in the waters of Makassar. The catch will be consumed and also traded to boost the family economy.[1]
Physical characteristics
The Palue people have a distinct identity that differs from other ethnic groups in the island of Flores. Physically and mentally, being strong is related to their ability to survive in their harsh environment. The posture of the Palue people is categorized as a indigenous people of Flores, with dark skin and curly hair, with a tall posture and the women are generally slender and slender. Among them, there are those with blue eyes, sharp noses, and white skin, which indicates that they are of Portuguese descent.[4]
Culture
The Palue people are one of the ethnic groups that still live traditionally, their culture and traditions are still preserved. Their culture is not much different from other ethnic groups in East Nusa Tenggara, especially with the Sikka and Lio peoples.[1][4]
Weaving craft
The Palue people, like other ethnic groups in Flores, have a weaving (tenun) craft, Palue traditional weaving (tama lua) is an art passed down by their ancestors which is used as traditional cloth and also a source of livelihood. When weaving, a weaver is prohibited from using dirty words. The Palue weavers are women. In the past, weaving skills were the standard for measuring a woman's quality. The motifs created in Palue woven fabrics convey information and values about the Palue people's way of life. Some examples of meaningful motifs, include:[10]
The chicken (manu) motif, shows the local culture of using chickens as sacrificial animals when opening a new garden.
The canary motif, a symbol of fertility from Palue Island.
The bow motif, a symbol of the prowess of Palue men.
The crab motif, a motif depicting eternal life.
The triangle motif, a motif that gives an image of a mountain (mudhu) as the highest symbol of belief in God and ancestors.
Apart from that, inspired by its geographical location and natural conditions in the middle of the open ocean, the Palue people also make ship (pou) motif, ocean or wave motif, and land (watu no'o tana) motif. Other motifs include traditional necklaces (kunda), candlenuts (welu), and traditional earrings (koma). In the past, the motifs were more diverse, including wua wela, widi mata, bhejo, saloi, cabu songgo, loka, and nae. Due to limited information regarding fabrics with these motifs, they finally introduced fabrics with the latest motifs but without abandoning the fabrics with the variety of old times.[10]
Traditional dances
In a series of welcoming important guests, the Palue people perform the togo misa or togo pou dance is a welcoming dance for guests visiting Palue Island. This dance is accompanied by traditional gong and drum music called maba weko. While dancing, they also recite local poetry.[11] Apart from that, there is also the rokatenda dance, the name is taken from Mount Rokatenda, the dancers wear white clothes with woven sarongs and red scarves.[12]
Natural restoration
The Palue people have a natural restoration ritual known as po'o tubhu, where food must be cooked from local food sources such as green beans, tree nuts, sweet potatoes, and cassava without mixing it with rice. Traditional law forbids including rice in ritual menus. This customary rule has given rise to numerous beliefs passed down through generations that planting rice in Palue Island will definitely not be successful.[5]
To preserve nature, they also perform the po'o dhubu ritual before there are any victims due to customary violations related to nature. For example, damaging a tree, also known as violating phije, is a practice that involves people committing phije, which typically results in karma in the form of illness. This is followed by the ka toi dhubu ritual, which involves abstaining from white rice for one day for those who are sick and refraining from eating meat from animals sacrificed for the ceremony. Both are carried out in an effort to make peace with nature, so that nature does not become angry with humans again.[4]
Traditional marriage
The Palue people have kinship ties based on kunu kapho. These kinship ties are formed through the marriage process between the groups on Palue Island. The marriage process requires a dowry, namely weli wai ana. The traditional Palue marriage process involves the following stages:[4]
The process of proposal (noble marriage), known as roa raro pulu wulu soru oro, namely giving a dowry to protect and declare the man's love so that the woman's heart will firmly love him.
The meeting process between two parties, known as pulu wulu loo soro sutine, is a customary marriage bond.
The process of sending the girl to the groom's house, from the party the groom handed over wulu ca soru lawa and titi tusu mosa. The bride's family (nawu wai ana) sent the girl with all the initial necessities for marriage.
Conflict resolution
The Palue people are familiar with the terms seri ngamo, nato leku, and tata liba. If internal conflict occurs between residents on the island, there are three stages to its resolution. These are the stages:[4]
The seri ngamo (separate), when between residents of the same area dispute then the first thing is to separate them or in this stage, discussions are held to find out the root of the problem that caused the conflict.
The nato leku (sitting together) is held to focus on discussing the issues that have arisen. After the meeting, the parties involved in the conflict will be given advice and suggestions as well as considerations to realize their mistakes and not repeat their actions. At this stage, a decision will be made directly to reconcile between the two parties.
The tata liba (formal peace), after informally reconciling at the nato leku stage, both parties must implement a formal peace process witnessed by the public. This stage is a formal peace process witnessed by all families and the residents, indicating that they have made peace.
† indicates an extinct ethnic groups or one that no longer has a population
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