Tolinggula Kingdom

Tolinggula Kingdom Pohala'a Tolinggula (Gorontalo) Kerajaan Tolinggula (Indonesian)
Capital	Tolinggula
Common languages	Gorontalo, Buol, and Javanese [a]
Religion	Islam; formerly native religion
Demonym	Tawu Tolinggula
Government	Monarchy
King (Jogugu)
Succeeded by Dutch East Indies
Today part of	Indonesia

The Tolinggula Kingdom was a kingdom that once stood in Tolinggula District, North Gorontalo Regency today, near the border with Buol Regency, Central Sulawesi. It is not known when this kingdom was founded, but it is known that the Tolinggula Kingdom was a vassal of the Gorontalo Sultanate, where the ruler was called jogugu 'king' who ruled under the Sultan of Gorontalo.

History

According to folklore, the Tolinggula Kingdom was founded by a descendant of the Gorontalo Sultanate. However, the exact year of the founding of this kingdom is unknown. During the spread of Islam in the Gorontalo Peninsula, precisely in the 16th century, This kingdom was originally an area ruled directly by the Gorontalo Sultanate. The Buol Kingdom  [ id ] to the west, which had close kinship ties with Tolinggula, was also known to have had an influence on the Tolinggula Kingdom. ^[2]

It is known that during the reign of Sultan Amai, the area now Sumalata and Tolinggula was under the authority of the Limboto Kingdom which was part of Limo Lo Pohala'a (lit. 'alliance of five kingdoms'). This can be seen from the customs, traditions and culture of the local society, as well as linguistically, which uses the Gorontalo language. At that time, the Gowa Sultanate intended to invade and control Gorontalo via Limboto by entering with its naval fleet at Tolinggula. However, it was later discovered that envoys from Gorontalo managed to persuade representatives of the Gowa Sultanate in negotiations not to attack them. ^[3]

After the entry of the Dutch East Indies into Gorontalo, followed by the conquest of the Gorontalo Sultanate, the power of jogugu 'king' over this kingdom was abolished. The Tolinggula Kingdom was merged into the Afdeling Gorontalo, until during the Indonesian independence period its status was changed to a district ( kecamatan ) level region. Initially, the former territory of the Tolinggula Kingdom was under the administration of Sumalata District, before finally being divided into a separate district. ^[4]

Territory areas

The Tolinggula Kingdom ruled over the current areas of the Tolinggula District, bordering the Buol Kingdom  [ id ] to the west and the Gorontalo Sultanate to the east. Extending from the west at Dengilo Hill, Tolinggula to the east near Kwandang Bay, borders the Kwandang Kingdom which is also a subordinate of the Gorontalo Sultanate. To the north it borders the Celebes Sea, while to the south are forests and mountains. ^[5]

Demographics

The people of the Tolinggula Kingdom are called Tawu Tolinggula (lit. 'People of Tolinggula'), generally they work as fishermen and farmers. This is certainly supported by its geographical conditions which include fertile waters and land. The economy of this kingdom depended on marine and agricultural products, with some of these natural products being given as tribute to the ruler of the Gorontalo Sultanate.

In terms of ethnicity, the people of the Tolinggula Kingdom are mainly of the Gorontalo, Buol, Sangir, and Javanese peoples. The Javanese people is known to have traced its presence in Tolinggula since the 16th century, isolated from Java, proven by the existence of the Tonjoan tradition which is a characteristic of the Javanese ethnic community in the region. ^{[1] [6]}

See also

• Indonesia portal
• History portal

• Kwandang Kingdom
• Gorontalo Sultanate
• Buol Kingdom  [ id ]

References

Notes

1. Only used as an inter-language by ethnic immigrants Javanese since the 16th century. ^[1]

Primary sources

1. Rauf, Hendra (9 December 2022). Akantu, Budi (ed.). "Di Tolinggula ada Karnaval Budaya Beragam Etnis". www.rri.co.id (in Indonesian). Radio Republik Indonesia . Retrieved 26 February 2025.
2. "Buol Ngotot Gabung Gorontalo". gorontalopost.co.id (in Indonesian). Gorontalo Post. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
3. Penelitian Makam Raja Blongkot (Thesis) (in Indonesian). BAB 3. Retrieved 18 October 2025– via Scribd.
4. "Gorontalo Utara – Badan Pusat Statistik". web-api.bps.go.id (in Indonesian). Badan Pusat Statistik . Retrieved 26 February 2025.
5. "Pemkab Apresiasi Buku tentang Sejarah Tolinggula". indonesiakini.go.id (in Indonesian). Indonesia Kini. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
6. Abdullah, Felci Amelia (2020). Transmigrasi Etnik Jawa di Tolinggula 1996–2012 (PDF) (Thesis) (in Indonesian). S1 – Pendidikan Sejarah. Gorontalo: Gorontalo State University . Retrieved 26 February 2025– via UNG Repository.