. A fisherman proudly presents some of the days catch, which he caught on the reef at low tide. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)” width=”960″ border=”0″ />
Most people descend from Malay origin, spread into Indonesia during many thousand years. The darker Melanesians in East Indonesia (Irian Jaya) is the other major group. The many groups were not “Indonesian” before 1949, when the border around the archipelago was drawn, but despite all this diversity, Indonesia is surprisingly unified. Much because of the national language, Bahasa Indonesia, which makes communication possible between the many groups. A majority of the inhabitants today identify themselves with their nation, flag and language.
A third group is the Chinese, which is a minority, but nevertheless have had a larger impact in the country than most other ethnic groups. In Indonesia the concept of ethnic minorities is often discussed not in numerical but in religious terms. Although the major ethnic groups claimed adherence to one of the major world religions (agama) recognized by the Pancasila ideology– Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, or Buddhism–there were millions of other Indonesians in the early 1980s who engaged in forms of religious or cultural practices that fell outside these categories. These practices were sometimes labeled animist or kafir (pagan). In general, these Indonesians tended to live in the more remote, sparsely populated islands of the archipelago. Following the massacre of tens of thousands associated with the 1965 coup attempt, religious affiliation became an even more intense political issue among minority groups.
Principal Ethnic Groups by Island, 1983
Northern Sumatra | |||||
Acehnese | Angkola | Batak | Dairi | Gayo | Karo |
Kluet Alas | Mandailing | Pak-pak | Simlungen | Singkil | Toba |
Central Sumatra | |||||
Kerinci | Melayu | Minangkabau | Rejang | ||
Southern Sumatra | |||||
Javanese | Komering | Lampung | |||
Islands southwest of Sumatra | |||||
Simeulue | Nias | Mentawai | Enggano | ||
Java | |||||
Javanese | Sundanese | ||||
Madura | |||||
Madurese | |||||
Bali | |||||
Balinese | |||||
Nusa Tenggara | |||||
Alor | Abui | Kabola | Kafoa | Kelon | Kui |
Woisika | Babar | Flores | Ende-Li’o | Kedang | Lamaholot |
Manggarai | Ngada | Palu’e | Riung | Sikka | Leti |
Lombok | Balinese | Sasak | Pantar | Blagar | Lama |
Nedebang | Tewa | Roti | Sawu | Sumba | Anakalang |
Kambera | Kodi | Laboya | Mamboru | Wanukaka | Weyewa |
Bima | Sumbawa | Timor | Atoni | Galoli | Kemak |
Makasai | Mambai | Tetum | Tukudede | ||
Northeastern Kalimantan | |||||
Apokayan | Bajau | Dusun | Kenyah | Modang | Murut |
Punan | Tidung | ||||
Central Kalimantan | |||||
Bakumpai | Biatah | Bukar Sadong | Dohoi | Iban | Jagoi |
Kahayan | Kapuas(Ngaju) | Katingan | Kendayan | Lara’ | Maanyan |
Mbaloh | Melanau | Merau | Ot Danum | Siang | Silakau |
Singgie | Tunjung | ||||
Southern Kalimantan | |||||
Ancalong | Banjar | Dayak | Kutai | Lawangan | Melayu |
Meratus(Bukit) | Ngaju Dayak | Pasir | Tenggarong | ||
Northern Sulawesi | |||||
Bintauna | Bola’ang Mongondow | Gorontalo | Kaidipang | Minahasa | Mongondow |
Tombulu | Tondano | Tonsawang | Tonsea | Tontemboan | |
Central and Southern Sulawesi | |||||
Bada | Balantak | Balesan | Bugis | Bungku | Dompelasa |
Dondo | Kaili | Kasimbar | Mamuju | Mandar | Mori |
Pamona(Bare’e) | Saluan | Sama | Tolitoli | Tomini | Toraja |
Maluku Islands | |||||
Ambonese | Aru | Kola | Ujir | Wokam | Bandanese |
Biak | Buru | Halmahera | Galela | Kalabra | Loloda |
Modole | Pagu | Sahu | Tehit | Tobaru | Tobelo |
Kai | Makian | Seram | Alune | Geser | Hitu |
Manusela | Nuaulu | Sepa-Teluti | Watubela | Wemale | Sula |
Taliabo | Tanimbar | Ternate | Tidore | ||
Irian Jaya | |||||
Asmat | Boazi | Dani | Dumut | Ekagi | Kemtuk |
Kilmeri | Kwerba | Marind | Mekwei-Gresi-Kansu | Mianmin | Moni |
Ngali | Nimboran | Ok | Papasena | Sempan | Wodani |
Sentani | Taikat | Tanamerah | Tor | Uhunduni | Waris |
Yotafa (Tobati) | Saberi (Isirawa) |
The major islands and island groups in this list are arranged geographically, generally from west to east. The category of Coastal Malays, which includes various groups listed in this table, are people found in northern and southern Sumatra, and the coast of Kalimantan. Ethnic Chinese are found in all major cities throughout Indonesia
Source: Based on information from Stephen A. Wurm and Shiro Hattori (eds.), Language Atlas of the Pacific Area, Canberra, 1981-83, 38-45; Frank M. LeBar (eds.), Ethnic Groups of Insular Southeast Asia, New Haven, 1972-75, various pages; and Indonesia, Department of Education and Culture, Directorate of History and Traditional Values, Petu suku bangsa di Indonesia (Geographic Distribution of Ethnic Groups in Indonesia), Jakarta, 1991, various pages.
Data as of November 1992