Southeast Sulawesi

About travel in Indonesia and it's culture in Bali, Yogyakarta, Sulawesi, Celebes, Riau।

Around 1500 BC, the ancestors of the Indonesian people came to the Indonesian archipelago. They came from south East Asia in waves through the two channels of disseminations, namely the channels of Malayan Peninsula and the Philippines. So the dissemination of population goes equally throughout the Indonesian archipelago.

1. Pre-historic Time
The pre-historic time is identified by the remnants of the pre-historic period found by he researches among others:
- Human skeleton found in the stone cave of Desa Taipa, in Wolasi, Bandawe, Andolaki, Wawonii (Kendari regency) and in Kobaena Island (Buton regency).
- Some old paintings on the wall of Liang Kobara cave (Muna regency).
- Majapai characters in lakupela village (Buton regency) and the foot prints on the stone by the river side of Mowewe (Kolaka regency).

2. Dissemination of the people
According to experts, the population of the Indonesian archipelago came in waves from Gobi, Yunan and Indo China, through Malacca Peninsula further spread to the South and to the East, which then became tribes inhabiting Sulawesi. Nevertheless before they came, aboriginal inhabitants had existed among others: Tokia, To Wuna, Toala, and Towana.
It was supposed that the tribes which were the elements of Proto Melayu, were were Katobengke and Moroaene people, To Aere in South East Sulawesi area. The elements of Deutro Melayu are tribes of Tolaki, Muna and the present Wolio. They are known as the biggest ethnic group in South East Sulawesi, inhabiting four regencies:
- Tolaki tribe inhabiting the Kendari and Kolaka regencies
- Muna tribe inhabiting the Muna regency
- Wolio tribe inhabiting the Buton regency.
It can be presumed that the population is centralized around the lakes of East Sulawesi (lake Matana, lake Mahalona and lake Towuti)
In a book entitled “Structures in Central Celebes” Volume II, it is stated that the central dissemination of population in the Central, East and South East is around Lake Matana. A great disaster in that area occurred among others wars, infectious diseases that almost wipe out the population, such a condition forced them to leave their dwelling place and spread to all directions in the island. In the North they pushed the tribes in Central Sulawesi consisting of To Napu, Tokulawi, To Bada and others. In the West, they pushed the tribes of Toradja Sa’sang. In the East they pushed Mori and To Bungku, while in the South; they pushed Tolaki, To Moronene, Wolio, and Wuna tribes.
The regional dissemination of population was through local navigation, crossing the mountain or going along the river. The above disaster is supposed to have happened around the 8th and 9th centuries. If this presumption is true, the dissemination of the population had occurred since the 9th century up to the 11th centuries.
The research had proved that almost all the tribes living in the North Sulawesi have their own traditions telling about the arrival of their ancestors. Konawe and Mekongga people usually known as Tolaki tribe inhabiting almost the mainland of South East Sulawesi has a “history” telling that their ancestors were originated from the areas of the three lakes and spread to the south following the stream of the KonaweEha River. It is said that the central government used to be arranged in a place called Rahambuu (the main house), later it was moved to the south in an area called Andolaki. From this place the central government was moved to Unaaha which was later known as the Central Kingdom of Konawe. The population moving south west chooses Puneho (Wundulako) as the central government. Here the reign of the kingdom of Mekongga was arranged.
One of the traditions of Tolaki people describes that the first cultured human being was the leader of Tolaki tribe called Tanggolo Wuta. First he lived in Heuka in the valley along the Lasolo River, east of KonaweEha River. Muna people inhabiting the island of Muna, have another story about the arrival of their ancestors. It is said that Sawerigading (son of King Luwu) with the central around Lake Matana, in his navigation cruising the Indonesian archipelago, was sunk in the riffs of Muna Island. This place is called “Batuhara” by the people of Muna. The crew of “Sawerigading” who later became the inhabitants of Muna Island was called Wuna tribe (Muna). King Muna I was known by the title of Betano Netombula (a man coming out of bamboo).
Buton people have their own traditional story about the antecedents of the population of Buton. It is said that the population of the island of Buton came through two places namely the group of Sapanjoga who came to the east coast a little north wards of the island of Buton, while the Simalui group came in the west coast a little northwards. Both of the coming groups kept developing, each of which followed the coast southwards which then met with each others around Bau Bau. This place later become the central activity of the people and later become the capital city of the kingdom of Buton.
King Buton I was a woman by the name of Wakaaka. She was also described as a queen coming out of bamboo. She was married to a nobleman from Majapahit by the name of Sibatara. It seems that a greater part of the Kings, the founders of the governments in South East Sulawesi, consisted of outstanding people who were worshipped as ‘gods’ coming out of bamboo. Even small kingdoms that grew in South East Sulawesi, considered their kings that way.
The kingdom of Tiworo in the northern part of Muna island is also begun with the story of Mobetena Paria (Paria: a sort of bamboo). In Kobaena people know Tebota Tulanggadi (coming out of the ivory). The appointment of outstanding people as king is based on the agreement of some regional heads. In Mekongga and Konawe, some Tonomo Tuo of the small regions agrees to celebrate Sangia Ndudu (To Manurung). So is in Buton where it is done by 4 bontos (head oh the town) and in Muna which is done by 4 Mieno Wamelai. These people later were members of Board of the Kingdom who are in charge of appointing or dismissing the King.
In social strata, the descendants of those said to come down from heaven or from the stem of bamboo get a higher place than common people. They belong to noble descendants who can have an authority after this situation which had occurred from generation to generation. The Islam entered South East Sulawesi with different culture. The influence of the Islam culture changed the old life pattern and simultaneously ended the old era in the historical period.
At this period a prominent figure appeared in South East Sulawesi known by the people of Tolaki as Halu Oleo, or Sultan Murhum in Buton which is similar to Laki Laponto in Muna. Laki Laponto was the son of King Muna IV, Sugi Manuru who was very influential in Konawe and Mekongga up to Moronene when he was young. Melamba (Mokole Konawe) was his own brother from the same father and Puteo who became a mokole in Bungku. When King Muna IV (Sugi Manuru) died, he was also appointed as King Muna, further replaced his father in law as King of Buton. His brother (Laposasu) replaced him as King Muna VIII. Son in the history of South East Sulawesi, Halu Oleo as legendary figure had begot members of family which later would reign the Kingdoms in South East Sulawesi. The Royal government kept on until the entrance of the Dutch Indies government (Fax Nirlandica 1911).

Geographical Background

Geographical factor is one of the decisive elements in the formation of life concepts of a society, nation or country. Although with the technological development human being has been able to change the natural environment as he wants, one will realize how life and human life are. So is the situation of South East Sulawesi the area which consists of land and islands that produces all kinds of activities. In the main land, with its unfertile soil since the area consists of damp valleys flowed by large rivers. A part of its area consists of range of mountains and hills covered with wild forests. The natural situation creates coil air and causes the kindness of its population. Such an environment enables the birth of values art.
This situation differs with that of the archipelago, the soil of which consists of stone mountains. Its population has to work hard to face the challenge of the surrounding nature. So a hard character arises in their hearth, which later created a culture which was in line with the character and environment.
This is the characteristic of the culture of South East Sulawesi, which forms a compound culture namely the cultural integrity between the mainland culture and the culture in the archipelago. The South East Sulawesi Province consists of 4 regencies namely: 1. Regency of Kendari with the capital city, Kendari
2. Regency of Kolaka with the capital city, Kolaka
3. Regency of Buton, with the capital city, Bau-Bau
4. Regency of Muna, with the capital city, Raha.
The volume of the area: 38.140 Km2 or 1, 49 x the extent of Indonesia (± 0.02 % of the extent of the Indonesian archipelago). This area lives between 2053’23” – 6015’21” South Latitude and 120054’36” – 123016’12” East Longitude. The administrative limits are as follows:
- On the north by the South Sulawesi Province and Central Sulawesi Province.
- On the east with Moluccas strait and Banda Sea.
- On the south with the Flores Sea.
- On the west with Bone Bay.
From the location of the area it can be realized that the culture of South East Sulawesi society has similar elements with that of the neighboring areas because in the framework of living in neighborhood cooperation they influence each other in their cultural life. Some aspects in South East Sulawesi such as tradition, art, have similarity with the culture of Central Sulawesi or South Sulawesi.
Bugis character (Lontara letters) in South Sulawesi was also used by some of the people in South East Sulawesi in the past. Where as the wedding and burial ceremony of the ancestors in South East Sulawesi have a similarity in tradition with those of Central Sulawesi and South Sulawesi (Tana Toraja). It can be said broadly that the continuation of human life or a community depends on the social ability to adjust themselves with the environment. The culture of a society can survive only when one culture can absorb the other. Consequently to create a strong national culture the various kinds of regional culture should be developed in one term of value so as to color the Indonesian identity which is Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) by nature.