:: Sulawesi Islands Travel Guide ::
Sulawesi (formerly more
commonly known as Celebes, a Portuguese-originated form
of the name) is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of
Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku
Islands.
Etymology
The Portuguese were the first to refer to Sulawesi
as 'Celebes' however the origins of this name are
unclear. One suggestion is the Bugis word si-lebih for
'more islands' - a reference to its shape suggesting it
was more than one island. The modern name 'Sulawesi'
possibly comes from the words sula ('island') and besi
('iron') thought to be reference to the rich Lake Matano
iron deposits. Other suggestion is that it comes from
the portuguese word "celebres" or famous ones, as these
islands were famous for their spices throughout Asia and
even Europe, this being the reason that attracted them
to these islands.
History
The settlement of South Sulawesi by modern humans is
dated to c. 1500 BC. Following Bellwood's model of a
southward migration of Austronesian-speaking farmers
(AN), radiocarbon dates from caves in Maros suggest a
date in the mid-second millennium B.C. for the arrival
of an AN group from east Borneo speaking a Proto-South
Sulawesi language (PSS). Initial settlement was probably
around the mouth of the Sa'dan river, on the northwest
coast of the peninsula, although the south coast has
also been suggested. Subsequent migrations across the
mountainous landscape resulted in the geographical
isolation of PSS speakers and the evolution of their
languages into the eight families of the South Sulawesi
language group. If each group can be said to have a
homeland, that of the Bugis –
today the most numerous group – was around lakes Témpé
and Sidénréng in the Walennaé depression. Here for some
2,000 years lived the linguistic group that would become
the modern Bugis; the archaic name, which is preserved
in the languages of other Indonesian groups, was Ugiq.
Despite the fact that today they are closely linked with
the Makasar, their closest linguistic neighbors are the
Toraja.
Pre-1200 CE Bugis society would have been organized into
petty chiefdoms, which would have both warred and, in
times of peace, exchanged wives with each other.
Personal security would have been negligible,
head-hunting an established cultural practice, and
crocodiles and malaria a common source of mortality. The
political economy would have been a mixture of hunting
and gathering and swidden or shifting agriculture.
Speculative planting of wet rice would have taken place
along the margins of the lakes.
Starting in the 13th century, access to prestige trade
goods and to sources of iron started to alter
long-standing cultural patterns, and to permit ambitious
individuals to build larger political units. It is not
known why these two ingredients appeared together; one
was perhaps the product of the other. By 1400, a number
of nascent agricultural principalities had arisen in the
western Cenrana valley, as well as on the south coast
and on the east coast near modern Parepare.
The first Europeans to visit the island (which they
believed an archipelago due to its contorted shape) were
Portuguese sailors in 1525, sent from the Moluccas in
search of gold, which the islands had the reputation of
producing. From 1669, the Dutch East India Company had a
presence at Makassar, and in 1905 the entire island
became part of the Dutch state colony of the Netherlands
East Indies until Japanese occupation in World War II.
Sulawesi was incorporated in the independent 'Republic
of Indonesia' during the Indonesian National Revolution
from 1945 to 1950.
Geography
Sulawesi is the world's eleventh-largest island,
covering an area of 174,600 km². The island is
surrounded by Borneo to the west, by the Philippines to
the north, by Maluku to the east, and by Flores and
Timor to the south. It has a distinctive shape,
dominated by four large peninsulas: the Semenanjung
Minahassa; the East Peninsula; the South Peninsula; and
the South-east Peninsula. The central part of the island
is ruggedly mountainous, such that the island's
peninsulas have traditionally been remote from each
other, with better connections by sea than by road.
The island is subdivided into six provinces: Gorontalo,
West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi,
Southeast Sulawesi, and North Sulawesi. West Sulawesi is
a new province, created in 2004 from part of South
Sulawesi. The largest cities on the island are Makassar,
on the southwestern coast of the island, and Manado, on
the northern tip.
Flora and Fauna
Sulawesi straddles Wallace's Line meaning that it has a
mix of both Asian and Austronesian species. However, the
majority of Sulawesi's wildlife belongs to the
Australasia region. 2,290 km² of the island is devoted
to Lore Lindu National Park.
There are
127 known mammalian species in Sulawesi. A large
percentage of these mammals, 62% (79 species) are
endemic, meaning that they are found nowhere else in
Indonesia or the world. The largest native mammal in
Sulawesi is the dwarf buffalo, locally known as the anoa.
By contrast, because many birds can fly between islands,
Sulawesian bird species tend to be found on other nearby
islands as well, such as Borneo; only 34% of Sulawesi's
birds are found nowhere else. The most important among
these last is the maleo, a bird that spends most of its
time on the ground. It has undergone an observed very
rapid decline. An international partnership of
conservationists, donors, and local people have formed
the Alliance for Tompotika Conservation , in an effort
to raise awareness and protect the nesting grounds of
these birds on the central-eastern arm of the island.
Sulawesi also has several endemic species of freshwater
fish, such as those in the genus Nomorhamphus, a species
flock of livebearing freshwater halfbeaks containing at
least 19 distinct species, most of which are only found
on Sulawesi.
The island
was
recently the subject of an Ecoregional Conservation
Assessment, coordinated by the Nature Conservancy.
Detailed reports about the vegetation of the island are
available. The assessment produced a detailed and
annotated list of 'conservation portfolio' sites . This
information was widely distributed to local government
agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Detailed
conservation priorities have also been outlined in a
recent publication .
The lowland forests on the island are, unfortunately,
almost gone. Because of the relative geological youth of
the island and its dramatic and sharp topography, the
lowland areas are naturally limited in their extent. The
past decade has seen dramatic conversion of this rare
and endangered habitat. The island also possesses one of
the largest outcrops of Serpentine_soil in the world,
which support an unusual and large community of
specialized plant species. Overall, the flora and fauna
of this unique center of global biodiversity is very
poorly documented and understood and remains critically
threatened.
Demographics
The 2000 census population of the provinces of
Sulawesi was 14,946,488, about 7.25% of Indonesia's
total population. The largest city is Makassar.
The people
of
Sulawesi are famous for their dedication to their
diverse art abilities, which include pottery, weaving,
and dancing. Their pottery was originally made
specifically for the purpose of storing rice and water,
but when the Dutch arrived, it became useful for
commercial exporting and sale, and was noted for its
extensive detail. The Sulawesian people also excel at
intricate weaving, and repeat the same pattern at least
once in every project they do. Although the women are
predominantely weavers, both genders dance. The male
dance is rigid, mechanical and robotic, while the
female's dances are fluid and smooth. They combine these
aspects to tell a story
Religious faiths
Islam is the majority religion in Sulawesi. The
conversion of the lowlands of the south western
peninsula (South Sulawesi) to Islam occurred in the
early 17th century. The kingdom of Luwu in the Gulf of
Bone was the first to accept Islam in February 1605; the
Makasar kingdom of Goa-Talloq, centered on the
modern-day city of Makassar, followed suit in
September.[15] However, the Gorontalo and the Mongondow
peoples of the northern peninsula largely converted to
Islam only in the 19th century. Most Muslims are Sunnis.
Muslims can be foun
d
in all parts of Sulawesi.
Though Islam is the religion of the majority of
Sulawesi's people, large regions of the island observe
other religions as well.
Christians form a substantial minority. According to the
demographer Toby Alice Volkman, 17% of Sulawesi's
population is Protestant and 2% is Roman Catholic.
Christians are concentrated on the tip of the northern
peninsula around the city of Manado, which is inhabited
by the Minahasa, a predominantly Protestant people, and
the northernmost Sangihe and Talaud islands. The famous
Toraja people of Tana Toraja in Central Sulawesi have
largely converted to Christianity since Indonesia's
independence. There are also substantial numbers of
Christians around Lake Poso in Central Sulawesi and
among the Pamona speaking peoples of Central Sulawesi.
There has also been growth in the Christian population
of the Banggai Islands and the Eastern Peninsula in
Central Sulawesi, traditionally thought of as Muslim
areas (which in
the
past were controlled by Muslim sultanates in Tidore and
Ternate). Christians can be found in every major
Sulawesi city.
Though most people identify themselves as Muslims or
Christians, they often subscribe to local beliefs and
deities as well. It is not unusual (and fully accepted)
for Muslims and Christians to make offerings to local
gods, goddesses, and spirits.
Smaller communities of Buddhists and Hindus are also
found on Sulawesi, usually among the Chinese, Balinese
and Indian communities.
Come and Discover Indonesia Islands with us!
