Kayeli people
Encyclopedia
Kayeli people is an ethnic group mainly living on the southern coast of the Kayeli Bay of Indonesia
n island Buru
. From an ethnographic point of view Kayeli are close to other indigenous people of Buru, such as Lisela
and Buru
. There were about 800 Kayeli people in the early 2000s. By religion, most Kayeli are Sunni Muslims
, with some remnants of pagan
beliefs.
Ethnogenesis
of Kayeli is directly associated with the colonization of the Buru island by the Dutch East India Company
in the 17th century. In 1658, the first permanent Dutch settlement and a military fort were built at the southern coast of Kayeli Bay, and for two centuries it was the administrative center of the island. Accordingly, thousands of indigenous people were forcibly relocated to this area from other parts of the island, including much of the tribal nobility, and about thirteen large villages had been built around the fort. The relocation was designed to facilitate control over the local population and provide workforce for clove
fields which were being planted by the Dutch in this part of the island. Kayeli ethnicity with its own language
was formed as a mixture of the newly arriving settlers and the native population of the fort area. The presence among the ancestors of the tribal aristocracy and interaction with the Dutch colonial administration resulted in a special position of Kayeli over the next centuries, who claimed the role of indigenous elite of the island.
Upon gradual softening of the colonial system, many tribes which were moved to Kayeli Bay started returning to their ancestral homes. So in 1880s, the leaders (raja
s) of Leliali, Wae Sama
and Fogi moved back a significant part of their ethnic groups; they were joined in the early 1900s by Tagalisa. So the Muslim (indigenous) population of Kayeli fort decreased from 1,400 in the 1850s to 231 in 1907. The decay was accelerated by the departure of the Dutch in the 1950s and formation of independent Indonesia. The fort was abandoned and most Kayeli people were assimilated by other tribes. Whereas a small Kayeli community still remains at Kayeli Bay, their language is likely lost.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n island Buru
Buru
Buru is the third largest island within Maluku Islands of Malay Archipelago. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon and Seram islands. The island belongs to Maluku province of Indonesia and includes the Buru and South Buru regencies...
. From an ethnographic point of view Kayeli are close to other indigenous people of Buru, such as Lisela
Lisela people
Lisela people is an ethnic group mostly living on Indonesian island Buru, as well as on some other Maluku Islands. They belong to the eastern Indonesian anthropological group and are sometimes referred to as northern Buru people. From an ethnographic point of view, Lisela are similar to other...
and Buru
Buru people
Buru people is an ethnic group mostly living on Indonesian island Buru, as well as on some other Maluku Islands. They also call themselves gebfuka or gebemliar that literally means "people of the world" or "people of the land"...
. There were about 800 Kayeli people in the early 2000s. By religion, most Kayeli are Sunni Muslims
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
, with some remnants of pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
beliefs.
Ethnogenesis
Ethnogenesis
Ethnogenesis is the process by which a group of human beings comes to be understood or to understand themselves as ethnically distinct from the wider social landscape from which their grouping emerges...
of Kayeli is directly associated with the colonization of the Buru island by the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
in the 17th century. In 1658, the first permanent Dutch settlement and a military fort were built at the southern coast of Kayeli Bay, and for two centuries it was the administrative center of the island. Accordingly, thousands of indigenous people were forcibly relocated to this area from other parts of the island, including much of the tribal nobility, and about thirteen large villages had been built around the fort. The relocation was designed to facilitate control over the local population and provide workforce for clove
Clove
Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to the Maluku islands in Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisines all over the world...
fields which were being planted by the Dutch in this part of the island. Kayeli ethnicity with its own language
Kayeli language
Kayeli is an Austronesian language which was used by the Kayeli people who lived in Indonesian island Buru . Two dialects were recognized, namely Leliali and Lumaete...
was formed as a mixture of the newly arriving settlers and the native population of the fort area. The presence among the ancestors of the tribal aristocracy and interaction with the Dutch colonial administration resulted in a special position of Kayeli over the next centuries, who claimed the role of indigenous elite of the island.
Upon gradual softening of the colonial system, many tribes which were moved to Kayeli Bay started returning to their ancestral homes. So in 1880s, the leaders (raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
s) of Leliali, Wae Sama
and Fogi moved back a significant part of their ethnic groups; they were joined in the early 1900s by Tagalisa. So the Muslim (indigenous) population of Kayeli fort decreased from 1,400 in the 1850s to 231 in 1907. The decay was accelerated by the departure of the Dutch in the 1950s and formation of independent Indonesia. The fort was abandoned and most Kayeli people were assimilated by other tribes. Whereas a small Kayeli community still remains at Kayeli Bay, their language is likely lost.