Kulawi people

Kulawi people (Kulawi: To Kulawi)^[2] is an ethnic groups who inhabit in the province of Central Sulawesi, mainly in Sigi Regency and Donggala Regency. The area includes Lake Kulawi, Lake Lindu, Gimpu Plains, and the area around the Koro River which has been inhabited by their ancestors since prehistoric times.^[3] This is a minority ethnic group in Central Sulawesi who communicate using the Moma language and most of them have been Christians since 1913.^[4] The evidence that the area they inhabit has been occupied since prehistoric times is the discovery of archaeological objects from the megalithic tradition which are more than 3,000 years old.^[5] Ancient objects that can still be found in Kulawi are dakon stone, footprints, mortar stone, and others.^[6]

According to old ethnography experts, the Kulawi people is classified as part of the West Torajan ethnic group. In 2024, the estimated population of the Kulawi people is around 50,000 people.^[1] According to the legend of the Kulawi people, they originate from Sigi and Bora which are located in the Palu Valley, Central Sulawesi province. Once upon a time, there was a figure from the Bora area and his followers who were hunting with their group until they reached the forest area on Mount Momi. After being tired from hunting, they finally rested under a tree which they called the kulawi tree. After seeing that the area where the kulawi trees grew was fertile, they finally decided to settle there and named the place and their own community, namely "Kulawi".^[4]

In 1905, under the command of a hero from the Kulawi people named Towualangi, also known as Taentorengke, he led a war against the Dutch colonialists. After losing the war, the Dutch colonialists finally came to power and made the Kulawi area into a kingdom called the Kulawi Kingdom in 1906. After establishing the kingdom, the Dutch colonialists also appointed Towualangi or Taentorengke as the first king and included the Lindu plains into the administration of the Kulawi Kingdom. The "king" in the Kulawi people is called magau or sangkala.^[4] The king and his family live in a traditional house called sourja.^[4] In addition, in 1908 the Dutch colonial authorities reset it into three residential areas, namely:^[7]

• The residents who lived in the Paku Anca settlement were later united into one place called Anca.
• The residents who lived in the settlements of Wongkodomo and Langko were then united into one place called Langko.
• The residents who lived in the Olu, Palili, and Luo settlements were later united into one place called Tomado.

After arranging the resettlement, the Dutch colonial authorities then appointed Lakese as village head for the three settlement areas, with the main task of opening up Langko rice fields and building houses as residences for residents in the new settlement. The village head in the Kulawi people is called to tua ngata, while the descendants of the king are called maradika.^[4]

The Kulawi people has a distinctive and unique culture, distinguishing it from surrounding ethnic groups. However, in general they are still related to Austronesian descent and share a nearly similar culture.

The Rakeho ritual is one of the most famous extreme rituals of the Kulawi people. Rakeho is a ritual to straighten the upper and lower teeth to be level with the gums in welcoming the growth from childhood to adulthood in Kulawi men.^[8] On the other hand, the Ratompo ritual is a ritual to align the upper and lower teeth to be flush with the gums in welcoming growth from childhood to adulthood in Kulawi women.^[9] In the process of both rituals, the Ntodea language (a sacred language) is used and aims to prevent unwanted things from happening.

The Raego dance is a traditional dance of the Kulawi people. The accompanying songs for the Raego dance are usually sung in Presto, de Marcia, Forte, and Con Brio tempos which suit the patriotic and heroic theme. The accompanying vocals are called manoulia, while the lyrics are called oila. There are many types of Raego dance, including the following:

• Raego Pangkasuwia to welcome newly arrived guests.
• Raego Potinowu for the ceremony when the groom gives the dowry.
• Raego Puncumania for circumcision ceremonies.
• Raego Pobalai for wedding ceremonies.
• Raego Vunca for harvest ceremonies.
• Raego Tarade for a ceremony welcoming a satisfying harvest.
• Raego Poparoma for a death ceremony approaching the final day.
• Raego Bobongka Ombo for the ceremony commemorating the 7th day of the death of a nobleman.
• Raego Popatunahou for the ceremony of built a new house.
• Raego Pantaka is a ceremony to welcome heroes returning from the battlefield.
• Raego Mpainu is a bathing ceremony for heroes leaving for the battlefield.
• Raego Popowata for the ceremony while waiting for the arrival of the body.^[10]

The wedding tradition of the Kulawi people is called Pmemua which usually lasts for two days. When undergoing the ritual, the bride and groom wear traditional clothes made from banyan tree bark fibers which are still processed in a traditional way, which is called Kumpe.^[11] The series of Pmemua includes the following:

• The first day begins with the Raego dance, a traditional dance typical of the Kulawi people with the recitation of ancient poems to welcome the groom. The envoy and traditional figures of the groom went to the bride's door which was closed and then stamped their feet three times. After hearing the response hema hangami? 'who is outside?' the groom then calls out his full name. After that, the door opened and was greeted with a sprinkling of yellow rice on the groom's head, then continued with the ritual of eating betel lime which is followed by eating together.
• The second day continued with the Mojunu ritual, which means a ritual for cleansing oneself before undergoing household rituals which is then continued with the Mantime Bengka ritual, which involves slaughtering a buffalo that walks on a banana leaf as a sign of the groom's acceptance of the bride.^[5]

There are four divisions of the Kulawi people's customary zones, consisting of:

• Nu Mardika, known as Lambara, is an area specifically designated as a hunting ground, sometimes also used as an area for grazing animals. There are several Nu Maradika places such as Keratambe (near Tomado), Walatana (near Langko), Bamba (near Paku), Tongombone (near Olu), Bulu Jara (near Tomado), Kana (near Luo and Palili), and Malapi (near Tomado).
• Ngata, whose area compared to other Lindu customary areas is bordered by mountain peaks.
• Ntode or Ntodea, the area of which is residential or agricultural land. Utilization rights in the Ntode are limited by individual rights (individual privacy) such as ombo or the prohibition on cutting down enau trees. These individual private rights arise when someone clears pangale (virgin forest) to be used as a field. In the past, the farming system used by the Kulawi people used a rotational farming system, which means that after managing a field for two or three seasons, it is then rested (ngura) and open fields elsewhere (taluboo). The cleared land will then become the property of the pangale opener.
• Nu Wiata, comes from the word wiata in the Lindu language, meaning spirits or ghosts. The Nu Wiata is an area that absolutely must not be damaged because it is a conservation forest areas that, if violated, will be subject to severe customary sanctions. Destructive activities include trespassing and logging. The Kulawi tribe believes that the spirits or souls of people who have died actually inhabit certain areas, then they will return to their relatives' homes at certain times such as during traditional harvest ceremonies.^[12][7]

• Pamona people
• Lindu people
• Lore people