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Orang Ambon | |
|---|---|
 Ambon bride and groom in traditional costumes. | |
| Total population | |
| c. 1.590.000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia Netherlands Suriname Australia United States | |
| Indonesia (Maluku) | c. 1.500.000 |
| Netherlands | c. 90.000 |
| Languages | |
| Ambonese Malay,Indonesian (in Indonesia),Dutch (in Netherlands) | |
| Religion | |
| Protestantism (majority),Sunni Islam,Catholicism[1] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Melanesians,Polynesians,Moluccans,Malagasy | |
TheAmbonese (Ambonese:Orang Ambon;Indonesian:Orang Ambon) are an ethnic group of mixedAustronesian andMelanesian origin fromAmbon Island inMaluku, an island group inIndonesia located betweenSulawesi andNew Guinea. They also live on the southwest ofSeram Island, which is part of theMoluccas,Java,Western New Guinea, and other regions of Indonesia. Additionally, there are about 35,000 Ambonese people living in theNetherlands.[2] By the end of the 20th century, there were 258,331 (2007 census) Ambonese people living inAmbon, Maluku.[3] The Ambonese are largelyMuslim andChristian.[1]
The dominant language isAmbonese Malay, also known as Ambonese. It developed as a trade language in central Maluku and is spoken as a second language elsewhere in Maluku. Many Ambonese people speakIndonesian, especially aroundAmbon City.[4]
The predominant religions of the Ambonese are Christianity (Reformed Christianity andRoman Catholicism) and Islam (Sunni Islam). According to Mikhail Anatolievich Chlenov, the relationship between the adherents of both faiths have generally been peaceful, based on the union of the communities'pela; which in theAmbonese language means "friend."[5] However, he also mentions that clashes between Ambonese people and other non-indigenous ethnic groups occur on religious grounds. Mounted tension in the 1990s resulted in the 1998interreligious conflict in Ambon. With the threat of civil war, many were forced to move to refugee camps inAmbon, with divisions between Muslim and Christian sections.[6] The conflict resulted in thousands of casualties and up to 700,000 displaced people.[7]
Ambon was first colonized by Portugal in 1526, before being occupied by the Dutch in 1605. There was significant mixing of the indigenous populations ofAmbon Island andSeram Island, a prominent slave trade, and immigrants from other parts of Indonesia and Europe.[8] The spice trade established under the rule of theSultanate of Ternate was also seized by the Portuguese and Dutch.[9]
The Ambonese people resisted Dutch colonization until the beginning of the 19th century. However, they have achieved a privileged position in Indonesia since the mid-19th century, with many Europeanized. The wealthy townspeople were legally equated with the ruling colonizers, and they were involved in state and military services. However, many indigenous customs such as tattooing have largely disappeared as a result.[10][11] For such loyalty, the Ambonese authorities were nicknamed "black Dutch".[12]
During theIndonesian National Revolution war for theIndependence of Indonesia in 1945–1949, large groups of Ambonese people, especially members of the colonial army, emigrated to theNetherlands andNew Guinea.[2]
Ambon is a center of production of spices such ascarnation andnutmeg,[13] as well assago as a food source.[14] The Ambonese have been producers of nutmeg since the 17th century, which led to the conquest of the Dutch colonial inAmbon Island and its surrounding region in 1605 as an attempt to monopolize the nutmeg trade, resulting in theAmboyna massacre.[13] Developedfishery,agriculture,horticulture, and small trades are also means of earning a living in Ambon.[15] Ambonese craftsmen work in various industries such as pottery, blacksmithing, weapons making, shipbuilding, carving on tortoiseshell shell and mother of pearl, making ornamental crafts from buds of carnation, and weaving boxes and mats from strips of palm leaves.[16]
The Ambonese live in traditional rural communities callednegeri, headed by astarosta called araja. Communities are divided into territorial groups calledsoa, which unite patrilineal clans calledmata ruma. Marriage ceremonies are performed only within sectarian groups. For the Ambonese, these are traditionally characterised bypatrilocal marriages.[17] Relations between members of the community are governed by traditional norms of behaviour calledadat. Today, adat largely governs matters of family, inheritance and land rights, and elections for leadership positions.[18]
A typical Ambonese village consists of about 1,500 people who live in houses made from wovensago leaves[14] or plasteredbamboo, wood, and coral stones, on stone foundations.[19] The people cultivate the surrounding hillsides.[10] Traditional rural settlements of Ambonese people are located on the shore and have a linear layout. Houses are built on stilts.[citation needed]
Men adopted modern European style clothing due to colonization,[20] and only on special occasions, they would wear short jackets and black trousers.[21] Women wear thin blouses or small-patterned sarongs. Older women typically wear black, while younger women typically wear bright colored cotton dresses up to knee-length.[22][23]
The basis of the Ambonese diet is porridge made from sago starch,[14] vegetables,taro,cassava, and fish. The inhabitants of theAmbon Island also have access to imported rice.
The Ambonese people have a rich musical folklore, much of which has absorbed many European musical elements—for example, the Ambonesequadrille (katreji)[24] and the songs of the lagoon, which are accompanied by a violin and with alap steel guitar.[25] Traditional musical instruments include the 12gongs,[26] drums, bamboo flute (efluit),[27]xylophone (tatabuhan kayu)[28] and theAeolian harp.
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