The name Gorontalo is the Indonesian form of theendonymHulontalo. Several proposals exist for the etymology of the term, such as:[6]
Hulontalangi, which means a 'noble valley'. TheHulontalangi word comes from two syllables,huluntu which means 'valley' andlangi which means 'noble'.[7] Another meaning of the wordHulontalangi is 'inundated land'. It can be interpreted as 'land that is inundated by water' according to the Gorontalo folktale from generation to generation.[8][9]
Huidu Totolu orGoenong Tellu, which means 'three mountains'. There are three ancient mountains on theGorontalo Peninsula, which are Mount Malenggalila, Mount Tilonggabila (turned into Tilongkabila), and one more mountain that is unnamed.[10] In manyPortuguese andDutch literatures (as well as in some map drawings), the word Goenong-Tello is also used more to describe this region.[11]
Pohulatalo orPogulatalo, which means 'place of waiting'. The wordPogulatalo gradually changed toHulatalo, then become Gorontalo.[12]
Hulontalo orHolontalo, used by the Dutch to recognize the local sultanate in this region as well as an adaptation of the name of the Kingdom of Hulontalo (Gorontalo Sultanate) in the past.[13]
The origins of the Gorontalo people is uncertain. There are two Southeast Asian migration theories, with the first theory stating that the population of Southeast Asian originally came from the east, and then inhabited inSulawesi. While the second theory explains that the human migration began fromTaiwan and arrived inSulawesi through thePhilippines.[14] Linguistically, Gorontalo people share the same origins with other Austronesian people of thePhilippine Islands andNorth Sulawesi islands.[15]
There is a Gorontalo legend that tells a story that they are the descendants ofHulontalangi, or the people that came from the skies and reside on Mount Tilongkabila,Bone Bolango Regency. The name Hulontalangi then became Hulontalo and Gorontalo.[16]
According to legend, the first Gorontalo kingdom emerged at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC.Gorontalo is believed to have been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times. The Oluhuta site inBone Bolango Regency is an archaeology site which provides information about the tombs of previous communities that were estimated to have lived around 2000–4000 years ago.[17][18]
The establishment of theGorontalo region has been estimated to have occurred 400 years ago. Gorontalo is one of the places that is recognized for the spreading ofIslam inEast Indonesia besidesTernate andBone state. By 1525, when the Portuguese arrived atNorth Sulawesi,Islam had already been widely spread among them during the rule of King Amay; with the Gorontalo lands divided between the Muslim states ofGorontalo, Limboto,Suwawa, Boalemo, and Atinggola.[19] Gorontalo then developed to become the center of education and trade inNorth Sulawesi. The city of the Gorontalo Kingdom first began in Hulawa village beside the Bolango River. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the kingdoms in Gorontalo had already adhered to a family bonding system calledpohala'a, which is still found today.[20]
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the Gorontalo kingdoms were under the influence of theTernate Sultanate. Gorontalo came under the administrative region of theDutch East India Company with the formation ofGorontalo Regency as a result of a treaty between Governor Ternate Robertus Patbrugge and the Gorontalo king.[20]
Before Gorontalo became a province of its own, the Gorontalo region was part of theNorth Sulawesi Province with a regency status. However on 5 December 2000, in accordance to Article 38 Year 2000, Gorontalo Regency became a separate province with the name Gorontalo Province. TheMinistry of Home Affairs at that time, Soerjadi Soedirdja officiate the Gorontalo Province and appointed Tursandi Alwi as the governor. A year later,Fadel Muhammad was elected as the first governor of Gorontalo Province.[22]
TheGorontalo language is a member of theAustronesian language family. Apart from Gorontalo, there are several languages that are similar which are considered by linguists asGorontalic languages, includingSuwawa,Atinggola,Limboto,Kwandang,Tilamuta, andSumawata.[23] Gorontalo is widely used in contemporary society due to the influence of the Gorontalo Kingdom that was once established in the region. Atinggola is used by the Atinggola people situated on the northern coast of Gorontalo.[24]
Currently, Gorontaloan itself has gone through assimilation withManado Malay, which is also widely used by the people of Gorontalo, to form its own variety calledGorontalo Malay. In terms of linguistics, Gorontalo is related to other languages fromNorth Sulawesi and thePhilippines.[23] Gorontalo along withMongondow are classified by linguists as being part of theGorontalo–Mongondow languages, which are part of the widerPhilippine languages grouping.[25] The Philippine languages, which are linguistically close to Gorontalo, includeTagalog,Cebuano,Hiligaynon,Bikol, andWaray.[26][27]Today, Gorontalo is more often written using theLatin alphabet; however, the use of Gorontalo as a written language is limited. In schools for education, the media, and official documents,Indonesian is more used.
Grand Mosque of Baiturrahim in the city of Gorontalo
Most Gorontaloans claim adherence to theIslamic faith.[28][29] By the early 16th century, most Gorontaloan adopted Islam via Ternate influence.[30] There are numerous traditional customs of the Gorontalo people that also contain Islamic influences.
Customs are regarded as an honor, norms and even as a guideline to implementing governance for the Gorontalo people. This is attributed to the expression of "Adat Bersendi Sara" and "Sara Bersendi Kitabullah".[31] The meaning of these sayings is that customs (adat) are implemented based on rules (sara), while these rules must be based on the Islamic holy book, theQuran.[20][32] Therefore it is understood that the lives of the Gorontalo people are full of religious values and noble values.[33]
During the end of Ramadan, the people conductedTombbilotohe; a cultural celebration with oil lamps,[34] which is lit around mosques and settlements.
A group of young people playinglonggo. Longgo is the traditional martial arts of Gorontalo people who use sword weapons
The Gorontalo people have a family kinship system calledpohala'a. This system is a heritage of the kingdoms that had previously established inGorontalo. There are fivepohala'as in Gorontalo, namely Gorontalo, Limboto, Suwawa, Bualemo and Atinggola, where the Gorontalopohala'a is the most prominent.[20][35]
The Gorontalo community have a high social sense, so much so that there is hardly any conflict among themselves. A tight knitted kinship system is always preserved by the Gorontalo community, as exemplified in thePohala'a family bond system.[36][37] Mutual cooperation orhuyula tradition is preserved in the daily lives of the community, and issues will be solved through discussion.[38][39][40]
Gorontalo people have a philosophy of life, namely,batanga pomaya, nyawa podungalo, harata potom bulu meaning, "the body is to defend the homeland, faithful to the end, wealth brings social problems" andlo iya lo ta uwa, ta uwa loloiya, boodila polucia hi lawo which means, "a leader is full of authority, but it's not arbitrary".[41][42][43]
Traditional attires are multicolored, with each of the colors represent its symbolic aspect. Gorontalo people are also famous for their developed musical culture.[44]
The main traditional occupation of the Gorontalo people has long been agriculture. Gorontaloans plays an important part in forestry, agriculture and fishery industries. Crafting and livestock farms are secondary means of income.
In the past, there were large extensions of extended family who could carry out joint agricultural farming in mountainous region that required a lot of soil cultivating work. The elderly father and mother are regarded as the main hosts, which is reflected in theGorontalo language.[citation needed] It has not adopted a variety of intimate forms of addressing parents and older relatives.
The main type of Gorontalo settlement are the villages. The traditional house is called Dulohupa,[45] consists of a frame structure built on stilts. It is built with choice timber and its roofing is made of straw. The house is then divided into several rooms. By the entrance are two staircases. In the past, Dulohupa is usually used to carry out discussions by the royal rulers. Traditional Dulohupa house can still be found in several sub-districts inGorontalo.[46][47]
Apart from Dulohupa, there is another traditional Gorontalo house called, Bandayo Poboide. However the existence of the Bandayo Poboide is almost extinct throughout the entire region ofGorontalo. One of the very few remaining Bandayo Poboide is situated in front of the Gorontalo Regent's office at Jenderal Sudirman Road,Limboto, Gorontalo.[48][49]
Lumadu is a type of native Gorontalo oral literature in the form of brain exercising riddles and metaphors or parables.[50] Lumadu is often used by children for games, while metaphoric Lumadu is often used in conversations among adults with the purpose to show courtesy for others, to broaden the conversation with others and to bring value into the subject of the conversation.
One of the cultural art form of the Gorontalo people is the Polopalo dance. This traditional dance is popular among the Gorontalo community, and even as far asNorth Sulawesi region.[51][52]
A Gorontalo bridal couple wearsBili'u attire for the woman andPaluwala for the man. These traditional clothes were typically worn by the Sultan and the Permaisuri, and are now used during the reception of a traditional Gorontalo wedding.
There are several traditional customs from the Gorontalo community, among them:
Momonto and Modutu wedding customs. In the traditional wedding customs of the Gorontalo people, there are few regulations and procedures that must be carried out by both the bride and bridegroom. Gorontalo people still hold onto the generational traditions as part of their customs and culture. The wedding ceremony is carried out alternately in both of the house of the bride and bridegroom. The wedding ceremony can last for more than two days. Relatives will work collectively in preparing the wedding ceremony for a few days prior to the wedding day. Both the bride and bridegroom will dress in the traditional attire, Bili’u. The bridal bedroom is used during the wedding reception in accordance with Gorontalo customs.[53][54][55]
Molontalo or Tontalo (Seventh Month Ceremony), is a customary ceremony as an expression of gratitude once a pregnancy period reaches the seventh month. In holding this customary event, both of the unborn child's parents must put on traditional Gorontalo attire. A little girl will be carried by the prospective father, circling the house and finally enters the house into the room to meet his pregnant wife. After the prospective father and the little girl meets the pregnant wife, a string made of coconut leaf that was tied around the pregnant wife previously will be severed. In this Tontalo ceremony seven dishes are served on seven different trays and then these foods are distributed among the invited guests.[39][55]
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Indonesia:
Gorontalo
North Sulawesi
Central Sulawesi
