Ata Modo | |
|---|---|
 Native inhabitants ofKomodo island. | |
| Total population | |
| Extinct[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia (Komodo island) | |
| Languages | |
| Komodo,Manggarai, and otherAustronesian languages | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (Sunni) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Manggarai,Bimanese,Sama-Bajau | |
|
TheKomodo people (Komodo:Ata Modo;Indonesian:Orang Komodo) were anAustronesianethnic group native to theisland of Komodo,West Manggarai Regency,East Nusa Tenggara inIndonesia. They called themselvesAta Modo (lit. 'Modo people') and called the island they inhabitedTana Modo. AnthropologistJ.A.J. Verheijen [id] dubbed them "Komodo people" in 1989.[1]
The island's present-day residents are descendants of formerconvicts who were exiled to Komodo, and who have mixed withBugis people from the southern part ofSulawesi. The population is primarily adherents ofIslam, but there are alsoChristian andHindu congregations.
The first people to inhabitKomodo island andRinca island were the Komodo people, followed by theSama-Bajau.[2]
According to legend, thekomodo dragon is actually a twin of the Komodo people—a woman named Putri Naga married a local man, subsequently giving birth to both a male human and an egg that later hatched into a female komodo dragon. The Komodo people's connection to the komodo dragon was discovered when Putri Naga's son was out hunting; when he attempted to kill a komodo dragon about to eat the deer he had hunted, his mother Putri Naga appeared and told him that the komodo dragon was his twin brother.[2]
In theKomodo language, the komodo dragons are calledsebae (lit. 'twins').[3]
Thetraditional food of the Komodo people ismbuta, a dish made fromgebang seed flour.[4][5]
Komodo people use theKomodo,Manggarai,Bimanese, andBugis languages in their daily lives, and also useIndonesian when meeting people outside their group or when acting as tour guides atKomodo National Park or when selling souvenirs.
The Komodo people are believed to be able to speak toKomodo dragons, due to the myth of sharing the same mother.[6][dead link]
The Komodo people are predominantlyMuslim, mixed with local supernatural beliefs, such as the myth of the Putri Naga.
Kolo kamba is atraditional dance that tells the story of the Komodo ancestors' struggles. A leader (ompu dato) will erect a log approximately 1 metre (3.3 ft) high, while drums are beaten, men dance, thesilat marital art is performed, and the log is beaten similar to thekuda lumping dance ofJava. The log is beaten because it is a symbol of evil.[7][dead link]
Aru gile is a singing dance performed by women, who pound rice as an expression of gratitude for the harvest.[8]
The principal Komodo settlement,Komodo village, is located onKomodo island inKomodo District,West Manggarai Regency,East Nusa Tenggara,Indonesia. The Komodo District includes not only the islands of Komodo andRinca, but also other smaller islands off the west coast ofFlores, with 128 islands altogether in the Komodo District. Much of the mainland part of West Manggarai Regency, including the town ofLabuan Bajo, the capital of the regency and of the district, is also part of the Komodo District.
The Komodos were the first ethnic group to settle onRinca, followed later by theBimanese,Manggarai,Sama-Bajau, andBugis.[9]
The principal settlement ofKomodo village is a fishing town home to around 800 families, with a population of about 2,000 people in 2019.[4] The majority are fishermen, although some are active as rangers inKomodo National Park. In the 1930s, the Komodo population was said to be 143 people. By 1977, this had increased to 505 people.[10]