| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ± 280,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Indonesia (East Kalimantan) | |
| Languages | |
| Kutainese (either Tenggarong or Kota Bangun varieties) | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (majority) |
TheKutainese people orKutai people (Tenggarong Kutai Malay:Urang Kutai;Kota Bangun Kutai Malay:Urang Kutai), are aMalayic ethnic group that inhabit major parts of Indonesian province ofEast Kalimantan (i.e. throughout the historical region ofKutai), especially the regencies ofEast Kutai,Kutai Kartanegara, andWest Kutai (all of them were previously part of theSpecial Region of Kutai). They descended from earlierDayak peoples who have later embraced Islam.[1]
The Kutai people are descended from variousDayak peoples (sometimes grouped as "Ot Danum",[1] an umbrella term forBarito-speaking groups) living throughout theMahakam basin, who later adhered to Islam and subject toMalayisation. Clans that would form this ethnic group include Pantun, Punang, Pahu, Tulur Dijangkat, and Melani. Because of this, these group became referred to by other Dayaks asHaloq, aBenuaq label used to refer Dayaks who had left their original culture (such activity is calledbehaloq, which then evolved intopahuuq which means a Muslim).[2][3] According to some other sources,Haloq is also used to refer to various immigrant ethnic groups living in the region, includingJavanese andBuginese peoples.[4] Nowadays, the term has since rarely used, and only preserved on toponymsLong Beleh Haloq andMarah Haloq (both are villages in Kutai Kartanegara and East Kutai, respectively).
The term "Kutai" was originally not used for the ethnic group,[1] until 1635, when the Sultanate of Kutai Kartanegara under Prince Sinum Panji Mendapa invaded the neighbouring Hindu kingdom of Martapura led by Darmasetia,[5] effectively ending the 12th century rule by Mulawarman dynasty. Following the event, its soldiers escaped to the forests and the inhabitants of Muara Kaman were required to pay tribute each year, however, the reason behind the invasion was not specified bySalasilah Kutai.[6] The event forged the creation of a distinct Kutai identity, and forced the resisting Dayak peoples to migrate interiors.[1]
Between 16th and 17th century,Islam began to be introduced throughout the Kutai region byTuan Tunggang Parangan [id], a Minangkabau cleric who previously Islamised peoples inSouth Sulawesi. However, his true identity is disputed between Syekh Abdurahman Al-Idrus, Abdul Jawad, or Habib Hasyim bin Musayya bin Yahya. According to a local legend, the king of Kutai Kertanegara was lost against him during a four-round show of power, and finally agreed to pronounce theShahada in order to convert to Islam.[citation needed]
The Sultanate of Kutai Kertanegara still retained much of the political power throughout the region until mid-20th century, when its last iteration,Special Region of Kutai, a third-level special region similar to a regency, was abolishedde jure on 26 June 1959[7] andde facto ceremonially on 21 January 1960 by its last sultan Aji Muhammad Parikesit, transferring its powers to his three successors.[8] However, in the wake of 21th century, the Sultanate of Kutai Kartanegara was revived as a cultural institution in 2001, withAji Muhammad Salehuddin II emerging as the new sultan.[9]
Kutai people and other indigenous ethnic groups (Dayaks) apparently only form a minority in East Kalimantan, there are around 280,000 people belonging to the Kutai ethnic alone.[10] Kutai people can also be further divided into several subgroups, including Pahu, Kedang, Punang, Talun, Tuana, Tembai, Pantun, Lampong, and Melanti.[11]
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As previously stated on the#History section,Islam was introduced in Kutai between 16th and 17th centuries by clerics from South Sulawesi, making it the majority religion of the Kutai people.[2] A notable exception is the inhabitants of Kedang Ipil village in Kota Bangun Darat, Kutai Kartanegara, where majority of them areCatholics after converting fromKaharingan orKutai Adat Lawas (traditional religion) in 1978 (although some of them had converted earlier into Protestant Christianity or Islam).[12]
Like many other regions in Indonesia, Kutai traditional cuisine is very diverse. Some notable popular dishes characteristic of Kutai people includenasi bekepor (a dish similar tonasi liwet, usually complemented bysambal raja),gence ruan [id] (made fromChanna striata or mudfish),pulut nasi (a mixture of rice and coconut cream wrapped in banana leaves),sayur asam Kutai (vegetable soup featuring mudfish heads),[13]sate payau (a type ofsatay made fromvenison).[14]
Folk costumes of the Kutai people includekustim [id] /kustin andtakwo, formal costumes that were traditionally worn by upper-middle classes and the nobility, andsakai, a garment made from skin or wood fiber, traditionally only worn by women.[15]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Fenomena Tari Jepen (a documentary coveringJepen byPublik Khatulistiwa TV, dated from 2007) |
Kutaifolk dances can be distinguished into two types:[16]
Kutai people traditionally spoke the varieties of Kota Bangun (consists of Kedang, Lampong, Pantun, and Tembai dialects) in the interiors of East Kalimantan, and of Tenggarong (Melanti dialect only), most dominant inthe capital of Kutai Kartanegara. Although these are often viewed as different dialects of the same language, both of them have issued their ownISO 639-3 codes (with the exception of Muara Ancalong variety).
Kutai people have their own forms of oral literature, such astarsul,protak,pantun,sa’er,ladon,dandeng,memang,sawai, and others. Like other languages in Sumatra or Borneo, Kutainese was also written in theJawi script. However, the status of Kutainese languages have become endangered over time. To combat against this, the local government of Kutai Kartanegara has introduced the language to schoolchildren since 2022, and introduced its own online dictionary.[17]
Tingkilan is the traditional ensemble music of Kutai people, which consists of several instruments, includinggambus,kendang,ketipung (a smaller version ofkendang), andviolin (a later influence from the Dutch). It is largely used to accompany Kutai traditional dances such asJepen, but it also played during ceremonial or religious events.[18]