 Moluccans men performing the traditionalCakalele dance, carrying theparang salawaku (Maluku sword and shield). | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2.5 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia: 2,203,415 (2010 census)[1](Maluku,North Maluku,Jakarta,East Java,North Sulawesi,West Papua)  Netherlands: ~70,000 (2018 census)[2] | |
| Languages | |
| Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages,North Halmahera languages,North Moluccan Malay,Ambonese Malay,Indonesian,Dutch | |
| Religion | |
| MajoritySunni Islam MinorityChristianity (Protestantism (Moluccan Evangelical Church andProtestant Church of Maluku) andRoman Catholicism),Hinduism,Animism[3] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherAustronesians,Melanesians,Papuan people,Malagasy peoples |
Moluccans are theMelanesian-Austronesian andPapuan-speaking ethnic groups indigenous to theMaluku Islands (also called the Moluccas). The region was historically known as theSpice Islands,[4][5] and today consists of two Indonesian provinces ofMaluku andNorth Maluku. As such, the termMoluccans is used as a blanket term for the various ethnic and linguistic groups native to the islands.
Most Moluccans practiceIslam, followed byChristianity. Despite religious differences, all groups share strong cultural bonds and a sense of common identity, such as throughAdat.[6] Music is also a binding factor, playing an important role in the cultural identity, and the Moluccan capital city ofAmbon was awarded the official status ofCity of Music byUNESCO in 2019.[7][3]
A small population of Moluccans (~50.000+[8]) live in the Netherlands. This group mainly consists of the descendants of soldiers in theRoyal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL), who were originally brought to the Netherlands temporarily, and would have been sent back to their own independent republic, had the Dutch government not given up control of Indonesia. They and others in the world make up theMoluccan diaspora. The remainder consists of Moluccans serving in the Dutch navy and their descendants, as well as some who came to the Netherlands from westernNew Guinea after it too washanded over to Indonesia.[8]
However, the vast majority of Moluccans still live in the Moluccas and the other surrounding areas and regions, such asPapua,East andWest Timor,North Sulawesi and further west.[9]
The indigenous inhabitants of the Maluku Islands areMelanesian in origin and have been living in the Maluku archipelago since at least 30,000 BCE. However, due to laterAustronesian migration waves from around 5,000 - 2,000 BCE, genetic studies detail the presence of varying levels of Austronesian mitochondrial DNA in populations on different islands in Maluku. Whereas paternal genetic structure remains predominantly Melanesian in its make-up within the region.[10] This explains a primarilymaternal Austronesian influence on the Melanesian population that influenced the development of typical socio-linguistic elements and other areas within the Moluccan culture, makingMalayo-Polynesian languages dominating in most of the region, with the exception of some areas where languages belonging to the West Papuan language group are still prevalent.[11] Later added to this were severalDutch,Chinese,Portuguese,Spanish,Arabian andEnglish influences, due to colonization, intermarriage with foreign traders during the Silk-route era and Middle Ages, and even with European soldiers during the World Wars. A small number ofGerman descendants was added to Moluccan population, especially inAmbon, along with arrival of Protestant Missionaries since 16th century.[12]
After theJapanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies duringWorld War II, theNetherlands wished to restore the previous colonial system; however, indigenous Indonesians opposed this. A struggle for independence led bySukarno and his rebel forces broke out in 1945 and lasted until 1950.[13] The reconstitutedRoyal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) was commissioned by the Dutch government to maintain order and to disarm the rebels. Moluccan professional soldiers formed an important part of this army.[13] The Moluccan community was thus regarded by the Dutch as allies and vice versa. The government of the Netherlands had promised Moluccans that they would get their own free state and independence back in return for assisting the Netherlands. After international efforts could not support the Netherlands to maintain its colony, the Dutch government chose to no longer keep its promise to Moluccans of an independent state.[14] Moluccans, who were seen by the Indonesians as collaborators with the Dutch, were given two options: to demobilize the military force and "temporarily" go to the Netherlands before returning to an independent Maluku, or to assimilate and take on the Indonesian nationality. Most Moluccans who served in the command of KNIL chose the first option, which was to reside temporarily in the Netherlands.[13] Upon arriving in the Netherlands, Moluccans were discharged from military service, and housed in repurposed WWII concentration camps, including in the formerWesterbork transit camp, where they were isolated from Dutch society and held under extremely poor living conditions for years.[15]
The Dutch Moluccan community repeatedly petitioned the Dutch government to uphold its commitment to supporting their claim for an independentRepublic of South Maluku, as previously promised. Their struggle for independence began to gain traction in the in the 1970s, when demonstrations and violence propelled them into the public eye.[16] Finally, after still being ignored and denied a hearing by the government, one of the methods to gain attention on the matter was through the hijackings of1975 Dutch train hostage crisis inDe Punt,Wijster, where hostages were taken, and the members were killed.[17]
Moluccans speak over a hundred different languages, with a majority of them belonging to theCentral Malayo-Polynesian language family. An important exception is the North Moluccan islands which include the island ofHalmahera and its surrounding islands, where the majority of the population speakWest Papuan languages (North Halmahera branch), possibly brought through historical migration from theBird's Head Peninsula ofNew Guinea.[18][19] Another exception are the Malay-based creoles such as theAmbonese language (also known as Ambonese Malay), spoken mainly onAmbon and the nearbyCeram; andNorth Moluccan Malay used on the islands ofTernate,Tidore,[20]Halmahera andSula Islands inNorth Maluku.[21] Moluccans living in theNetherlands mostly speakAmbonese andBuru, as well as the national and officialDutch language.
The Moluccans homeland is divided into two provinces which are part of theMaluku Islands, namely the provinces ofMaluku andNorth Maluku. Each has ethnic diversity, there are many different ethnic groups in Maluku Islands, they are a mixture ofAustronesian andMelanesian.
Most Moluccans in northern Maluku (present-day province ofNorth Maluku) areMuslim.[22] Central and southern Maluku (present-day province ofMaluku) have approximately equal numbers of Muslims andChristians.[23]
There is significant number of nativeHindus (Tanimbar Kei people) living in theKei Islands, which is a predominantlyCatholic region. This is because, according to oral traditions, their ancestors came fromBal (Bali) during theMajapahit era. Additionally, they practice local customary law calledLarvul Ngabal [id] (transl. "red blood and spear from Bali").[24]
The most common religion amongst Moluccans in the Netherlands isProtestantism, followed by Islam.[25]
