| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Indonesia (Kupang Regency,Semau Island,Flores Island) | |
| Languages | |
| Helong,Kupang Malay, andIndonesia | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (predominantly) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Atoni • Dhao • Rotenese |
Helong people are one of the indigenous inhabitants ofTimor Island inIndonesia.[1] Most of them live inKupang Regency, namely in West Kupang and Central Kupang; and some also settled inFlores Island andSemau Island.[2][3] Their livelihoods are mainly farming, hunting, fishing, and making traditional crafts.[2]
They speak a native language calledHelong, which has two dialects, the Helong Semau dialect and the Eastern Land Helong dialect.[2] Helong speakers are found in four villages on the South-Western coast ofWest Timor, as well as onSemau Island, a small island just off the coast of West Timor.[4]
The basic Helong family system is a nuclear family, which then joins into a limited larger family (ngalo).[2] Somengalo joins to form aclan (ingu) which is led by a clan leader (koka ana).[2] In terms of social strata, the traditional Helong community was divided into three layers, the nobility (usif), ordinary people (tob), and slaves (ata).[2]