 Buru people in folk costume, early 1900s. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 13,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia (Buru): more than 11,000 | |
| Languages | |
| Lisela language,Indonesian language | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (predominantly),Animism,Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Buru people,Kayeli people |
Lisela (Indonesian:Orang Lisela) is an ethnic group mostly living on theIndonesian island ofBuru, as well as on some otherMaluku Islands. They belong to the eastern Indonesian anthropological group and are sometimes referred to as northernBuru people. From an ethnographic point of view, Lisela are similar to other indigenous peoples of Buru island. They speak theLisela language.[1]
The total number of Lisela people is about 13,000, of which more than 11,000 live onBuru Island, other small communities living adjacent toBuru Island inSeram Island andManipa Island, and as well as a few hundreds more onAmbon Island.
OnBuru Island, the Lisela people live quite compactly in a narrow strip of lowland along the northern coast of the Kayeli Gulf. They constitute the ethnic majority in this region, despite their fraction in the total population inBuru Island is only about 8%.[2][3] OnSeram Island, they lived on the west coast, forming 3 isolated islands.[1]
During the Dutch colonization in the first half of the 17th century, much of Lisela people had been relocated to the far eastern part ofBuru Island for working at the Dutch plantations; then later in the process they became part ofKayeli people.[4][5]
The native Lisela people speak theLisela language, which belongs to the Central Maluku branch of theMalayo-Polynesian languages. Within its framework consists of 2 distinct dialects namely the Lisela dialect, which is spoken by most of the Lisela people and the Tagalisa dialect, which is mostly spoken among those living in the north eastern coast ofBuru Island.[1]
Most Lisela people speak their nativeLisela language on a daily basis, although there are traces of its usage tends to head toward a decline; which is much noticeable compared to their closely relatedBuru people. This is due to active contact with the Lisela people living along the coastal areas with outsiders from other parts of Indonesia who settled in theBuru Island since the beginning of the 20th century. As a result the natives gradually shift to the usage of the official language of Indonesia,Indonesian or the Ambon dialect ofMalay language (Ambonese Malay), a fairly commonlingua franca among theMoluccans which is a simplified Indonesian language with additions of the local lexicon.[1][6]
The vast majority of Lisela people areSunni Muslims. There is also a small Christian community that makes up about 5% of the people group who are mostly Protestants, but also Catholics and Evangelical Christians. The remaining 30% of the people group are also represented with some remnant of the traditional folk beliefs. At the same time, many Muslims themselves also retain significant remnants of these beliefs. This often leads to peculiar interpretations of the Islamic canons and sometimes result in the formation of uniquesyncretic cults and rituals. The blending of the Islamic-pagan ritual is most pronounced for example in marriage, when wedding begins with selling the bride by her parents' house, in accordance with the traditional ritualminta bini and culminates with the collective Muslim prayer.[2]
Most Lisela people are engaged in farmingrice,maize,sago,sweet potato and various spice, such asallspice,nutmeg andEucalyptus tree used for aromatic oil. In the inland areas, they also hunt the wild pigBuru babirusa, deer andpossum, and take part in tuna fishing on the coast. In the urban areas, the growing number of Lisela people take jobs in the industrial enterprises. Traditional Buru houses are made from bamboo, often on stilts. The roofs are covered with palm leaves or reeds, with tiles becoming progressively popular. National Buru costume is similar that of most other Indonesia peoples. Men wearsarong (a kind ofkilt) and a long-skirted tunic, and women are dressed in sarong and a shorter jacket.[2]
