Ureuëng Acèh اورڠ اچيه | |
|---|---|
 An Acehnese bride and groom in traditional wedding dresses | |
| Total population | |
| 3,526,000[1] – 4,200,000[2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia | 3,404,000 (2010)[3] 3,484,000 (2015)[4] |
 Malaysia | 640,000[5] |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
 Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
TheAcehnese[a] (Acehnese:Ureuëng Acèh,Jawoë:اورڠ اچيه;Indonesian:Orang Aceh), also written asAchinese, are anAustronesianethnic group native toAceh, a province on the northernmost tip of theisland ofSumatra inIndonesia. The area has a history of political struggle against theDutch colonial rule. The vast majority of Acehnese people are Muslims.[7] The Acehnese people are also referred to by other names such asLam Muri,Lambri,Akhir,Achin,Asji,A-tse andAtse.[8][9] Their language,Acehnese, belongs to theAceh–Chamic group ofMalayo-Polynesian of theAustronesian language family.
The Acehnese were, for a time, partiallyHinduised, as evident from their traditions and the manySanskrit words in their language.[10] Trade with the Islamic world resulted in theIslamization of the population and gradually displaced older religions practiced by the Acehnese. As a result, the Acehnese have beenMuslims for many centuries. The estimated number of Acehnese ranges between 3,526,000 people[11] to 4.2 million people.[12]
Traditionally, Acehnese are agriculturists, metal-workers and weavers. Traditionallymatrilocal, their social organisation is communal. They live ingampôngs, which combine to form districts known asmukims.[13] The golden era of Acehnese culture began in the 16th century, along with the rise of the IslamicAceh Sultanate and later reaching its peak in the 17th century.[14] Generally, the Acehnese people are regarded as conservative adherents to theIslamic faith and also as militant fighters against the colonial conquest of thePortuguese Empire and theDutch Empire.[14][page needed][7][need quotation to verify]
Aceh came to international attention as being the hardest-hit region of the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake with 120,000 people dead.
Archaeological evidence show that the earliest inhabitants of Aceh were from thePleistocene age, where they lived in the west coast of Aceh (Langsa andAceh Tamiang Regency region) and exhibitedAustralomelanesoid characteristics.[15] They mainly relied on a diet of seafood, including various types of shellfish, as well as land animals.[16] The inhabitants are known to have used fire and practicedrituals of burial.[16]
The migration of the modern-day indigenous tribes, such as the Mantr people[17] and the Lhan people (Proto-Malay), as well as theChams,Malays andMinangkabau people (Deutero-Malay) who arrived later, formed thepribumi dwellers of Aceh. Foreign ethnic groups, especiallyIndians, as well as a small amount ofArabs,Persians,Turks, and Portuguese also compromise the ancestry of the Acehnese people. The strategic position of Aceh in the northern tip of theSumatra island for thousands of years has allowed the region to become a haven for trade and inter-marriage of various people groups, namely those involved in the sea trade route from theMiddle East toChina.
LinguistPaul Sidwell wrote that "Sometime during this early phase of language shift, perhaps before the beginning of Common Era, theChamic speakers who were to become the Acehnese left the mainland on a journey that would ultimately end in northern Sumatra." UsingGraham Thurgood's thesis, Sidwell argues that the Acehnese likely had been separated from Chamic-speaking peoples around the first to second century BCE. The geographic gap between otherChamic languages and Acehnese may have led to influence onIndochinese speakers of Chamic languages from Malay, Khmer, Thai, and Vietnamese over the following two thousand years.[18]
Chinese and Indian sources from 500 CE and onward mention that there was a settlement in northernmost Sumatra (Aceh) which was calledP'o-lu. Many scholars believe that P'o-lu was close to the what is nowBanda Aceh.[19] These sources also state that the average person worecotton clothing while the ruling elite woresilk. The Chinese annals also claim that the local people were Buddhist.[20]
Acehnese folklore states that the earliest people of Aceh came from indigenous tribes such as theMante people and theLhan people.[21][22][23] TheMante people were a local native group believed to be related to theBatak,Gayonese andAlas people,[17][22] while the Lhan people are allegedly still related to theSemang people group who had migrated from theMalay Peninsula orIndochina (specificallyChampa andBurma).[23] Initially, theMante people settled inAceh Besar Regency and later began to spread to other regions.[24]
Around the ninth and tenth century there was an influx ofArabian andPersianmerchants to the Aceh region. WhenMarco Polo visited the area in 1292, he mentions that some of the port cities and towns had already converted toIslam.[20] It is commonly thought that when theSamudera Pasai Sultanate was founded,Islam was fully established in the region. Nonetheless, it is clear that Islam was a major religion in and around Aceh by thethirteenth century.[20]
During the decline of theSrivijaya kingdom, it is estimated that a number ofMalay people began to migrate toAceh.[25] They then settled down in the valleys ofTamiang River and later became known as the Tamiang people.[26] After they were conquered by theSamudera Pasai Sultanate kingdom (1330), only then did they begin to integrate into Acehnese society; although in terms of cultural and linguistic, there are still similarities with the Malay culture. By thesixteenth century, Aceh was an important cultural and scholastic Islamic center influential throughout much ofSoutheast Asia.[20]
Most of theMinangkabau people who migrated toAceh settled aroundMeulaboh andKrueng Seunagan valley.[21] Generally in these fertile areas they manage wet paddy fields and pepper farming, as well as some trading.[21] The mixed population of Acehnese-Minangkabau people is also found in the southern region, namely in the areas around Susoh,Tapaktuan andLabuhan Haji. There are many who converse daily in bothAcehnese language and their own native dialect, the Aneuk Jamee language.
As a result of the political expansion and diplomatic relations of theAceh Sultanate with their surrounding region, the Acehnese people were also mixed with theAlas people,Gayonese,Karo people,Nias people andKluet people. The unification of the Acehnese culture that stemmed from various ancestry are primarily in theAcehnese language, religion ofIslam and the local customs, as how it was formulated by SultanIskandar Muda in theAdat Makuta Alamlaws, which is well known as "Kanun Mahkota Alam".
There are many of those who are ofIndian descent inAceh, which are closely linked to trading and the spreading ofHinduism-Buddhism andIslam[27] inAceh. Those who are ofIndian descent are mainlyTamils[28] andGujarati people[29] which are found spread throughout the entireAceh. Among some of theIndian people's influence on the Acehnese people includes the cultural aspects and physical attributes of part of the Acehnese people, as well as the variety in Acehnese cuisine that frequently utilizescurry.[30] Numerous place names ofSanskrit origin (for example,Indrapuri, Aceh Besar) reflects the cultural heritage ofHinduism in the past.
"The tribe of the Three Hundred is (insignificant) as the seeds of the drang (a bush which grows like a weed along fences);
The people of the clan Ja Sandang are even as anise and cummin (thus a little more valuable).
Those of the Ja Batèë (count) for something;
The Imeum Peuët it is which makes the world to tremble."— Oral poem (hadih maja) from
Snouck Hurgronje'sDe Atjeher''.[31]
Most of theArabs that migrated toAceh came fromHadhramaut,Yemen. Among the immigrants are those of theBa Alawi including al-Aydrus (Aidrus,Aydarus), al-Attas, al-Kathiri,Badjubier,Sungkar,Bawazier & al-Habsyi and other clans; all of which are Arabic clans that originated fromYemen.[32] They came asulamas to spreadIslam and as traders.[27] Seunagan district for an instance, is well known to this today for numerous ofulamas of theSayyid descent, of which the local community would address them with the titleTeungku Jet orHabib as a form of respect.[21] Similarly, some of the Sultan of Aceh are also descendants ofSayyid.[33] Many of their descendants today have intermarried with the natives Acehnese people and do no longer bear their clan names.
There are also those ofPersian descent that generally came to spread religion and to trade,[27] while those ofTurkish descent generally were invited asulamas, weapon merchants, military trainers and soldiers of war for theAceh Sultanate.[34][35] At present, people ofPersian andTurkish descent inIndonesia are mostly scattered inAceh Besar Regency. Names of Persian and Turkish heritage are still being used by Acehnese people to name their children. In fact, the wordBanda in the name ofBanda Aceh city is also a word ofPersian language in origin (Banda means "port").
People ofPortuguese descent are found mainly in theAceh Jaya Regency (northwest section of Aceh). Portuguese sailors under the lieutenant leadership of Captain Pinto, were sailing towardsMalacca, stopped by and traded there; where some of them remained and settled there. History records that this event occurred between 1492 and 1511; of which at that time the area was under the rule of a small kingdom called Lamno, with King Meureuhom Daya as their ruler. Until this day, some of their descendants can still be seen with European features.
Acehnese belongs to theChamic languages, a branch of theMalayo-Polynesian languages from theAustronesian languages.[36] Languages that are closely related withAcehnese areCham,Roglai,Jarai,Rade,Chru,Tsat, as well as otherChamic languages that are spoken inCambodia,Vietnam andHainan.[36] There are also loanwords fromMon-Khmer languages, many of which are shared with other Chamic languages and had already been borrowed in the Proto-Chamic, the ancestral proto-language of all Chamic languages. Other Mon-Khmer loanwords are only found in Acehnese, which suggests that after the split from the Chamic core area, the forebears of the Acehnese people might have lived in theMalay Peninsula orSouthern Thailand where they picked up these loanwords from neighboringMon-Khmer speakers before migrating toSumatra.[37] Vocabulary of theAcehnese language have been enriched by absorption fromSanskrit andArabic language, especially in the field of religion, laws, governance, warfare, arts and knowledge.[38] For centuries, theAcehnese language have also absorbed a lot from theMalay language.[38]
Initially, a group ofChamic languages migrant speakers controlled a small region only, namelyBanda Aceh inAceh Besar Regency.[39]Marco Polo (1292) states thatAceh at that time consists of 8 smaller kingdoms, with each of them possessing their own language.[39] The expansion of power on other coastal kingdoms, especially Pidie, Pasai and Daya, and absorption of their population over time in a period of 400 years, eventually made the language of theBanda Aceh population became dominant in the coastal region ofAceh.[39] Other native languages speakers were then forced into the interior by the expansion of land for farming by theAcehnese language speakers.[39]
Dialects of theAcehnese language that are found in theAceh Besar Regency valley are divided into two major groups, namely the Tunong dialect for dialects in the highlands and Baroh dialect for dialects in the lowlands.[38] Most of the dialects that are used inAceh Besar Regency and Daya, shows that settlements in that region have existed longer than any other regions.[38] There are also many dialects inPidie Regency, although not as much as inAceh Besar Regency and Daya.[38] Dialects on the east coast ofPidie Regency and in southern Daya tend to be more homogeneous, so much so that it is co-related with the migration that came along with the expansion of power of theAceh Sultanate after the 1500s.[38]
Local government ofAceh, among others through Governor's Decree No. 430/543/1986 and Perda No. 2 of 1990 established the Institute of Acehnese Customary and Culture (Lembaga Adat dan Kebudayaan Aceh, LAKA), with the mandate to develop the customs and norms of the communities and customary institutions inAceh.[40] Indirectly, this institution protects the preservation of theAcehnese language because in every cultural and customary activity, the delivery of such activities is carried out in theAcehnese language.[40] Likewise, theAcehnese language is also commonly used in everyday affairs that are organized by government agencies inAceh.[40]
Traditional Acehnese dance portrays the heritage culture, religion and folklore of the common folk.[41] Acehnese dance are generally performed in groups, either in a standing or sitting position, and the group of dancers are of the same gender.[42] If seen from the musical standpoint, the dance can be grouped into two types. One is accompanied with vocals and physical percussive movements of the dancers themselves, and the other is simply accompanied by an assemble of musical instruments.[42]
Acehnese cuisine is known for its combination of spices just as are commonly found in Indian and Arabic cuisine, such as ginger, pepper, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and fennel.[43] A variety of Acehnese food is cooked with curry or curry and coconut milk, which is generally combined with meat such as buffalo, beef, mutton, fish, or chicken.[44] Several types of traditional recipe use a blend of cannabis as a flavoring spice; such cases are also found in the cuisine of some other Southeast Asian countries, such as Laos.[45] However today, those substances are no longer used.[46]
Due to conflict after the Dutch invasion of Aceh, followed by Martial Law in Aceh during the attempt to break away from Indonesia, and the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, many Acehnese fled abroad. The most significant number of Acehnese can be found inMalaysia[47][48] andScandinavian countries, especiallySweden andNorway[49] countries. Acehnese immigrants also can be found significantly inAustralia,[50]United States[51] andCanada.[52]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Achin".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 144–145.
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