Sangir,Sangihe,Sangil | |
|---|---|
 A fishing family outside at the beach with net inSangir Island, December 1948. | |
| Total population | |
| approx. 600,000 people | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia:[1]North Sulawesi: 449,805 Gorontalo: 7,489 North Maluku  Philippines (2020):[2]South-Central Mindanao: 10,898 Davao Region: 8,841 | |
| Languages | |
| Sangiric languages (mainlySangir),Minahasan,Manado Malay,Indonesian • Cebuano,Filipino,English (those resident in the Philippines) | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (mainlyProtestant), minoritySunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
Sangir people (Sangir:Tau Sanger/Sangihe), also known asSangirese, are native people of theSangir Islands in the northern chain of islands inSulawesi and the southern part ofMindanao. The Sangirese people are fishermen andnutmeg growers in their home areas and also work as wage labourers in industrial crops enterprises inBolaang Mongondow Regency andMinahasa Regency.[3]
The Sangirese have traditionally been concentrated in the province ofNorth Sulawesi inIndonesia and theRegion ofDávao in thePhilippines.[4] Many Sangirese migrants inhabit mainland Sulawesi,[5] as well asNorth Maluku, includingTernate andHalmahera.[6][7] The (Muslim) Sangil of the Philippines, who represent an early migrant group, are ethnically distinct from the (predominantly Christian) Sangirese of Indonesia,[8][9] and are considered part of theMoro.[10]
Genetic studies have shown that the Sangir have partialPapuan descent.[11]
The Sangirese speak their nativeSangirese,Talaud, andIndonesian, as well as their dialects, which belong to theAustronesian language family. The Sasahara language (meaning sea speech)[12] is asacred language developed in the first half of the 20th century. It has been widely spoken among Sangirese sailors or pirates.[13] It includes a large number of words borrowed or distorted from other languages.Manado Malay, the lingua franca of North Sulawesi, is also widely spoken among the Sangirese.[5]
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The primary settlements of the Sangirese people are theSangihe Islands. Archaeologists have determined that the first humans that arrived in the region of islands were in the 3rd millennium BCE and probably were a mix ofVeddoids andNegritos.[14] In the 1st millennium BCE,Austronesian migrants came here through the southern Philippines. They assimilated the natives and began to develop agriculture, to produce fabrics and ceramics. Modern Sangirese people are the direct descendants of that population that has developed onSangihe Islands and parts ofDavao Occidental (particularly in theSarangani Islands),Davao del Norte,Davao del Sur,Sultan Kudarat,South Cotabato, andCotabato before the start of the modern era.
The Sangirese people consider themselves to have originated directly fromSangir Island and their primogenitor being Gumansalangi,[15] a cultural hero who lived around the 14th[16] to 15th century.[17] During this period, theSangihe Islands formed a government under the authority of the Muslim rulers of theMaluku Islands. In the 16th century, the Ternatean people subdued the Sangirese people, and the islands were discovered by the Portuguese. Then, in the 17th century, they were initially captured and became part of the Spanish colonial rule; which resulted in vocabulary borrowed from theSpanish language that is still preserved in theSangirese language,[18] and then followed by the Dutch who came later to occupy them in 1677.[19] Maluku sultans also continued to considerthe Sangihe Islands as part of their territory.
By the 19th century, European influence was limited to trading. AsSangihe Islands were between Dutch and Spanish possessions, the local inhabitants had successfully performed the role of middleman dealers and smugglers. This led to the emergence of Sangirese settlements inSulawesi and the southernPhilippines. Their populations (much like theSama-Bajau) were separated when borders were drawn between the Philippines and Indonesia during thecolonial era. Sangirese resettlements in other areas of the easternCelebes Sea were contributed by the catastrophic volcanic eruption ofMount Awu onSangir Island on 2 March 1856.[20] In the 19th century, the presence of Protestant missionaries and the increased role of colonial officers began to appear on the island, thus the Sangirese in the Sangihe Islands mostly converted toProtestant Christianity due to proximity and contact with the ChristianMinahasa people ofSulawesi. In the Philippines, most Sangirese converted toIslam due to the influence of the neighboringSultanate of Maguindanao.
In 1945,Indonesia gained its independence. In 1950,the Sulawesi andSangihe Islands became part ofIndonesia.[21] In the Philippines, Spain surrendered the territories to the United States in 1898 as the result ofthe Spanish-American War, then became independent from the United States as part of the jurisdiction of the Philippines in 1946. The first decade of the reign under the Indonesian Administration started the fight against smuggling, which involved many Sangirese people, as well as the participation of some Sangirese people in the anti-government movement. In the late 1950s to early 1960s, disappointed Sangirese Indonesians took action to recreate migration to thePhilippines. Migration of the Sangirese population between the two countries took place in that period.
Ancient belief systems of the Sangirese people arepolytheistic, which include the belief in many spirits of nature and ancestral, the ritual worship of inanimate objects, and magic.[22] Among Sangirese people are a class of distinguished shamans or priests that acted as mediators between the world humans and spirits, to protect patients and children, and to perform miracles.[23] Despite the spread ofIslam andChristianity, many ancient rituals are still practiced.
Islam began to spread in the 15th to 16th century from theMaluku Islands andNorth Sulawesi;[24] but before the arrival of Europeans, they had a very limited impact. In the 17th century, a group of Sangirese Muslims migrated to the area ofManado, which has a separate religious and ethnic group from the Sangirese people. In the 19th to early 20th century, Muslims among the Sangirese people became preachers to other Dutch colonies in Asia.
The first Christian missionaries that arrived were the Spanish Catholic monks in the 17th century, but their activity had little long-term effects. In 1857, theSangihe Islands opened to Protestant missionaries. The majority of Sangirese people today professProtestantism, being at the same time strongly influenced by theMinahasan people.[25]
As of 2024, about 87% of Indonesian Sangir people (combined data) from theSangihe Islands Regency andSitaro Islands Regency profess Christianity, the majority being Protestants. While Muslims comprise about 12% of the people, and the rest profess native beliefs.[26]
In the Philippines, most Sangirese are of the Sunni Muslims due to the stronger influence of theSultanate of Maguindanao. Since ancient times they have had massive relations with local Muslim rulers, such as Maguindanao,Ternate, andBuayan. They are also known as good and skilled warriors for the Maguindanao Sultanate, therefore it is not surprising that most of Sangirese inMindanao are mostly Muslim.[27]
Sangirese folklore is famous for its dance art. Local dances includegunde,alabadiri,masamper,ampawayer and so on.[28] Previously, they had ritual gatherings, but nowadays it is also accompanied by public holidays. Sangirese dance represents a certain set of smooth body movements of the dancer dancing but organized dance of large groups of dancers is usually accompanied by a musical band and female rhythmic singing.
Sangir people are engaged in fishing, hunting, farming (the main crops are tubers, root crops, bananas, and sago), and transit marine trading betweenSulawesi,Maluku Islands, and thePhilippines. The sources often mention the cultivation of taro culture, which was cultivated on the slopes of mountains and near rivers.[29] To protect the cultivated fruits like coconuts from thefts, residents from Sangir hung small dolls (inSangirese language,urǒ), which, according to legend, will "pursue a thief".[30] Agriculture is considered to be mainly women's work. Relationship lineage and the transfer of previously inherited lands occur in the female line. The main occupations of Sangirese men are such as shipbuilding, seafaring, and trade.
Forestry production (harvesting of rattan and ebony wood), blacksmithing, and weaving were also widely spread. The economy is mainly characterized by manual labor. It is known that the main diet of Sangirese people is fish with vegetables.
The main centers of settlements of the Sangirese people are located in the coastal zones. Previously, their houses were erected on stilts, but gradually they are replaced by modern houses built like the typical Indonesian type.[31] Families who live in the same village, forms a community calledsoa. Resettled Sangirese people fromSangihe Islands seek out and continually maintain family ties with theirsoa; which would help them to preserve their identity in an environment similar in language and culture of their people.
In the Sangirese society; which reached a high density by the 20th century, marriage is entered relatively late. Historically, the tradition of buying a bride as an important institution of public organization. Sometimes the ransom looked like whole plots.[32]
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