| Bahasa Tansi | |
|---|---|
| Native to | West Sumatra |
| Region | Indonesia |
| Ethnicity | Orang Tansi |
Creole
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | None |
Bahasa Tansi (also known asTansi Creole) is acreole language spoken by the ethnic community of Orang Tansi, inSawahlunto, a former mining town previously underDutch colonial rule.[1][2] The Orang Tansi community developed through the use of forced labour from a range of ethnic communities, of which Javanese prisoners were the majority.[1] The community's name comes from the wordtansi meaning barracks where the labourers lived.[1]
Bahasa Tansi began as apolygeneticpidgin language, combining the Indigenous language of Minangkabau, Javanese, Chinese, Madurese, Sundanese, Balinese, Baugis, and Batak, with basic Malay and Dutch.[3][4]
The Orang Tansi ethnic community have developed a performance practice called Tonel, which relies heavily on the Bahasa Tansi creole language.[1] Tonel performances incorporate "mimicry and mockery; hybridization; and parody and satire".[1][5] In the Tonel performances, women reclaimed their identities by acting as main characters in significant roles rather than being used in the colonial period as objects of desire.[1] Within the performances, speakers of Bahasa Tansi illustrate both practices ofdecreolization towards the source languages of Minangkabau and Javanese, andrecreolization illustrating Orang Tansi community solidarity.[1]
The mining city where Bahasa Tansi originated,Ombilin Coal Mine, was recognized as aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.[1] The language itself was also recognized by UNESCO as part of the region's intangible cultural heritage.[4]