The Bugis of Indonesia People Profile

be protected at all cost, even the shedding of Who are the Bugis? blood. Shamans preside at family rituals and The Bugis are the dominant ethnic group in offer their services to the sick, the infertile southwestern Sulawesi, Indonesia. They are and those seeking spouses or jobs. Their of Malay stock. Some four million Bugis live curses fuel feuds. Sulawesi on Sulawesi Island while an estimated one Today, Bugis culture is changing as people million more have migrated to other parts seek a better life. Education is valued as a of Indonesia and Southeast Asia, including means of advancement. Mobile phones have Borneo, eastern Sumatra, the Riau islands, become a universal means of communica- Bugis Buru, Ambon, Flores, Malaysia, Singapore and tion, and television and other media are Papua New Guinea. driving consumerism.

Population: 5 million Languages Livelihood Location: Sulawesi, Indonesia The Bugis have their own language, a Malay Languages: Bugis, Despite their seafaring history, the Bugis Bahasa Indoesia dialect. Linguistically and culturally, the economy is overwhelmingly agricultural. Bugis are closely related to the neighboring Most Bugis farm rice or cacao in Sulawesi’s Makasar people, and both languages are fertile soil. Sulawesi rice is eaten throughout written using the Lontara script. Lontara is eastern Indonesia and much cacao is export- Prayer Points named after the lontar palm on whose leaves ed. Other Bugis products include coconuts, many ancient Bugis texts were written coffee, cloves, copra and timber. Thank God for His marvelous work For three centuries the Bugis have dominated among the Bugis, 1930-1950. Pray that Culture inter-island trade, taking their surplus rice, the descendants of the first believers The Bugis have dried fish and livestock to the surrounding would be inspired to live holy lives and long been food-deficient provinces. Some men remain to show God’s love to their Muslim known as at sea for as long as a year, returning home neighbors and relatives. fearless sailors. only long enough to clean their boats and Thank God for sending a growing num- Often likened to restock. Women generally manage the home ber of Indonesian followers of Jesus to the Vikings, the and harvest the rice. Some women have also live among ancient Bugis become skilled traders and professionals. the Bugis. established trade routes throughout Indo- Pray that nesia and conquered numerous small states. Beliefs they would At one time, the appearance of an elegant find jobs in Bugis schooner offshore would strike fear Almost all Bugis adhere to Islam. However, Bugis com- into coastal communities. During the Dutch offerings to ancestor spirits and spirits associ- munities, colonial era, the Bugis gained a reputation as ated with houses, objects and sacred sites are and develop smugglers and pirates. not uncommon. culturally When the first Europeans arrived in the Between 1930-1950, an amazing 10,000 sensitive ways of sharing the Good News. 1500’s, South Sulawesi was a patchwork of Bugis people in one district decided to petty kingdoms, each ruled by a prince claim- follow Jesus. Sadly, conflict in the area later Pray that merchants of Chinese descent ing descent from the legendary “first couple” decimated the number of Bugis believers. who live among the Bugis would model sent from heaven to pacify the earth. In the The remaining Bugis followers adopted a lifestyles of love and forgiveness to their 1660’s, the Dutch helped the Bugis consoli- survival mentality, and quit reaching out to Bugis employees and customers. date their power, gaining the upper hand their Muslim neighbors. over the Makasar, their neighbors and rivals Pray that the Bugis who follow Jesus to the south. Bugis princes continued to rule Followers of Jesus have been reaching out to would form house fellowships to worship in Sulawesi throughout the Dutch colonial the Bugis for many years, yet less than 0.1% of God and study the Scriptures. era. Although local rulers lost power follow- the Bugis follow Jesus. Due to ethnic rivalry, Pray that God would send linguists to ing Indonesia’s independence in 1945, “royal most Bugis are unwilling to listen to followers revise the difficult to understand Bugis blood” still gives high status to the descen- of Jesus from other local ethnic groups and Bible translation and to prepare other dents of former ruling families and a two-tier few of these groups have a desire to share culturally sensitive religious literature in social structure reflects the traditional division God’s love with their Bugis neighbors. the Bugis language. of society into nobility and commoners.

Traditional beliefs and practices are woven For more information about the Bugis, visit: into the Bugis social fabric. According to the www.apeopleloved.com/bugis Bugis social value of siri, family honor must Rev. 02/11