Bonda script

The Bonda script, also known as the Suwawa script or Suwawa-Gorontalo script, is a writing system originating from the Suwawa region in the province of Gorontalo, Indonesia.^[2] This script was traditionally used by the Suwawa people to write in the Suwawa and Gorontalo languages.^[3]

Bonda script Suwawa script Suwawa-Gorontalo script
Script type	Alphabet
Period	Unknown[1]
Languages	Suwawa, Gorontalo[1]
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

Usage and extinction

The Bonda script is no longer in active use and is now only known by some members of the inland Suwawa people (Al-Idrus, 2019).^[1] Until present, no concrete evidence has been found in Gorontalo culture regarding this script, causing the tracing of the historical treasury of writing systems in Gorontalo in the past to be somewhat hampered.^[4]

The use of this script was simply erased over time, and it is possible that the strong influence of the spread of Islam through the Gorontalo Sultanate also contributed to the disappearance of this script, replacing it with the Arabic-based Jawi script for writing native languages.^[5]

Script forms

Bonda script (Suwawa-Gorontalo script)
Vowel characters
Consonant characters
Syllable examples