Suwawa people

Suwawa people is an Austronesian-speaking ethnic group who inhabit Bone Bolango Regency, Gorontalo, mainly in Suwawa District. This ethnic group is the oldest on the Gorontalo Peninsula, and is also one of the oldest ethnic group on the mainland of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Suwawa

Tau Suwawa
Total population
16,374 (2010)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Gorontalo (Bone Bolango)
Languages
Suwawa (native) Gorontalo, Gorontalo Malay, and Indonesian
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Gorontalo • Bolango • Polahi

The Suwawa people speak the Suwawa language as their main language, besides that they also use Gorontalo, Gorontalo Malay, and Indonesian.^[2] In Gorontalo, the Suwawa language is considered an endangered language. The Suwawa Kingdom, located in the north of Sulawesi, was also founded by his.

History

In historical records, Suwawa is the name of an ethnic group in Gorontalo which is called the Tau Suwawa (lit. 'People of Suwawa'). Apart from that, Suwawa is also the name of the oldest kingdom in Gorontalo region which is known as the Suwawa Kingdom, whose people have long spoken Suwawa language written with Bonda script.^[3]

From folklore and historical records, Suwawa is the ancestral land or forefathers of all ethnic groups on the Gorontalo Peninsula, namely the peoples of Gorontalo, Atinggola, and Bolango. In various local literature, Suwawa was placed as the Tiyombu (The Eldest) in U Duluwo Limo Lo Pohalaa or the family of five kingdoms, namely Suwawa, Gorontalo, Atinggola, Bolango, and Limboto.

See also

• Polahi people
• Gorontalo people
• Bonda script
• Suwawa Kingdom