The island of Sulawesi, formerly known as Celebes, possesses an exceptional diversity of cultures and aquatic destinations (such as Bunaken National Park and Wakatobi Islands) and yet it is still relatively untouched.
But perhaps it is for the better. Hidden gems lie in every corner, with pristine beaches, majestic mountains, and remote rainforests stretching across its four “tentacles”.
The so-called tentacles are the island’s four peninsulas: the Minahasa Peninsula in North Sulawesi, the East Peninsula, the South Peninsula, and the Southeast Peninsula.
Each peninsula of Sulawesi has its own distinct culture that is still heavily tied to its ancient animistic practices, particularly in the south such as the incomparable funeral procession of the Toraja tribe.
The island inhabitants are also famous for their seafaring prowess, as perfectly exemplified by the UNESCO-recognized Pinisi boat of the Bugis tribe. There is also the Bajo tribe that earned their nickname as sea gypsies as they live in floating villages on Togean island. In a world of rising tides, it is curious to see how their lives will be impacted in the future.
The Tribes of Sulawesi
The Religious Tribe of Minahasa (North Sulawesi)
Manado; home of the singular family name (or marga) such as Gerungan, Mandagi, Ratulangi, Umboh, Sondakh, and many others from which you can then discern which village they are from.
Due to the heavily influential Portuguese, Spanish, and eventually, Dutch colonization, Manado and its surrounding area has a very westernized upbringing. They used the word “fam” to indicate a family name, which is derived from the Dutch word “van”.
According to one resident of Manado, the city itself has no particular “culture” to speak of, and being a faithful, church-going Christian is the norm here as 67,41% of Manadonese are Protestants. Churches, as expected, are only a stone’s throw away here.
But that does not mean there is no culture in Manado in the traditional sense.
Some school teaches their students how to play the kulintang, the traditional Minahasan percussion-type instrument that consists of wooden blades arranged in a row and mounted on a wooden tub. Before the arrival of the colonizers, the instruments were used as part of worship to ancestral spirits.
In 2013, the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture recognized kulintang as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia.
Another interesting tradition from Minahasa is called the Mapalus, which is a form of ’Gotong Royong’ or communal service that is practiced across Indonesia.
The tradition has an agricultural beginning in which everyone lends a helping hand to harvest nature’s bounties but gradually has been implemented as well on a person’s life cycle (birth, wedding, death). The communal spirit of Mapalus is certainly praiseworthy as modern lives, especially in big cities, lack such reciprocity.
And one of the slogans of North Sulawesi says it all:
Torang semua basudara, translated as We are all family.
The Ocean Bound Bugis of South Sulawesi
There is an old saying in Indonesian:
Nenek moyangku adalah seorang pelaut (my ancestors are seafarers), a saying that might emerge from the seafaring Bugis tribe in the south of Sulawesi.
The Bugis are the largest ethnic group in South Sulawesi (followed by Makassar, Toraja, and Mandar). And here is an interesting trivia: the Bugis weren’t originally bound to the ocean—they were farmers first starting from the 18th century. They only began to be known as sailors in the 19th century as fleets of their pinisi boats were seen as far as Australia and Africa.
There was also the tradition of Sompeq and Passompeg. The former means roughly “to travel” and the latter is “ocean-bound”, which spreads the population of the Bugis tribe around the Indonesian archipelago as well as in different countries.
You can even find a village called Macassar on the fringes of Cape Town in South Africa. They were also considered to be responsible for the proliferation of the spice trade around the world as they load their favorite spices on board.
The Epic Literature of La Galigo
The La Galigo is like the holy bible for followers of the Bugis’ ancient beliefs called ’To Lotang’. Its sheer volume—6000 pages—even exceeds other holy scripts such as India’s Mahabharata and Greek’s Homerus. It is episodic in nature and broaches subjects of morality and wisdom wrapped in mythologies involving celestial deities.
La Galigo dates back to the 14th century and was passed down through oral tradition before being written down between the 18th – 20th century. The manuscript is now considered to be the longest work of literature in the world, written in the form of a pentameter poem.
The words of La Galigo are chanted and involved certain rituals—offerings, animal sacrificing—before its reading. The bissu, the Bugis holy priestess, is in charge of the chanting of La Galigo.
In Sulawesi they are Bissu
The bissu of Bugis is a fascinating figure in Bugis’s history. Way before today’s world slowly acknowledged gender—and pronoun—diversity, the Bugis tribe recognized five genders: oroane (cis male), makkunrai (cis female), calalai (female with male behavior), calalabai (male with female behavior), and, last, the bissu, an intersex figure that embodies both the masculine and feminine.
In the La Galigo text, the bissu is mentioned descending to earth along with the first man on earth (to manurung), and they were assigned as the guardian of the kingdom and as a liaison between humans, the sky god (butti langi), and the sea god (buri liung). Thus their sacred and revered rank within the Bugis tribe.
Sadly, in the modern world, the role of bissu has been downplayed and marginalized significantly, starting from the Islamification of the province by the Kahar Muzakar rebel movement in 1965.
Along with the calalabai gender, they are ridiculed and considered unnatural. But some bissu communities still survived today, leading and blessing wedding ceremonies, especially in regencies where the to lotang is still in practice such as in Sidenreng Rappang regency.
Some Highlights of Sulawesi
Danau Tondano Lake
Located around 30 minutes from the city of Manado, Lake Tondano is a cool and scenic site sequestered by three majestic mountains (Lembean, Kaweng, Masareng). The local folklore says the lake was the result of a tempestuous tryst between two lovebirds whose parents did not approve of their relationship. They ran off to the woods and thus the volcanic Kaweng cratered and created the lake.
And what a beautiful lake it is!
The surrounding area is dotted with a few modest restaurants where you can try the local, mostly spicy cuisines. You can also go on foot and experience local village life.
If you are lucky you can get invited to one of the houses (especially if you are with a tour guide) and get a serving of banana fritter with chili condiment as well as their local liquor, cap tikus, a 70% vodka-type of alcohol made from fermented palm sugar. Sip if you dare, but it is definitely good to warm the body.
Bunaken National Park
For under-the-sea action, Bunaken National Park is a sight you should not miss while in the north of Sulawesi. It is a 75,265 hectares marine park that is comprised of five islands: Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen, Mantehage, and Naen. The park, located near the center of the Coral Triangle, is home to 390 species of colorful corals and many marine lives.
The main highlights include the hanging walls: an enormous, vertical rock wall that functions as a sort of food buffet for the fish. Irresponsible fishing practices—such as blast fishing—have negatively impacted the underwater environment but ongoing conservation efforts have slowly restored the beauty of the park.
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