Sulawesi
is home to Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and
Confucians, as well as followers of indigenous religions
whose names are unknown. There are dancers, singers,
and drummers; weavers of silk sarongs and exuberant
ikat; pounders of bark cloth; forgers of iron; master
architects of houses and sailing vessels. With its tremendous
expanse of coastline, Sulawesi has never been isolated
from the outside world. For centuries, its skilled sea
Like the petals of a windblown orchid, the unruly peninsulas
of Sulawesi reach out into the Celebes, Molucca, Banda,
and Flores seas. Within its odd, dancing outlines the
product of the collision of ancient continents are found
extraordinary landscapes. Rugged mist covered mountains,
primal tropical jungle, emerald green rice terraces
and deep, mysterious lakes dominate the interior. Along
the coast, dazzling coral reefs encircle dormant volcanoes
that jut dramatically out of the sea. Stretches of white
sandy beach fringed with coconut trees and scattered
fishing villages are flanked by rugged limestone outcroppings
that might have stepped out o1 a Chinese painting.
Sulawesi
once known as the Celebes is home to an amazing variety
of peoples. Fishermen inhabit its coasts, catching flying
fish, shark, tuna, mackerel, and squid, as well as scores
offish. Sailing and trading peoples, in particular the
Bugis, Makassar and Mandar peoples of the south, are
renowned for their remarkable wooden sailing crafts
and their voyages to destinations as distant as Singapore
and Australia.
There are lowland dwelling peoples who farm wet and
dry rice, maize and manioc, sago and vegetables, coffee,
cacao, and cloves. Numerous small groups of upland peoples
practice slash and burn agriculture in the interior.
Dispersed along the coasts are the boat dwelling Bajau,
many of whom are now settled on land.
farers linked the island to extensive trading networks
that brought not just goods but also ideas, practices
and people from India, China, the Middle East, and Europe.
In
the 1970s the colorful ritual life of Sulawesi's Toraja
people was "discovered" by foreign tourists.
But this remarkable culture constitutes only a part,
albeit a stunning part, of the complex, ever?changing
tapestry of the island. From the mysterious megaliths
of the Bada Valley to the superb coral gardens near
Manado, the island of Sulawesi offers a visual and cultural
feast for the traveler with sufficient time and a sense
of adventure.
We
have divided this book into five parts. Although Sulawesi
consists officially of four provinces, a separate chapter
has been devoted to Tana Toraja (part of the province
of South Sulawesi), in part because it is the area most
frequently visited by travelers to Sulawesi, and in
part because of the striking cultural differences between
the Toraja and other groups in the south. But while
Tana Toraja is the area most frequently visited by travelers
to Sulawesi, the other regions of the island are equally
as fascinating.
We
have sought to provide all the practical information
a traveler needs to know, while at the same time offering
a view of what the island is about: its history, its
people, its social and cultural life, its contemporary
struggles. The writers of this book, many of whom are
experts in their fields, have attempted to convey their
enthusiasm for Sulawesi along with a basic understanding
of what has happened?and is still happening?on this
remarkable island.
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Perjalanan di Sulawesi |
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