Butonese people
The Butonese (sometimes Butuni, Butung) people is a collective term that embraces a number of ethnic groups of Buton and neighbouring islands in Southeast Sulawesi. Like many other ethnic groups in Sulawesi, the Butonese are seafarers and traders. Butonese have long since migrated to many parts of the Malay archipelago using smaller vessels ranging from those that can only accommodate five people to large boats that can hold up to about 150 tons of goods. In general, the Butonese are a community that inhabits the region of the historical Buton Sultanate. When the swapraja (self-governance, created by the Dutch colonial government) domain was abolished, so did the Buton Sultanate which ended in 1951. The area of the former Sultanate is now distributed over several regencies and cities of Southeast Sulawesi. Among them are Baubau, Buton Regency, South Buton Regency, Central Buton Regency, North Buton Regency, Wakatobi Regency and Bombana Regency.
Portrait of an embassy of Buton, Residency of Celebes and Dependencies, Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), circa 1900. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 233,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Indonesia: Tukangbesi Islands, Southeast Sulawesi (215,000) Maluku (province) West Papua (province) Malaysia Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau (18,000) | |
| Languages | |
| Muna–Buton languages (Cia-Cia language, Lasalimu language, Kumbewaha language), Wolio language, Indonesian language | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (predominantly) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bonerate people, Muna people |
Occasionally, the Bajau people are mislabeled as Butonese people.