Kayeli people

Kayeli (Indonesian: Suku Kayeli) people is an ethnic group mainly living on the southern coast of the Kayeli Gulf of Indonesian island Buru, mainly from the Kaiely Gulf. From an ethnographic point of view, Kayeli are close to other indigenous people of Buru, such as Lisela and Buru.

The Kayeli community were formed during the Dutch colonization of the modern Indonesian territory and during the 17th to the 19th century, the Dutch occupied their strategic location in comparison to other inhabitants of Buru Island. From the middle of the 20th century, the ethnic group's population experienced rapid population decline and there were approximately 800 people left by the early 21st century. In regards to religion, majority of them are Sunni Muslims, with some remnants of pagan beliefs. The Kayeli lost their native language by the end of the 20th century as they began to adopt other indigenous Buru languages or the Indonesian language.