Rejangese people

Rejangese people
Tun Jang / Tun Tə Jang

A group of dancing virgins at Curup, Rejang Lebong, Bengkulu, Indonesia in 1939.
Total population
(1,095,289 (2010 census))
Regions with significant populations
Bengkulu Province, Indonesia
Languages
Rejangese (Bahaso Curup), Indonesia
Religion
Sunni Islam (predominantly), Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Bidayuh, Lembak people, Serawai people, Basemah people

The Rejangese (Rejang: Tun Jang) are an Austronesian ethnic group native and living mainly on the southwest coast of the island of Sumatra, in an oool mountain slopes of the Barisan mountain range in Bengkulu and South Sumatra. They constitute 50% of the Bengkulu population and number approximately larger than 1 million. The Rejangese speak Rejangese language, an Austronesia language, which is quite different from the similarly named Rejang-Baram language group, which is spoken on the island of Borneo in Sarawak and Kalimantan, and predominantly Sunni Islam. Although very small number of Rejangese follow branches other than Islam. The Rejangese are mostly found in North Bengkulu Regency, Central Bengkulu Regency, Kepahiang Regency, Rejang Lebong Regency, Lebong Regency, and in 7 villages in North Musi Rawas Regency. According to the some research, The Rejangese are the descendants of the Bukar-Sadong people who moved from the Northern Borneo (Sarawak).

Rice, tobacco and coffee are the most common crops grown by Rejangese farmers. Besides farming, there are also gold and silver Rejangese miners.

Number of Population

The population is not well measured, with estimates from 250,000 to a million.^[1] The 2000 Indonesian census estimated the population at around 330,000.

Location

Cover page of Indonesian Ethnic Group Maps show the location where Rejangese rest down.

In Bengkulu Province, the Rejangese are prevalent in Rejang Lebong Regency (districts of Lebong Utara, Lebong Selatan, Curup and Kepahiang), in North Bengkulu Regency (districts of Taba Penanjung, Pondok Kelapa, Kerkap, Arga Makmur and Lais),^[2] in Kepahiang Regency, in Lebong Regency and in Central Bengkulu Regency.^[3] Majority of them lived in along the slopes of Bukit Barisan mountain range.

Culture

Pencak Silat is one of many kind of Rejangese culture. The Pencak Silat origin from Rejang land well known as Silat Jang Pat Petulai.^[4]

References

1. Wurm, Stephen A. and Shiro Hattori, (eds.) (1981) Language Atlas of the Pacific Area Australian Academy of the Humanities in collaboration with the Japan Academy, Canberra, ISBN 0-85883-239-9
2. "Rejang in Indonesia". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2014-11-09.
3. Zulyani Hidayah (1997). Ensiklopedi: Suku Bangsa Di Indonesia. Pustaka LP3ES. ISBN 979-8391-64-0.
4. "Silat Rejang akan ditampilkan di Jepang (Rejangese Silat will be shown in Japan)". Antara Bengkulu. Retrieved 2016-03-21.

Further reading

• Rois Leonard Arios (2011), Sistem Pewarisan Suku Bangsa Rejang, BPSNT Padang, Departemen Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata, ISBN 978-602-8742-35-1

External links

• Rejang Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version;