Wemale
Encyclopedia
The Wemale are one of the more ancient ethnic groups of Seram
Island, Indonesia
. They number over 9,000 and live in 39 villages of the central area of the island. Like the Alune
to the west, they originated from an ancestral common group called Patasiwa.
Traditionally the Wemale lived off forest products. Much of their diet was based on the sago
palm. They also practiced shifting cultivation
.
Males used to engage in warrior activities against neighboring groups. Females used to spend most of their day collecting products from the forest in tall conical baskets that they carried on their backs. The top of these baskets had a characteristic funnel-shape and whatever was caught was tossed inside by the women with a swift and graceful movement.
The Wemale men carried long knives. Both sexes wore little clothing because of the humid environment. Women wore rattan
girdles around their waist.
Same as with the Alune, the coming of age celebration for girls was an important occasion.
The Wemale built large and elaborate houses with wood, sticks and palm leaves. These houses were very skillfully built in order to keep the interior dry and comfortable,
The culture of the Wemale people has changed very much during the last few decades because of the impact of consumerism upsetting traditional values. Also the political and religious restlessness and the resulting conflict in Indonesia affected many islands of the Maluku
area.
Seram
Seram is an island in the Maluku province of Indonesia. It is located north of Ambon Island. The chief port/town is Masohi.- Geography and geology :...
Island, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. They number over 9,000 and live in 39 villages of the central area of the island. Like the Alune
Alune
The Alune, are one of the more ancient ethnic groups of Seram Island, Indonesia. They number about 17,000 and live in 27 villages of the western-central area of the island. Like the Wemale, they originated in a common group called Patasiwa....
to the west, they originated from an ancestral common group called Patasiwa.
Description
The Wemale language is of Malayo-Polynesian origin and it is divided in a northern and a southern different form of the language having variants known as Horale, Kasieh, Uwenpantai, Honitetu and Kawe. The northern form is spoken by about 5,000 people and the Southern Wemale is spoken by about 3,700 people.Traditionally the Wemale lived off forest products. Much of their diet was based on the sago
Sago
Sago is a starch extracted in the spongy center or pith, of various tropical palm stems, Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak and sagu. A type of flour, called sago flour, is made from sago. The largest supply...
palm. They also practiced shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned. This system often involves clearing of a piece of land followed by several years of wood harvesting or farming, until the soil loses fertility...
.
Males used to engage in warrior activities against neighboring groups. Females used to spend most of their day collecting products from the forest in tall conical baskets that they carried on their backs. The top of these baskets had a characteristic funnel-shape and whatever was caught was tossed inside by the women with a swift and graceful movement.
The Wemale men carried long knives. Both sexes wore little clothing because of the humid environment. Women wore rattan
Rattan
Rattan is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.- Structure :...
girdles around their waist.
Same as with the Alune, the coming of age celebration for girls was an important occasion.
The Wemale built large and elaborate houses with wood, sticks and palm leaves. These houses were very skillfully built in order to keep the interior dry and comfortable,
The culture of the Wemale people has changed very much during the last few decades because of the impact of consumerism upsetting traditional values. Also the political and religious restlessness and the resulting conflict in Indonesia affected many islands of the Maluku
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
area.