''Bahasa tanah'' (; "language of the land") is a collective term referring to the

indigenous languages An indigenous language, or autochthonous language, is a language that is native to a region and spoken by its indigenous peoples. Indigenous languages are not necessarily national languages but they can be; for example, Aymara is both an indigeno ...

of the

Maluku Islands The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonics, Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. These languages are primarily used in traditional or ceremonial contexts today. On

Seram Island Seram (formerly spelled Ceram; also Seran or Serang) is the largest and main island of Maluku province of Indonesia, despite Ambon Island's historical importance. It is located just north of the smaller Ambon Island and a few other adjacent i ...

and surrounding areas, ''bahasa tanah'' is especially used during traditional rituals known as '' panas pela''. Among the Maluku people, ''bahasa tanah'' is regarded as sacred and superior in status to everyday spoken languages. As a result, these languages are typically known only by elder speakers. In the

Banda Islands The Banda Islands () are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about south of Seram Island and about east of Java (island), Java, and constitute an administrative district (''kecamatan'') within the Central Maluku ...

, ''bahasa tanah'' is used in ceremonial chants or songs known as ''kabata''.

Etymology

The term ''tanah'' (meaning 'land') symbolizes origin and sacredness. It reflects the belief that land is the source and foundation of life. In traditional contexts, ''tanah'' represents purity and authenticity, hence the use of ''bahasa tanah'' to describe sacred ceremonial speech.

Usage

There are approximately 117 identified ''bahasa tanah'' languages spoken across the

Maluku Province Maluku is located in Eastern Indonesia and geographically located in West-Melanesia, between Sulawesi and Western New Guinea, and comprises the central and southern regions of the Maluku Islands. It is directly adjacent to North Maluku, South ...

. Some have become extinct, particularly among Christian communities in regions such as

Ambon Island Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of two territories: the city of Ambon, Maluku, Ambon to the south, and three districts (''k ...

and parts of

. The use of bahasa tanah among Christian Moluccans was documented by

Georg Eberhard Rumphius Georg Eberhard Rumphius (originally: Rumpf; baptized c. 1 November 1627 – 15 June 1702) was a German-born botanist employed by the Dutch East India Company in what is now eastern Indonesia, and is best known for his work ''Herbarium Amboinense ...

in 1687, specifically in the villages of Hative Besar and Hitulama. He noted that their languages differed significantly from nearby languages such as

Ternate Ternate (), also known as the City of Ternate (; ), is the List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city with the largest population in the province of North Maluku and an island in the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. It was the ''de facto'' provi ...

Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...

, and

Banda Banda may refer to: People * Banda (surname) * Banda Prakash (born 1954), Indian politician * Banda Kanakalingeshwara Rao (1907–1968), Indian actor * Banda Karthika Reddy (born 1977), Indian politician *Banda Singh Bahadur (1670–1716), Sikh ...

. Both of the languages he mentioned are now extinct. Among Muslim communities, bahasa tanah is still used in ceremonial and communal contexts.

James T. Collins James T. Collins (born 1946 in Chicago) is an American linguist who works on comparative linguistics, lexicography, and sociolinguistics. Collins specializes primarily in Austronesian languages. Education Collins received his B.A. at the Univers ...

has conducted extensive research on the extinction of certain bahasa tanah and published the ''Asilulu–English Dictionary'' to help preserve one such language from

Etymology

Usage

See also

References

Further reading