Kai Islands
Encyclopedia
The Kai Islands of Indonesia
are in the south-eastern part of the Maluku Islands
, in Maluku Province.
, south of the Bird's Head Peninsula
of New Guinea
, west of the Aru Islands
, and northeast of the Tanimbar Islands
. The small group called Tayandu Islands
(also Tahayad) is just west.
The Kei islands are made up of numerous islands, including
The Kei Islands' total land area is 1438 km² (555 sq mi).
Kei Besar is mountainous and densely forested.
Kei Kecil has the biggest population, and is flat. Actually it is a lifted coral reef
.
The capital is the town of Tual
, mostly inhabited by Muslims. Nearby Langgur is the center for Christians.
Kei is famous for the beauty of its beaches, e.g. Pasir Panjang.
The Kei islands are part of Wallacea
, the group of Indonesian islands that are separated by deep water from both the Asia
n and Australia
n continental shelves
, and were never linked to either continent. As a result the Kei Islands have few native mammals and are part of the Banda Sea Islands moist deciduous forests ecoregion
.
, part of the expanding Majapahit kingdom from the western archipelago. The village of Ohoi-Ewur ( first Raja Ewab : Raja Ohoi-Ewur = Raja Tabtut) on Kei Kecil or Nuhuroa island was the first place that the Balinese royal family and the army arrived, where they stayed with the local residents. As a result, Ohoi-ewur became a seat of government, where the local law (Larvul Ngabal) – Red Blood and Balinese Spear – is developed by the initiative of the royal princess Dit Sakmas. Evidence of these ties on Kei Kecil and especially in Letvuan include an inheritance and a harbour named Bal Sorbay (Bali Surabaya) that is the place where the royals arrived. It is recognized by kai islanders that some of their ancestors also came from another places such as Sumbawa island (Sumbau), Buton (Vutun)in Sulawesi, Seram (Seran) and Gorom (Ngoran) islands in Central Moluccas, and Sultanates of Jailolo (Dalo) and Ternate (Ternat) as well.
The tiny island of Tanimbarkei is not part of Tanimbar, but of the Kei Islands and inhabited by less than 1000 very traditional people. Half of the population calls themselves Hindus, but in fact are more or less practising ancestor worship.
After the 1999 clashes between the Muslim and Christian population in Ambon, they also swept through Kei, but calmed quick down again with fewer victims.
This islands archipelagoes depends on 22 ratshcaap or traditional local leader call Rat or Raja as king of customary law.
is still common.
Fishing, Trepang
. In Kei Kecil there is cultured pearl
.
are spoken on the Kei Islands; Keiese
is the most widely spoken, in 207 villages on Kei Kecil, Kei Besar, and surrounding islands. Kurese is spoken on Kur Island and nearby Kaimeer, where Kei is used as a lingua franca. Bandanese is spoken in the villages of Banda-Eli (Wadan El) and Banda-Elat (Wadan Elat) on the west and northeastern side of Kei Besar. Banda speakers originally came from the Banda Islands
, but the language is no longer spoken there. There is no native writing system for the Keiese Language. Dutch Catholic missionaries write the language using a variation of the Roman alphabet.
1) Savarngil (Flute): A small native flute from 4 to 8 in. long, open at both ends and having six fingerholes placed along the pipe made of bamboo and are keyless.
2) Tiva (Drum):Single headed drums, consist of a calf skin membrane which is stretched over an enclosed space or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel.
3) Dada (Gong
):a medium-size gong 12" to 15" in size, with a crashing sound, have a raised boss or nipple in the centre.
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...
are in the south-eastern part of the Maluku Islands
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...
, in Maluku Province.
Geography
Inhabitants called the islands Nuhu Evav (Evav Islands) or Tanat Evav (Evav Land), but known as Kei for people from neighbourhood islands. "Kai" is actually a Dutch colonial era spelling, still persisting in books based on old resources. The islands are on the edge of the Banda SeaBanda Sea
The Banda Sea is a sea in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, technically part of the Pacific Ocean but separated from it by hundreds of islands, as well as the Halmahera and Ceram Seas...
, south of the Bird's Head Peninsula
Bird's Head Peninsula
The Bird's Head Peninsula or Doberai Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the Province of West Papua, Indonesia.-Location and geography:...
of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, west of the Aru Islands
Aru Islands
The Aru Islands are a group of about ninety-five low-lying islands in the Maluku province of eastern Indonesia. They also form a regency of Indonesia.-Geography:...
, and northeast of the Tanimbar Islands
Tanimbar Islands
The Tanimbar Islands, also called Timor Laut, are a group of about 65 islands in the Maluku province of Indonesia, including Fordata, Larat, Maru, Molu, Nuswotar, Selaru, Selu, Seira, Wotap, Wuliaru and Yamdena.-Geography:...
. The small group called Tayandu Islands
Tayandu Islands
The Tayandu Islands are a group of low-lying islands just west of the larger Kai Islands of Maluku, Indonesia. The main group consists of Tayando , Walir, Heniar and several smaller isle-lets...
(also Tahayad) is just west.
The Kei islands are made up of numerous islands, including
- Kai BesarKai BesarKai Besar is one of the Kai Islands which are part of the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. Its area is 550 km². The other main island in the Kai Islands group is Kai Kecil . The northern tip is called Tanjung Borang, and southern tip called Tanjung Weduar....
or Nuhu Yuut or Nusteen (Great Kei) - Kai KecilKai KecilKai Kecil is a part of the Kai Islands group of the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. Its area is 399 km2. The other main island in the group is Kai Besar . It contains the major town of Tual....
or Nuhu Roa or Nusyanat (Little Kei) - Tanimbar Kei or Tnebar Evav
- Kei Dulah or Du
- Dulah Laut or Du Roa
- Kuur
- Taam
- Tayandu IslandsTayandu IslandsThe Tayandu Islands are a group of low-lying islands just west of the larger Kai Islands of Maluku, Indonesia. The main group consists of Tayando , Walir, Heniar and several smaller isle-lets...
(Tahayad) groups.
The Kei Islands' total land area is 1438 km² (555 sq mi).
Kei Besar is mountainous and densely forested.
Kei Kecil has the biggest population, and is flat. Actually it is a lifted coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
.
The capital is the town of Tual
Tual
Tual may refer to* Tual, Indonesia, capital of the Maluku Tenggara regency, Indonesia* Tual, North Cotabato, a town in North Cotabato Province, the Philippines* Tual, South Cotabato, a town in South Cotabato Province, the Philippines...
, mostly inhabited by Muslims. Nearby Langgur is the center for Christians.
Kei is famous for the beauty of its beaches, e.g. Pasir Panjang.
The Kei islands are part of Wallacea
Wallacea
Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of Indonesian islands separated by deep water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Halmahera, Buru, Seram, and...
, the group of Indonesian islands that are separated by deep water from both the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n continental shelves
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
, and were never linked to either continent. As a result the Kei Islands have few native mammals and are part of the Banda Sea Islands moist deciduous forests ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
.
History
Local history holds that ancestors of contemporary Kei islanders came from BaliBali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, part of the expanding Majapahit kingdom from the western archipelago. The village of Ohoi-Ewur ( first Raja Ewab : Raja Ohoi-Ewur = Raja Tabtut) on Kei Kecil or Nuhuroa island was the first place that the Balinese royal family and the army arrived, where they stayed with the local residents. As a result, Ohoi-ewur became a seat of government, where the local law (Larvul Ngabal) – Red Blood and Balinese Spear – is developed by the initiative of the royal princess Dit Sakmas. Evidence of these ties on Kei Kecil and especially in Letvuan include an inheritance and a harbour named Bal Sorbay (Bali Surabaya) that is the place where the royals arrived. It is recognized by kai islanders that some of their ancestors also came from another places such as Sumbawa island (Sumbau), Buton (Vutun)in Sulawesi, Seram (Seran) and Gorom (Ngoran) islands in Central Moluccas, and Sultanates of Jailolo (Dalo) and Ternate (Ternat) as well.
The tiny island of Tanimbarkei is not part of Tanimbar, but of the Kei Islands and inhabited by less than 1000 very traditional people. Half of the population calls themselves Hindus, but in fact are more or less practising ancestor worship.
After the 1999 clashes between the Muslim and Christian population in Ambon, they also swept through Kei, but calmed quick down again with fewer victims.
This islands archipelagoes depends on 22 ratshcaap or traditional local leader call Rat or Raja as king of customary law.
Economy
The soil on Kei Kecil is poor. Slash and BurnSlash and burn
Slash-and-burn is an agricultural technique which involves cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields. It is subsistence agriculture that typically uses little technology or other tools. It is typically part of shifting cultivation agriculture, and of transhumance livestock...
is still common.
Fishing, Trepang
Trepang
Trepang may refer to:*trepang, a marine invertebrate harvested by trepanging, thus:**a common name for species of the holothuroidea class of animals*Trepang , a World War II submarine sunk in 1967....
. In Kei Kecil there is cultured pearl
Cultured pearl
A cultured pearl is a pearl created by a pearl farmer under controlled conditions.-Development of a pearl:A pearl is formed when the mantle tissue is injured by a parasite, an attack of a fish or another event that damages the external fragile rim of the shell of a molluc shell bivalve or gastropod...
.
Languages
Three Austronesian languagesAustronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...
are spoken on the Kei Islands; Keiese
Kei language
Kei is an Indonesian language spoken by approximately inhabitants of the Moluccas...
is the most widely spoken, in 207 villages on Kei Kecil, Kei Besar, and surrounding islands. Kurese is spoken on Kur Island and nearby Kaimeer, where Kei is used as a lingua franca. Bandanese is spoken in the villages of Banda-Eli (Wadan El) and Banda-Elat (Wadan Elat) on the west and northeastern side of Kei Besar. Banda speakers originally came from the Banda Islands
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, and are part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The main town and administrative centre is Bandanaira, located on the island of the same name. They rise...
, but the language is no longer spoken there. There is no native writing system for the Keiese Language. Dutch Catholic missionaries write the language using a variation of the Roman alphabet.
Musical instruments
Kei musical instruments were:-1) Savarngil (Flute): A small native flute from 4 to 8 in. long, open at both ends and having six fingerholes placed along the pipe made of bamboo and are keyless.
2) Tiva (Drum):Single headed drums, consist of a calf skin membrane which is stretched over an enclosed space or over one of the ends of a hollow vessel.
3) Dada (Gong
Gong
A gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
):a medium-size gong 12" to 15" in size, with a crashing sound, have a raised boss or nipple in the centre.
