Simeulue people

The Simeulue people (other names include Simalur, Simeuloë, Simulul, Long Bano and Devayan) are an indigenous group of people inhabiting Simeulue Island off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.[2] They are mostly found in Teupah Barat, Simeulue Timur, Simeulue Tengah, Teupah Selatan and Teluk Dalam districts. The Simeulue people speak Simeulue, a Northwest Sumatra–Barrier Islands language closely related to Sikule (which is also spoken in Simeulue island) and Nias (spoken in neighbouring Nias island). The language also has a strong Acehnese and Malay influence.[3]

Simeulue people
Simalur / Simeuloë / Simulul
Long Bano / Devayan
A man and woman crushing the pith of sago palm in Simeulue Island, Indonesia.
Total population
53,500[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Indonesia (Simeulue Island, Banyak Islands and Babi Island of Simeulue Regency, Aceh)
Languages
Simeulue language, Indonesian language
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Sigulai people, Nias people

The Simeulue people became more widely known worldwide after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami because of their high survival rate. Their survival was credited to their tradition of oral history. A previous tsunami in 1908 had affected the island, and stories told about it served as disaster preparation.[4] Only 7 people of the total population (78,000 at the time) died in the December 26, 2004 tsunami.[5][6]

References
  1. "Simeulue in Indonesia". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2014-10-15.
  2. "Simeulue". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2014-10-15.
  3. Arndt Graf; Susanne Schroter; Edwin Wieringa (2010). Aceh: History, Politics and Culture, Volume 9. Institute of Southeast Asian. ISBN 978-981-4279-12-3.
  4. Syafwina (2013). "Recognizing Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Management: Smong, Early Warning System from Simeulue Island, Aceh". Procedia Environmental Sciences. 20: 573–582. doi:10.1016/j.proenv.2014.03.070.
  5. Ashbindu Singh; Zinta Zommers (2014). Reducing Disaster: Early Warning Systems for Climate Change. Springer. ISBN 978-94-017-8598-3.
  6. Margie Mason (2005). "Islanders remembered stories of 1907 tsunami". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2015-01-09.


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