Kayeli people

Kayeli (Suku Kayeli) people is an ethnic group mainly living on the southern coast of the Kayeli Gulf of Indonesian island Buru, mainly from the Kaiely Gulf. From an ethnographic point of view, Kayeli are close to other indigenous people of Buru, such as Lisela and Buru. The Kayeli community were formed during the Dutch colonization of the modern Indonesian territory and during the 17th to the 19th century, the Dutch occupied their strategic location in comparison to other inhabitants of Buru Island. From the middle of the 20th century, the ethnic group's population experienced rapid population decline and there were approximately 800 people left by the early 21st century. In regards to religion, majority of them are Sunni Muslims, with some remnants of pagan beliefs. Representative of the ethnic group have completely lost their native Kayeli language by the end of the 20th century as they began to adopt other indigenous Buru languages or the Indonesian language. Ethnogenesis of Kayeli is directly associated with the colonization of the Buru island by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. In 1658, the first permanent Dutch settlement and a military fort were built at the southern coast of Kayeli Gulf, and for two centuries it was the administrative center of the island. Accordingly, thousands of indigenous people were forcibly relocated to this area from other parts of the island, including much of the tribal nobility, and about thirteen large villages had been built around the fort. The relocation was designed to facilitate control over the local population and provide workforce for clove fields which were being planted by the Dutch in this part of the island. As a result, 13 villages were built on a relatively small area around the fort. Representatives of various ethnic groups of the island were settled side by side and brought together by common economic activity, which eventually created the conditions that led to numerous mixed marriages.