Mandar

The Mandarese are an ethnic group in the Indonesian province of West Sulawesi in Sulawesi. The Mandar language belongs to the Northern subgroup of the South Sulawesi languages group of the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family. The closest language to Mandar is the Toraja-Sa'dan language. Before there was a regional expansion, the Mandarese along with the Bugis people, Makassar people and Toraja people formed a cultural diversity in South Sulawesi. Although politically West Sulawesi and South Sulawesi are divided by a border, the Mandarese are historically and culturally close knitted to their cognate relatives in South Sulawesi. The term "Mandar" is actually a unified name among the seven coastal kingdoms (Pitu Ba'ba'na Binanga) and seven river kingdoms (Pitu Ulunna Salu). In terms of ethnicity, the Pitu Ulunna Salu or commonly known as Kondo Sapata are classified as a part of the Toraja group (Mamasa Regency and part of Mamuju Regency), while at Pitu Ba'ba'na Binanga itself there are a variety of dialects and languages. The strength of these fourteen kingdoms complement each other and the term Sipamandar (meaning, brotherhood and unification of the Mandarese community) as one people through a covenant that was sworn by their ancestors at Allewuang Batu in Luyo. The Mandarese are made up of seventeen kingdoms. Seven upstream kingdoms which are called Pitu Ulunna Salu, seven estuary kingdoms that are known as Pitu Ba'bana Binanga and three kingdoms that are called Kakarunna Tiparittiqna Uhai. The seven kingdoms that merged in the Pitu Ulunna Salu Alliance region are: Rante Bulahang Kingdom Aralle Kingdom Tabulahang Kingdom Mambi Kingdom Matangnga Kingdom Tabang Kingdom Bambang Kingdom The seven kingdoms that merged in the Pitu Baqbana Binanga Alliance region are: Balanipa Kingdom Sendana Kingdom Banggae Kingdom Pamboang Kingdom Tapalang Kingdom Mamuju Kingdom Benuang Kingdom The three kingdoms that called Kakaruanna Tiparittiqna Uhai in the Lembang Mapi region are: Alu Kingdom Tuqbi Kingdom Taramanuq Kingdom The upstream kingdoms are well versed with the conditions of the mountains while the estuary kingdoms are experienced with the conditions of the ocean.