Visit Central Sulawesi

History

The Portuguese were rumoured to have a fort in Parigi in 1555. The Kaili were an important group based in the Palu valley and related to the Toraja. Scholars relatecitation needed that their control swayed under Ternate and Makassar, but this might have been a decision by the Dutch to give their vassals a chance to govern a difficult group. Padbruge commented that in the 1700s Kaili numbers were significant and a highly militant society. In the 1850s a war erupted between the Kaili groups, including the Banawa, in which the Dutch decided to intervene. A complex conflict also involving the Sulu Island pirates and probably Wyndham (a British merchant who commented on being involved in arms dealing to the area in this period and causing a row).

In the late 19th century the Sarasins journeyed through the Palu valley as part of a major initiative to bring the Kaili under Dutch rule. Some very surprising and interesting photographs were taken of shamans called Tadulako. Further Christian religious missions entered the area to make one of the most detailed ethnographic studies in the early 20th century. A Swede by the name of Walter Kaudern later studied much of the literature and produced a synthesis. Erskine Downs in the 1950s produced a summary of Kruyts and Andrianis work: "The religion of the Bare'e-Speaking Toradja of Central Celebes," which is invaluable for English-speaking researchers. One of the most recent publications is "When the bones are left," a study of the material culture of central Sulawesi, offering extensive analysis. Also worthy of study are the brilliant works of Monnig Atkinson on the Wana shamans who live in the Mori area.

Places of interest

Lake Poso or Danau Poso is located in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the third-deepest lake in Indonesia. The town of Pendolo is situated at the southern end of the lake, the town of Tentena is located at the northern end, while a number of smaller villages dot the shoreline. The lake drains into the Poso River at Tentena, which flows into the Molucca Sea at the town of Poso. The lake contains various fish, including the eel Anguilla marmorata which migrates between the lake and the sea, and 11 fish species that are endemic to the lake, notably buntingi ricefish (Adrianichthys, Oryzias nebulosus, O. nigrimas and O. orthognathus), gobies (Mugilogobius amadi and M. sarasinorum), and the halfbeak Nomorhamphus celebensis. These endemics are all highly threatened; in some cases possibly already extinct. One of the reasons for the drastic decline of the native fish are introduced, non-native species, particularly Mozambique tilapia and common carp. There is also a large number of endemic Tylomelania freshwater snails in the lake, as well as several endemic Caridina shrimps and Parathelphusid crabs (genera Migmathelphusa, Parathelphusa and Sundathelphusa). A park containing wild orchids is located near the village Bancea on the lake. As well the forests surrounding the lake still provide rare sightings of the anoa (dwarf buffalo) and the babirusa (literally, pigdeer), a ruminant pig. These two endangered species are among a number of wildlife species found only on the island of Sulawesi. Read More..

Tentena is a small town located on the northern part of lake Poso is a good place to start your trip to Bada Valley and the Lore Lindu National Park. There are plenty of accommodation and other facilities. From here also you can plan your trip to The Togian Islands further north east. To get from here to Morowali reserve you'll need public bus to kolonodale for more than 6 hours drive, and further on by rental boat to the starting point of treks. Its recommended to hire a car as there are still some object to see en-route. Read more ..

Bada Valley & Lore Lindu National Park. Lore Lindu National Park is a forested protected area of 2,180 km², covering lowland and montane forests. It provides habitat to numerous rare species, including 77 bird species endemic to Sulawesi. The national park is designated as part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves. In addition to its rich wildlife, the park also contains megaliths dating from before 1300 AD spread at Bada Valley, Besoa and Napu Read more..

The Indigenous tribe at Morowali nature Reserve. The Tau Taa Wana is a sub-group of the numerous people who speak variants of the Ta'a or Pamona language of Eastern Central Sulawesi. The Tau Taa Wana people referred to themselves as Tao Taa, as in tao means "people" and taa means "not". But most outsiders refers them as To Wana which means "people in the forest" because of their social image as a community residing in forests.The Tau Taa Wana people are an indigenous tribe who live in small villages or lipu's around the Bulang and Bongka River. Since the year 2000, the Wana have implemented rotational farming as a means of maintaining themselves. Before this they lived as a nomadic tribe. Read more..

The Togian or Togean Islands are an archipelago of 56 islands and islets, in the Gulf of Tomini, off the coast of Central Sulawesi. The three largest islands are Batudaka, Togean, and Talakatoh. There are 37 villages on the islands, with one settled by the Bajau people, more commonly known as the sea gypsies. Formed by volcanic activity, the islands are covered by rainforest and surrounded by coral reef formations, which provide habitat and breeding areas for hawksbill turtle, green turtle and the dugong. The Tonkean macaque is found in the islands' forests. The Togian hawk-owl, discovered in 1999, is endemic to the islands. The Togian white-eye, another endemic bird species, was described in 2008. Non-venomous jellyfish are also found in Togian Islands, the unique one is jellyfish with red little spots. On 2004, the government established a part of Togean Islands as a National Park consists of 292,000 hectares of sea water (includes 132,000 hectares of coral reef which is the largest in Indonesia), 70,000 hectares of land and 10,659 hectares reservation of forests and mangroves. Read more..

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