Ethnic Groups
- Balinese
The Balinese population of 3.0 million (1.5% of Indonesia 's population) live mostly on the island of Bali , making up 89% of the island's population. There are also significant populations on the island of Lombok , and in the eastern-most regions of Java.
Balinese culture is perhaps most known for dance, drama and sculpture. The culture is noted for its use of the gamelan in music. The island is also known for its form of Wayang kulit or Shadow play/Shadow Puppet theatre. It also has several unique aspects related to their religions and traditions. Balinese culture is a mix of Balinese Hindu religion and Balinese custom.
The vast majority of the Balinese follow one religion - A Shivaite sect of Hinduism that is mixed with pre-Hindu mythologies. The Balinese from before the third wave of immigration, known as the Bali Aga, are mostly not followers of the Balinese Shivaite Hinduism, but their own animist traditions.
- Betawi
The Betawis are mostly descended from various Southeast Asian ethnic groups brought to or attracted to Batavia to meet labour needs, including people from various parts of Indonesia . They have a culture and language
distinct from the Sundanese and Javanese .
- Bugis
The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi , Indonesia 's third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the lowland plains to the north and west of the town of Maros .
The Bugis speak a distinct regional language in addition to Indonesian, called Basa Ugi, Bugis or Buginese. In reality, there are a several dialects, some of which are sufficiently different from others to be considered separate languages. Bugis belongs to the South Sulawesi language group; other members include Makasar, Toraja, Mandar and Enrekang, each being a series of dialect.
In historical European literature, the Bugis have a reputation for being fierce, war-like, and industrious. Honor, status, and rank are of great importance to the Bugis. They are a self-sufficient people who have a positive self-image and are very confident of their own abilities. As the most numerous group in the region (more than 5 million), they have had considerable influence on their neighbors.
- Javanese
The Javanese are an ethnic group native to the Indonesian island of Java . They are predominantly located in the central to eastern parts of the island. At 90 million people (as of 2004) it is the largest ethnic group on the island, and also in Indonesia .
The Javanese were traditionally concentrated in the provinces of East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta, but due to migration within Indonesia (as part of government transmigration programs or otherwise) there are now high populations of Javanese people in almost all the Indonesian provinces. (The province of West Java is home to the Sundanese, Indonesia 's second largest ethnic group who are ethnically distinct from the Javanese).