Acehnese people

Not to be confused with Chinese people.

Acehnese people
Ureuëng Acèh
اورڠ اچيه
Acehnese men playing rapa'i
Total population
3,526,000[1] – 4,200,000[2]
Regions with significant populations
 Indonesia3,404,000 (2010)[3]
3,484,000 (2015)[4]
 Malaysia640,000 (counted as part of the local "Malays")[5]
 Sweden150–200[6]
Languages
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Chams, Malays, Gayo, Alas, Kluet, Nias, Singkil, and Utsuls

The Acehnese (Jawi: اورڠ اچيه‎), also written as Atjehnese and Achinese, are an indigenous ethnic group native to Aceh, Indonesia on the northernmost tip of the island of Sumatra. The area has a history of political struggle against the Dutch colonial rule. The vast majority of Acehnese people are Muslims.[8] The Acehnese people are also referred to by other names such as Lam Muri, Lambri, Akhir, Achin, Asji, A-tse and Atse.[9][10] Their language, Acehnese, belongs to the Aceh–Chamic group of Malayo-Polynesian of the Austronesian language family.

The Acehnese were, for a time, partially Hinduised, as evident from their traditions and the many Sanskrit words in their language.[11] Trade with the Islamic world resulted in the Islamization of the population and gradually displaced older religions practiced by the Acehnese. As a result, the Acehnese have been Muslims for several centuries and are generally considered one of the most conservative Muslim ethnic groups in Indonesia. The estimated number of Acehnese ranges between 3,526,000 people[12] to 4.2 million people.[13]

Traditionally, Acehnese are agriculturists, metal-workers and weavers. Traditionally matrilocal, their social organisation is communal. They live in gampôngs, which combine to form districts known as mukims.[14] The golden era of Acehnese culture began in the 16th century, along with the rise of the Islamic Aceh Sultanate and later reaching its peak in the 17th century.[15] Generally, the Acehnese people are regarded as conservative adherents to the Islamic faith and also as militant fighters against the colonial conquest of the Portuguese Empire and the Dutch Empire.[15][8]

Aceh came to international attention as being the hardest-hit region of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake with 120,000 people dead.

  1. ^ Acehnese. 2016 Joshua Project. Retrieved on 8 July 2016.
  2. ^ Acehnese. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2016 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved on 8 July 2016.
  3. ^ Changing Ethnic Composition: Indonesia, 2000–2010 page 14
  4. ^ Acehnese in Indonesia. 2016 Joshua Project. Retrieved on 8 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Warga Aceh di Malaysia Capai 640 Ribu Orang, 25 Ribu di Antaranya Sudah Punya Kedai". Serambinews.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  6. ^ Klinker, Karl (2014). Unlikely Advocates of the Liberal Creed: Strategies of Framing in the Acehnese Diaspora in Sweden (Master's Degree). Lund University Department of Political Science. p. 26. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  7. ^ Stefanie Pillai; Wen-Yi Soh; Yunisrina Qismullah Yusuf (2015). "Perceptions about One's Heritage Language: The Case of the Acehnese in Kampung Aceh and Malacca Portuguese-Eurasians in the Portuguese Settlement in Malaysia". Kemanusiaan. 22 (2). Universiti Sains Malaysia: 69, 77–9.
  8. ^ a b Anthony Reid (2006). Verandah of Violence. pp. 12–16.
  9. ^ Dr. Zulyani Hidayah (2015). Ensiklopedi Suku Bangsa di Indonesia. Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia. p. 3. ISBN 978-97-946-1929-2.
  10. ^ "Abui, Barue in Indonesia". Joshua Project. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  11. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Achin". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 144–145.
  12. ^ "Acehnese". Joshua Project. 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Acehnese". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  14. ^ Chisholm 1911.
  15. ^ a b James B. Minahan (2012). Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-15-988-4660-7.