Adonara Knowpia

Adonara
	Adonara, viewed from the Space Shuttle, 1983. The eruption plume from stratovolcano Ili Boleng is visible.
Geography
Location	Lesser Sunda Islands
Archipelago	Solor Archipelago
Area	529.75 km2 (204.54 sq mi)
Highest elevation	1,659 m (5443 ft)
Administration
	Indonesia
Province	East Nusa Tenggara
Demographics
Population	132,345 (mid 2021 estimate)
Pop. density	249.8/km2 (647/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Lamaholot

Adonara is an island in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia, located east of the larger island of Flores in the Solor Archipelago. To the east lies Lembata, formerly known as Lomblen. Adonara is the highest of the islands of the archipelago, reaching an altitude of 1,659 metres, and it has an area of 529.75 km².^[1] It is situated administratively in the East Flores Regency of East Nusa Tenggara province.

Administration edit

The island is divided into eight districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas (in km²) and their populations at the 2010 Census^[2] and 2020 census,^[3] together with the official estimates as at mid 2022.^[4]

Name	Area in km²	Population Census 2010	Population Census 2020	Population Estimate mid 2022	Admin centre	No. of villages	Post codes
Adonara Barat (West Adonara)	79.71	11,743	13,529	14,021	Waiwadan	18	86263
Wotan Ulu Mado	86.31	7,871	9,968	10,522	Baniona	12	86260
Adonara Tengah (Central Adonara)	42.73	10,686	13,312	14,007	Lewobele	13	86264
Adonara Timur (East Adonara)	91.06	26,161	30,299	31,434	Waiwerang	21	86261
Ile Boleng	49.30	13,948	17,416	18,333	Senadan	21	86253
Witihama	79.43	14,140	17,460	18,340	Oringbele	16	86266
Kelubagolit	44.41	10,210	12,650	13,296	Pepak Kelu	12	86265
Adonara ^(a)	56.80	9,745	11,835	12,392	Sagu	8	86262
Totals on Adonara Island	529.75	104,504	126,469	132,345		121

Note: (a) Adonara District covers only the northern part of Adonara Island ("Adonara Utara").

History edit

Local history on Adonara is documented from the sixteenth century, when Portuguese traders and missionaries established a post on the nearby island of Solor. By that time Adonara and the surrounding islands were ritually divided between a population of coastal dwellers known as Paji, and a population mainly settling the mountainous inland called Demon. The Paji were susceptible to Islam, while the Demon tended to fall under Portuguese influence. The Paji areas on Adonara contained three principalities, namely Adonara proper (centered on the north coast of the island), and Terong and Lamahala (on the south coast). Together with two principalities on Solor (Lohayong and Lamakera), they constituted a league called Watan Lema ("the five shores"). The Watan Lema allied with the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1613, confirmed in 1646. The Adonara principalities had frequent feuds with the Portuguese in Larantuka on Flores, and were not always obedient to the Dutch authorities. In the course of the nineteenth century, the ruler of Adonara (proper) in the north strengthened his position in the Solor Archipelago; by then, he was also the overlord of parts of eastern Flores and Lembata. The Demon areas stood under the suzerainty of the principality of Larantuka, which in turn was under Portuguese rule until 1859, when it was ceded to the Netherlands. The principalities of Larantuka and Adonara (proper) were abolished by the Indonesian government in 1962. Some post-independence local officials trace their roots to past rulers, called raja, of Adonara (proper). These include:

A map of Adonara made in 1911

Foramma, c. 1650
Boli I, c. 1671–1684
Eke 1684–1688 (killed by mountain people)
Gogok, c. 1702
Wuring (brother of Eke), 1688–1719
Boli II (son of Wuring), 1719-after 1756
unknown rulers
Jou, c. 1815
Lakabella Jou (son of Jou), c. 1832
Begu, d. July 28, 1850 (killed)
Pela(ng) (son of Begu), 1850–1857
Jou (brother of Pela), 1857–1868
Kamba Begu (brother of Lakabella), 1868–1893
Bapa Tuan (son of Kamba Begu), temporary Raja in 1893 for 6 months
Arkiang Kamba (Arakang; brother of Bapa Tuan, b. 1866), 1893 or 1894 – abdicated December 18, 1930
Bapa Ana (son of a sister of Kamba Begu), Regent with the title of Kapitan 1930 – December 1, 1935, condemned to life imprisonment 1935 and sent to Kupang
Bapa Nuhur, (son of Gela, a son of Bapa Tuan, b. 1915), 1941–1947
Bapa Kaya, (son of Bapa Ana, d. 12/1/1954), Regent 1947–1951
Mohamad Eke (great-grandson of Raja Jo, 1929 – c. 1985), 1951–1962, first referred as Government Asst during Bapa Kaya's rule and also Kapitan of Adonara

Geography edit

Adonara Island is a part of the Indonesian regency of East Flores. It can be reached by airplane from Jakarta to Kupang, then by ferry to Larantuka, then by boat.

The administrative centre of Adonara is the town of Waiwerang.

Notes edit

^ Monk, K.A.; Fretes, Y.; Reksodiharjo-Lilley, G. (1996). The Ecology of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku. Hong Kong: Periplus Editions Ltd. p. 8. ISBN 962-593-076-0.
^ Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2023.

References edit

P. Arndt (1938), 'Demon und Padzi, die feindlichen Brüder des Solor-Archipelags', Anthropos 33.
Robert H. Barnes (1995), 'Lamakera, Solor: Ethnohistory of a Muslim Whaling Village of Eastern Indonesia', Anthropos 90.
Robert H. Barnes (2004), 'The murder of Sengaji Begu: A turning point in Dutch involvement in the Solor Archipelago', Masyarakat Indonesia 30:2
Benno M. Biermann (1924), 'Die alte Dominikanermission auf den Solorinseln', Zeitschrift für Missionswissenschaft 14.
Arend de Roever (2002), De jacht op sandelhout: De VOC en de tweedeling van Timor in de zeventiende eeuw. Zutphen: Walburg Pers.

8°15′S 123°09′E / 8.250°S 123.150°E / -8.250; 123.150