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Palembang |
| People Group: |
Palembang |
 |
 |
| Location: |
S.E. Sumatera |
| Population: |
636,000 |
| Religion: |
Islam |
| % Christian: |
0.01
% |
| % Evangelical: |
0 % |
| Ministry
Resources: |
Some Believers, No churches |
|
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Additional Information:
Palembang, the namesake of the Palembang people, is
the richest city per capita in all of Indonesia, the second largest city
in Sumatera, and the sixth largest city in Indonesia. Palembang is
located on the banks of the literally and symbolically important Musi
River in the province of South Sumatera. The Palembang people group make
up 40-50% of the city's 1.2 million people. They call themselves Wong
Palembang, which means Palembang person in their language. The Palembang
language is a branch of the Melayu (Malay) language cluster. The word
Palembang comes from the word Limbang which means "to wash the muddy
river water to find gold." The word pa in front forms the meaning "to
indicate a certain place." In former times this area was thought to be
rich with gold and tin.
What are their lives like?
 Many
of the Palembang people become government workers. They also work well
in a variety of other occupations, such as market traders, factory
workers, fishermen, manual laborers, teachers, or handicraft makers.
Local oil fields and refineries support the Palembang people's
prosperity. Despite a high per capita income, not all Palembang people
live in prosperity, since the oil revenue is not divided evenly.
Typically, a Palembang house is designed with a distinctive pyramid
shape. Most of their houses are raised, standing above water or land.
This method is used for protecting the homes from the frequent floods.
The Palembang people use the waters of the Musi River as a trading
place. They offer their trading goods on small boats in the river. The
lineage of descent is bilateral (traced through both parents). In the
Palembang family, the husband is responsible as the protector of the
home with the main task of making a living. The wife's responsibilities
are to take care of the tidiness and harmony in the home so that the
husband can say, "My home is my heaven." The Palembang people are
acquainted with a "free marriage" tradition. It means that the child
born from this marriage is free to decide which family name to choose.
The newlywed couple is also free to settle in a place they desire or
that has been determined in a discussion beforehand. For the Palembang
people, the wedding ceremony has a very important meaning. Through the
wedding ceremony, feelings of unity, togetherness, and mutual assistance
are brought into reality.
What do they believe?
The Palembang are as proud of their traditional customs as they are of
their adherence to Islam. A key proverb states "Adat dipangku, Syari'at
dijunjung," which roughly translated, means "Tradition is to be held
close while Islamic law is to be lifted up / held in high esteem."
Ultimately, however, one must remember that "kala-kala sare'at oleh adat"
(tradition wins over religious law).
What are their needs?
In spite of the existence of a large oil industry, the level of
unemployment in Palembang is still high. This is due to fact that many
of the employed are from outside Palembang. Other employment
opportunities still must be created. On the other hand, traditional
Palembang leaders worry that swift change in this matter will result in
a decline of their culture due to the increase of outside influences.
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