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The poet "Boeginees" was born in Makassar, Celebes.
Celebes being one of the 5 main islands (Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya) of the in total 13.677 islands of Indonesia.
The archipelago of the Republic of Indonesia straddles the equator between the Indian Ocean (west) and the Pacific Ocean (east).
Indonesia shares borders with Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.
It’s weather does not know the 4 western seasons but distinguishes instead between a wet and dry season.In most parts of Indonesia the wet season falls between October and April, while the dry season falls between May and September. Most of the country is water and the Indonesians themselves refer to their homeland as “Tanah Air Kita”, literally translated “Our Earth and Water”.
Since the Indonesian independance of 1949 the island of Celebes is named Sulawesi and it’s capitol city is no longer named Makassar but Ujung Pandang. This largely Islamic port city is located on the south-western border of the island with a population of roughly 1.5 million inhabitants. It has been the gateway to Eastern Indonesia and the Spice Islands (Maluku) for centuries.
The Muslim Bugis (Boeginezen) people are known for their magnificent sailing ships and schooners. They feel at home on the water. Usually they build their homes along the beach or riverbank, on poles in fear of floods and vermin. They are excellent and instinctive navigators.
Transportation of food, building material and other goods is generally done by boat.
The Bugis are an energetic, enterprising, lively talkative people with a poetic and creative turn of mind who easily adapt to new developments surrounding them.
The Bugis are also very creative in making kites, masks, weaving baskets, carving musical instruments from bamboo, cultivating orchids on a grand scale, wooden furnishings and homes with exquisite and precise ancient traditional designs carved into them.
They are also known for their colorful silk Sarungs which are still being expertly woven in South Sulawesi, while another famous craft originating from this island is the making of Batik fabrics.
Also associated with Indonesia are the Wayang puppits and their theaters.
To preserve the traditional dances of South Sulawesi, a school (Sekolah Menari Kesenian) was specially built in Ujung Padang for the purpose of teaching them to young girls.
The traditional Bugis jewelry such as bracelets, necklaces and hairclips, worn with these clothing are usually family heirlooms, although some replica’s have been made of cheaper material to sell to the tourists.
If your appetite to visit this ”string of pearls” has been “wetted”, you might try Garuda Airlines (smile).
