Buginese

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Scope note
The Buginese, also known as Bugis, are one of three major ethnic groups of southern Sulawesi, the third-largest island in the Indonesian archipelago, who speak a distinct Malayo-Polynesian language called Buginese or Basa Ugi and are mostly Sunni Muslims, though some maintain pre-Islamic beliefs. Their name derives from the phrase "To Ugi," meaning followers of La Sattumpugi, the first Buginese king of South Sulawesi, with ancestors believed to have settled around lakes Tempe and Sidenreng as early as 1500 B.C.E., later expanding their kingdoms through an agrarian revolution around 1200 C.E. that transformed their chiefly societies into hierarchical states. A protracted civil war in 1669 led to a Buginese diaspora across the Indonesian archipelago, where these skilled seafarers, known for building oceangoing schooners and engaging in wide-ranging trade, established communities beyond their traditional homeland of Tana Ugi in southern Sulawesi.
Buginese
Accepted term: 09-Mar-2026