Betawi people
Orang Betawi | |
|---|---|
Betawi wedding costume demonstrate both Middle Eastern (groom) and Chinese (bride) influences. | |
| Total population | |
| c.7 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Indonesia (Greater Jakarta) | |
| Languages | |
| Native Betawi, Indonesian Also Arabic (religious only) | |
| Religion | |
| Majority Islam (97.25%) Minorities Christians (Protestantism (1.6%), Catholicism (0.6%)), Buddhism (0.5%), other (0.05%) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Arab Indonesians, Chinese Indonesians (especially Benteng Chinese), Indos, Mardijkers, Indian Indonesians |
Betawi people or Batavians (Orang Betawi in Indonesian, meaning "people of Batavia"), are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the city of Jakarta and its immediate outskirts, as such often described as the inhabitants of the city. They are the descendants of the people who inhabited Batavia (the Dutch colonial name of Jakarta) from the 17th century onwards.
The term Betawi people emerged in the 18th century as an amalgamation of various ethnic groups into Batavia. In this modern era, people of various ethnicities, especially Sundanese people, who have long inhabited Greater Jakarta, forgetting their language and switching to Betawi, can also be called Betawi people. Although if they are related by blood, they are more like people who still speak Sundanese language in the outskirts, especially in Bekasi, Bogor, and Tangerang.