Komodo people
Ata Modo | |
|---|---|
Native inhabitants of Komodo island. | |
| Total population | |
| Extinct | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Indonesia (Komodo island) | |
| Languages | |
| Komodo, Manggarai, and other Austronesian languages | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (Sunni) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Manggarai, Bimanese, Sama-Bajau | |
The Komodo people (Komodo: Ata Modo; Indonesian: Orang Komodo) were an Austronesian ethnic group native to the island of Komodo, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia. They called themselves Ata Modo (lit. 'Modo people') and called the island they inhabited Tana Modo. Anthropologist J.A.J. Verheijen dubbed them "Komodo people" in 1989.
The island's present-day residents are descendants of former convicts who were exiled to Komodo, and who have mixed with Bugis people from the southern part of Sulawesi. The population is primarily adherents of Islam, but there are also Christian and Hindu congregations.