Lamalera people
Ata Lamalera | |
|---|---|
Traditional whalers of Lamalera. | |
| Total population | |
| 4,000 (2008) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Indonesia (Lembata Regency) | |
| Languages | |
| Lamalera and Lamaholot | |
| Religion | |
| Catholicism (majority) Islam (minority) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Lamaholot and Kedang |
The Lamalera people (Lamalera: Ata Lamalera) are an ethnic group inhabiting the southern part of Lembata Island, Indonesia. Administratively, they are concentrated in the villages of Lamalera A and Lamalera B, Wulandoni District, Lembata Regency, and several surrounding villages in the district of Wulandoni. Their original language is the Lamalera language, along with Lamaholot, which functions as a lingua franca in the area. Although often referred to as a distinct "ethnic group", anthropologists typically classify the Lamalera people as a sub-group of the Lamaholot people; as such, locals usually call them "the people of Lamalera", referring to the ethnic community inhabiting the island’s southern region.
The Lamalera people are one of two communities of traditional whalers in the Lesser Sunda Islands, along with the village of Lamakera, which claims to be the oldest whaling settlement in Indonesia.