Rotenese people
The two Rotenese people wear elegantly woven straw hats, characteristic of the island, c. 1899–1900. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Indonesia (Rote Island and West Timor) | |
| Languages | |
| Rotenese languages, Kupang Malay, and Indonesian | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, folk religion, and Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Atoni • Helong • Dhao |
The Rotenese people are one of the native inhabitants of Rote Island, while part of them reside in West Timor. Apart from that, the Rotenese people also settled in islands surrounding Rote Island, such as Ndao (with the Dhao), Nuse, Pamana, Doo, Heliana, Landu, Manuk, and other smaller islands. There are some who believed that the Rotenese people originally migrated from Seram Island, Maluku. They were thought to have arrived on the Rote Island during the reign of the Majapahit kingdom in the late 13th–16th century. It was during this time that there were references to the rulers of the Rotenese people. Initially, the Rotenese people founded settlements on the island of Timor, where they engaged in manual slash-and-burn farming and used irrigation system.