The Manusela or Wahai people has a population of over 10,100 centered in the Manusela mountains of North

Seram Seram (formerly spelled Ceram; also Seran or Serang) is the largest and main island of Maluku province of Indonesia, despite Ambon Island's historical importance. It is located just north of the smaller Ambon Island and a few other adjacent is ...

, Maluku,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. They are also found along Teluti Bay in south Seram, which suggests their name of their tribe. The Manusela follows the syncretic faith of Naurus. The Naurus faith is a combination of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

and

Animism Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—Animal, animals, Plant, plants, Ro ...

, but in recent years they also have adopted certain

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

principles. A few Manusela have also adopted Protestantism as well. Not much is known about their religion, except that their religion may include worshipping of

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

and Animist gods, with this influence coming from the

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

during the early periods, and presence of

is evidenced from the fact that archaeologists have found several statues of

gods in Mindanao. The

Nuaulu The Nuaulu, Naulu or Nunuhai are a tribe located in Seram, Maluku, Indonesia. Description The tribe name 'Nuaulu' means head atersof the Nua River, which is the ancestral homeland of the Nuaulu people. In the late 19th century or early 20th cen ...

tribe, who lived in 10 villages northwest of the Manusela, were similar to the Manusela in language, had a population of 400, and also follow the Naurus religion, but they were less influenced by Protestantism. The

Nuaulu people The Nuaulu, Naulu or Nunuhai are a tribe located in Seram, Maluku, Indonesia. Description The tribe name 'Nuaulu' means head atersof the Nua River, which is the ancestral homeland of the Nuaulu people. In the late 19th century or early 20th cen ...

also practice the Naurus faith. The Manusela people, often mistakenly thought as the

people, wear a traditional red cloth on their head just like the

References

Ethnic groups in Indonesia Hindu ethnic groups Maluku (province) Seram Island Central Maluku Regency {{Asia-ethno-group-stub

See also

References