Tolotang (sometimes written Tolottang, or Towani Tolotang) is the original religion of

Bugis The Bugis people (pronounced ), also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), in the south-western province of Sulawe ...

which is adhered to by the majority in several areas within the province of

South Sulawesi South Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Selatan) is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sula ...

, Indonesia, especially in

Sidenreng Rappang Regency Sidenreng Rappang Regency (the name is often abbreviated to "Sidrap") is a landlocked regency of South Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. It has an area of and had a population of 271,911 at the 2010 Census and 319,990 at the 2020 Census. Its capital ...

or commonly known as Sidrap Regency. About 5,000 residents in the Amparita area, Sidrap Regency adhere to a religion that has been passed down from generation to generation. Because the

Indonesian government The term Government of Indonesia ( id, Pemerintah Indonesia) can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively to the three traditional branches of government – the executive branch, legislative branch and ju ...

only recognizes six religions, the rest are categorized as belief in God Almighty, and Tolotang adherents do not want to be called a religious sect finally they joined themselves with

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 ...

. Therefore, until now this belief is also known as the "Hindu Tolotang". It is the same with the

Kaharingan ''Kaharingan'' is an indigenous animistic folk religion of the Katingan, Lawangan, Ma'anyan, Ngaju, and Ot Danum people native to the Central Kalimantan region in Indonesia. The word means something like ''Way of the life'', and this belief ...

religion of the Dayak tribe and

Aluk Todolo Aluk Todolo is the ethnic religion of the ancestors of the Torajans, which is still practiced by a large number of Torajan people. Since 1970, Aluk Todolo has been protected by the Indonesian state and is officially classified under "Hinduism"; ...

of the Toraja people who also joined Hinduism, so they are known as "Kaharingan Hindus" and "Alukta Hindus".La panaungi, Pendiri Toani Tolotang
appang.com

History

Some sources say that the founder of Tolotang is La Panaungi. These Tolotang adherents know that God exists and they know him better by the name of "Dewata Seuwa'e" (God Almighty) who has the title "Patoto'e" (The One Who Determines Destiny). So Tolotang is classified as not animism or dynamism as often touted by the Bugis themselves who already believe in other religions, and are no longer members of the Tolotang community. The Tolotang religion is a religion that has known God since before the arrival of the Samawi religions in the region. In its development, Islam became the majority religion in almost the entire area of South Sulawesi so native religions such as Tolotang also began to decline known although some still maintain this ancestral religion in a community group. Another problem arose in 1966, namely when the government did not recognize the religions embraced by the aforementioned community groups. At that time the government only recognized five religions, namely

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

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 ...

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

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

. The government then gave Tolotang residents three choices. Administratively, will they be categorized as Muslim, Christian, or Hindu, because according to the government the three religions are close to the Tolotang beliefs. Based on the results of the agreement, Hindus were chosen. Since then, this community has officially embraced Hinduism. However, in practice, they still carry out their customs and embrace the beliefs that they have inherited from generation to generation. In the past, followers of the local Bugis religion also suffered a tragic fate. They were being chased by Darul Islam/Indonesian Islamic Army (DI/TII) rebels led by

Kahar Muzakkar Abdul Kahar Muzakkar (24 March 1920 – 3 February 1965) was the leader of an Islamic movement in South Sulawesi from 1950 till his death in 1965. He led his group of men in a guerrilla warfare against the Indonesian central government, and w ...

. The rebels forced many of Tolotang's predecessors to renounce their faith. Not a few of them were killed.1001 Indonesia: Kepercayaan Lokal Komunitas Towani Tolotang di Sidenreng Rappang
25 January 2019. Accessed 30 March 2019.

References

External links

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014125413/http://www.sangbaco.com/2012/07/pahaman-awal-suku-bugis-makassar.html#.VBgyIvmSyiw , date=2013-10-14 sangbaco.com
Memburu pengakuan dari agama di KTP
radioaustralia.net * http://tolotang.blogspot.com Religion in Indonesia Ethnic religion