Page 176 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

Since the late 19th century, this area has attracted the attention of linguistic researchers,
although the data are mostly taken from missionaries. In the early 20th century,
missionaries made dictionaries, stories with religious characteristics, short grammars,
vocabulary lists, and comparative studies (Grimes and Grimes, 1984: 36, Voorhoeve, 1983:
13). The ethnolinguist who also did research in this area such as Masinambow later wrote
his dissertation (Masinambow, 1976) followed by Watuseke, Yoshida and Wada who wrote
their research reports in 1980. Equally important is the project jointly organized by LIPI and
Leiden University about language, society and culture in North Maluku and Raja Ampat in
Papua. The research results were presented at a seminar held in Ternate in 1979 and in
Jakarta in 1981. The edited papers were published in LEKNAS Bulletin special issue in 1983
and 1984.
LIPI Social and Cultural Research Center (P2KK) conducted research on the theme
“Endangered Languages and Minority Ethnic Group in Eastern Indonesia” from 2011 to
2014. This theme was represented by a study of the Oirata language with 50 speakers
in Kaisar Island, in Alor which was represented by the Kafoa language (800 speakers)
and the Kui language with 833 speakers as identified during the research conducted in
2011. The North Maluku district was represented by North Halmahera namely the Karo
language (with less than 100 speakers in 2011) and the Pagu language (with 3,350 speakers
as mentioned in Ethnologue, Lewis (2009), and 2,000-3,000 speakers as recorded in
(Grimes and Grimes, 1984: 52). In West Halmahera, the research looked at the Gamkonora
language with 1500 speakers (Lewis, 2009). These three languages are all found in the non-
Austronesian language group.
Aside from these three languages as the subject of research by LIPI in North Maluku,
in the region languages still exist which belong to the other non-Austronesian language
group; (i) Galela-Loloda language group includes Galela language(20.000-25.00 speakers)
Laba, Loloda (13,000 speakers), Modole, Pagu (2,000 speakers), Tobaru (South Tobaru
3,000 speakers; North Tobaru 12,000 speakers), Tobelo (20,000-25,000 speakers) and
Tugutil language (316 speakers according to Martodirjo’s research.12 (ii) Sahu language
group consists of Gamkonora language (1500-2000 speakers) Waioli, Ibu (in 2012 only one
speaker left who is old and sick), (iii) Ternate-Tidore language groups; Ternate language
(50,000 speakers), Tidore (43,000 speakers); (iv) Beyond the three previous groups is West
Makian language (12.0000 speakers).
Eastern Indonesia with a smaller population than the Western Indonesian region has
more ethnic languages (vernaculars). The following table describes the issue in detail.

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