Page 196 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

The basic vocabulary in the Tiana language is 60% the same as the Waioli and
Gamkonora languages. This means that these three languages are in one language group.
Meanwhile the Gamsungi dialect of the Gamkonora language and Waioli language are
one language, in which Gamkonora speakers serve as a bond between the Gamkonora
language and Waioli with a basic vocabulary similarity of 81%.
Although the Tiana, Waioli and Gamkonora languages are found in a single language
group, the Tiana speakers who live in Tobelo village or in Sarau village claim that they came
from Galela. In fact the relatedness of Galela with Waioli and Gamkonora languages are
quite dissimilar. These languages have the same basic vocabulary of only 46% which is not
much different that between Galela and Gamkonora which only amounted to 44%.

The map of the origin of the Tiana and the Gamsungi.

N
1. Gamsungi
2. Talaga
2°N 3. Gamkonora P. Morotai
4. Tahato
5. Tiana Lontar
6. Sarau Tiana
7. Tobelos
GALELA
LOLODA
PABELA
NORTH MALUKU PACA
4 5
3 6
2 7
Gamsungi 1
SUSUPU
Tosoa WASLEI
JAILOLO
SIDANGOLI Teluk Kau
BOLI
EKOR
P. Ternate DABINGA
1°N MABA
P. Tidore CENTRAL
HALMAHERA
P. Mare
P. Mori
0 5 10 20 30 40
PAYAH
127°6 127°E 128°E 129°E 130°E
In other words, Tiana language speakers actually have a closer kinship to Waioli and
Gamkonora languages than to Galela even though Galela village was assumed as their
place of origin. However, this fact is not recognized while Gamkonora speakers with
Gamsungi dialect are recognized as described above. Tiana speakers from Tobelos village
and those who live in Sarau village consider that they came from Galela but with different

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