Page 197 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

versions of when they arrived. Both of them have always claimed that the Tiara speakers
living in Sarau and Tobelos came first.

Narratives about the Tiana Migration: Two Versions Sarau and Tobelos
According to the Sarau village version, the origin of Tiana speakers suggests that they came
from Galela and immediately settled in Sarau village. From Sarau they dispersed, to Tobelos
village, Jere, and Togola-Waioli. The story tells us that in ancient times in Galela there was
someone named Paraju. He arrived at Sarau wearing headgear called sarau in the Galela
language and since then, the area where Praju lived has been called Sarau village.
In another version of the story of the Tiana people’s arrival, we are told that the Tiana
people came from Galela. However, the informant claimed that the Tiana people who came to
Sarau headed somewhere (Sarau) where sweet potatoes were grown. In the Galela language,
sweet potatoes were called sarau so that over time this village was called Sarau. However,
both versions concluded that Tiana people came from Galela, and sarau could mean headgear
or sweet potatoes.
Meanwhile, the Tiana speakers in Tobelos village said that they came from Galela and
headed straight to Tobelos. Although the Tiana speakers admitted that they came from
Galela, actually their language is related more closely to Waioli and Gamkonora than to any
languages in Galela.

Galela as the Tiana Speakers’ Homeland
The name Galela occurs in historical sources in 1543 when Galela was defeated by the
alliance of Gamkonora, Ternate and Portuguese. As a result of the defeat, Galela had to admit
that he was under Sangaji Gamkonora, Leliato (the name is not included in the list of Sangaji
Gamkonora provided by current Sangaji Gamkonora, Rajab Sahib), who was one of Sultan
Hairun of Ternate’s in-laws (Fraassen, 1980: 116).
Not much is known about Galela except for the report in 1543 in Gamkonora. Galela is
described as a leader who embraced Islam. In 1562 a Sangaji Galela converted to Christianity
to join the Portuguese. From 1559 Galela had been against the Christian Moro and their
Portuguese allies. Another source dated 1662 does not describe Galela as either a Moslem or
a Christian. The 1543 text describes Galela as an individual who converted to Islam during the
reign of Sangaji Gamkonora there and 40 years later there was a sangaji Galela who converted
to Christianity.

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