BUGIS CULTURE

Do you know anything about Bugis culture? According to Nurman Said (2004)

given that the Bugis land is generally hilly and flat, one might assume that the
majority of Bugis are farmers, fishermen, and traders. These professions have been
important aspects of the Bugis' lives to some extent. These people's cultural
identities have been shaped. Their spiritual and material lives have always operated
in accordance with the environmental features of their lands. There are a lot more
about Buginese than their hardworking nature that we can learn and adapt just from
their culture.

Firstly, during the 15th and 16th century, Bugis were known as farmers. They
made their living by hunting, fishing and cultivating. The Bugis who live in the
mountain ranges work the soil as their daily job, meanwhile those who live along the
coastal regions work as fishermen. This became the important economic foundation
for the community due to a major economic revolution. Needless to say, this is how
the Bugis support their families and the way that they stabilize their economy.

In order to boost their economy, the Buginese started involving themselves

with the maritime activities in the 18th century. Bugis were reliable with their ships
and trading. According to Nor Afidah Abd Rahman (February,2016) during the 19th
century, they have traded medicinal masoya bark, mother-of-pearl, birds of
paradise, tortoiseshell, trepang, bird’s nests, sandalwood, beeswax, gold dust, cotton
and coffee. At the end of the day, this is what leads the Bugis to migrate to other
countries and expand their trading business.

Unfortunately, the maritime trading business did not last long due to the fact
that the Dutch invaded and claimed Makkasar and cut off the Bugis trade with other
areas. This has caused a huge impact on the Buginese source of income. As a result,
starting from the 20th century the Buginese have expanded their way of living and
are open to a variety of works that are offered to them such as becoming white-
collar and blue-collar workers. In short, living according to the changes of era is
important to survive.

In conclusion, there are many ways to overcome the difficulties in life that we
learn from Buginese. There are many new knowledges that we get from this
community. To sum it up, we also need to sustain our culture so that we can pass it
to our grandchildren in order for it to retain as so that it will not be forgotten even as
we age to a modern era.

Reference list

Nor Afidah Abd Rahman (17 February 2016) Singapore Govt Agency website
(Bugis Trade)
-https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2016-02-17_161442.html
Nurman Said (Inter-Religio 45/ Summer 2004) Religion and Cultural Identity Among
the Bugis
https://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/3456