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Raijua

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Raijua
International Space Station view of Raijua
Raijua labelled in East Nusa Tenggara
Map
Interactive map of Raijua
Geography
LocationIndian Ocean
ArchipelagoLesser Sunda Islands
Area36.97 km2 (14.27 sq mi)[1][a]
Administration
ProvinceEast Nusa Tenggara
RegencySabu Raijua
DistrictRaijua
Demographics
Population9,462 (2024 est.)[1]
Additional information
Time zone

Raijua is an island in Indonesia, part of the Lesser Sunda Islands and located in the Savu Sea. It is administratively part of the Sabu Raijua Regency of East Nusa Tenggara, forming a single district within the regency along with the uninhabited Dana Island. Raijua has an area of around 36 square kilometers, consisting largely of tropical savannas with limited water available.

The island is inhabited by over nine thousand people, largely of the Savu ethnic group. The population are largely Protestant Christian with a significant minority of the Jingitiu traditional religion. Local agriculture is centered around the production of seaweed, with traditional agricultural mainstays being sorghum and the lontar palm. It is also known for locally weaved tenun cloths and for the production of sea salt. The island is considered as an underdeveloped region by the Government of Indonesia, with PLN electricity only being introduced in 2013.

Throughout much of its history, Raijua had a single raja, in contrast to multiple polities on the larger neighboring island of Savu. European contact began in the seventeenth century but direct control or interaction with the Dutch colonial government was initially limited due to the island's remoteness. Raijua's raja maintained significant political autonomy throughout the nineteenth century. Colonial authority over the island gradually increased, and the island was subsumed into Savu administratively by 1918. Raijua became a standalone political unit again in 1992, when its current district was formed.

Geography

[edit]

Raijua is an island measuring around 36 square kilometres (14 sq mi) in area, roughly 12.9 kilometres (8.0 mi) long and 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) wide. It is separated by the narrow, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) wide Raijua Strait from the larger island of Savu (or Sabu). The highest point of the island, located about at its center, rises 165 meters above sea level.[2][3] The island's bedrock is primarily composed of limestone and uplifted coral reefs,[4] and the island's landscape is dominated by tropical savannas receiving less than 1,000 mm of rainfall annually.[5]

History

[edit]

Raijua was likely inhabited prior to Savu itself, which in turn was likely to have been settled prior to 1250 AD.[6] Savu folklore claim that the ethnic group descended from settlers originating in Surat in Gujarat, India, who first settled Raijua before moving to Savu with their descendants dividing up the two islands between clans – Raijua becoming the territory of one clan.[7] Local traditions claim that the islands of Raijua and Savu were also settled by refugees from the fall of the Majapahit in Java, though this claim is doubted by scholars.[6] Europeans began to arrive in the region around the early sixteenth century, but did not pay much attention to Raijua or Savu. Raijua was mentioned in a Portuguese map from 1602 (as "Rajoan", with the map lacking Savu), and later in another map from 1615.[8]

Dutch presence (via the VOC) in Savu and Raijua began in the 1650s, with the objective being the acquisition of slaves. The local VOC opperhoofd (officer in charge) based in Kupang conducted an unsuccessful slave raid on Raijua in 1659.[9] VOC did not actively participate much in the local affairs of Savu and Raijua throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth century, with Raijua engaging in trade of cattle with Makassarese merchants in violation of a VOC monopoly.[10] In 1756, the local rajas of Savu signed a contract of alliance with the VOC, but the raja of Raijua did not sign it initially.[11] James Cook, who visited Savu in 1770, wrote that Raijua could raise (a likely exaggerated figure of) 1,500 fighting men.[12] In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, the Raijua raja took part in conflicts in nearby Sumba,[13] and troops from Raijua took part in a Dutch expedition against Amanuban in West Timor.[14]

Throughout the rest of the nineteenth century, Raijua largely handled its own affairs, with limited interference from either the Dutch or neighboring polities in Savu.[15] During the late 1860s and the early 1870s, the island (along with Savu) was struck by a smallpox epidemic, which killed around half the population of both islands.[16] Late in the century, the Dutch began increasing their presence in Savu, opening schools and posting government officials, with eight schools opened by 1903. The first colonial school in Raijua was opened sometime after 1903, and before 1920.[17] Christianity also began to spread in this period, with the last raja of Raijua Paulus Lai converting sometime in the late 1910s.[18] He was discharged by the Dutch in 1918, and Raijua was subsumed into a larger Savu polity under the Dutch East Indies.[19]

Within independent Indonesia, Raijua was initially administered as part of Kupang Regency, joined along parts of Savu island in the district of West Savu. Raijua was split off as its own district in 1992.[20] In 2008, Raijua along with Savu were split off as their own administrative unit, Sabu Raijua Regency.[21] In 2021, Cyclone Seroja struck the island and caused significant damage to local infrastructure and cultural sites.[22]

Demographics

[edit]

According to the 2020 Indonesian census, Raijua (as Raijua district) had a population of 8,950,[23] an increase from 7,678 in the 2010 census and 6,578 in the 2000 census.[24][25] During the Dutch colonial period, the island had a population density of 114 per square km in 1930 (a population of over 4,000),[26] and in 1832 a Dutch report placed the island's population at 415 "able-bodied men" (around one-fourth of the population).[27] The official estimate for the population is 9,462 as of 2024, in 2,977 households.[1]

Like in Savu, Raijua is primarily inhabited by the Savu people.[28] The Raijuan people are traditionally divided up into twelve clans.[22] According to a 2016 estimate, around 82 percent of the population adheres to Protestant Christianity, and another 4 percent to Roman Catholicism with small numbers of Islam adherents. A further 12.8 percent of the population are classified as "others" in Indonesian government statistics, primarily adherents of the Jingitiu traditional religion.[29] The island has eight elementary schools, two public middle schools, and one public high school.[30][31] There is a single Puskesmas on the island,[1] and a hospital was also inaugurated but remained non-operational due to a lack of equipment as of June 2025.[32]

Economy and services

[edit]
Seaweed being dried in Raijua.
Several boats at Raijua pier, 2022.

Raijua suffers from water shortages, with each household reportedly having access to just 20 liters of water daily in 2020.[33] Traditionally, sorghum is a major crop in the island, along with lontar palm (Borassus flabellifer) trees which are sapped to make palm sugar.[33] The palm sugar was historically consumed as a dietary staple, while staple foods (sorghum or rice) were only eaten every few days.[34] In some parts of Raijua's inland areas, the soil has enough fertility to support rice cultivation.[35] To generate additional income, many women on the island weaved tenun cloths, primarily selling them to collectors. The cloths are made with imported cotton threads, and either natural or industrial dyes.[36] Weaving activities have gradually shifted from a traditional to a more commercial nature since the 1980s.[37] Sea salt is also produced from evaporation ponds in Raijua, with around 30 hectares of ponds active in 2020 and another 50 hectares being opened.[33][38]

In recent years, the expansion of seaweed farming has displaced lontar and sorghum, with the latter being mostly cultivated at higher elevations.[33] Seaweed farming had also resulted in the increased consumption of rice, subsidized by the Indonesian government and imported in exchange for seaweed products.[33][34] According to the local government, over 1,400 households in Raijua were dependent on seaweed farming in 2016, compared to 350 who worked as fishermen.[39] Local religious customs adapted to the introduced crop by naming it wawi dahi ("sea pig"), and Jingitiu religious leaders introduced restrictions on seaweed farming activities during the rainy season (due to high winds and rough seas).[40]

The primary transport link from the island to other parts of Indonesia is through a single pier – the only pier in the island. The pier can handle ships of up to 3,000 gross tons and was constructed in the 1980s.[41] In 2018, the pier was heavily damaged by high waves,[42] and the Ministry of Transport constructed a new pier which was completed sometime in 2022.[43][44] Raijua is around 1.5 hours away by sea from Savu,[33] and is served by cargo ships of the Sea Toll Program going from Ende to Savu.[45]

Raijua was classified as a "3T" (Tertinggal, Terluar, Terdepan; lit. "Undeveloped, Outlying, Frontier") island by the Government of Indonesia in 2014, resulting in additional attention for the provision of basic services.[46] PLN, the Indonesian state-owned electricity company, began to provide electricity in Raijua in 2013, following the opening of a 150 kWp solar power facility on the island.[47] As of 2025, an expansion of the island's electrical network with additional solar facilities and diesel generators was underway.[48] The state-owned telecommunications company Telkomsel operates at least one base transceiver station on Raijua, which provides some network coverage on the island.[49] Bank NTT [id], owned by the provincial government, operates a sub-branch in Raijua.[50]

Administration

[edit]
Villages/Kelurahan in Raijua. The small island in the bottom left is Dana.

As of 2024, the island is subdivided into two urban villages/subdistricts (kelurahan) and three villages:[1]

NameArea (km2)Population
(2024 est.)		Status
Ballu 2.96 1,610 Village
Bolua 9.64 1,973 Village
Ledeke 3.90 1,136 Kelurahan
Ledeunu 10.53 3,194 Kelurahan
Kolorae 9.94[b] 1,549 Village

The district office, along with the local Puskesmas and banking branch, are located in Ledeunu.[50][51][52]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Area of Raijua district, which includes the tiny uninhabited island of Dana.
  2. ↑ Includes the uninhabited island of Dana.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Kecamatan Raijua Dalam Angka 2025" (in Indonesian). Statistics Indonesia. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  2. ↑ Cohen, Saul Bernard (2008). The Columbia Gazetteer of the World: A to G. Columbia University Press. p. 3471. ISBN 978-0-231-14554-1.
  3. ↑ Sailing Directions (enroute) for Borneo, Jawa, Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara. Defense Mapping Agency. 1979. p. 163.
  4. ↑ Jones, Gavin W.; Raharjo, Yulfita (1995). People, Land and Sea: Development Challenges in Eastern Indonesia. Australian National University. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-7315-2314-6.
  5. ↑ Kagiya, Akiko (2010). Female Culture in Raijua: Ikats and Everlasting Witch-worship in Eastern Indonesia. Japan Publications Incorporated. p. 9. ISBN 978-4-8170-9008-9.
  6. 1 2 Duggan, Geneviève; Hägerdal, Hans (2018). Savu: History and Oral Tradition on an Island of Indonesia. NUS Press. pp. 126–127.
  7. ↑ "Mengenal Asal-Usul Orang Sabu". voxntt.com (in Indonesian). 12 September 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, pp. 132–133.
  9. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, p. 160.
  10. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, p. 180.
  11. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, p. 197.
  12. ↑ Fox, James J. (1977). Harvest of the Palm: Ecological Change in Eastern Indonesia. Harvard University Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-674-38111-7.
  13. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, pp. 240–245.
  14. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, p. 299.
  15. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, pp. 303–304.
  16. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, pp. 331–335.
  17. ↑ Fox 1977, pp. 165–166.
  18. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, p. 338.
  19. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, p. 374.
  20. ↑ "Peraturan Pemerintah No. 46 Tahun 1992" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Sabu Raijua Disetujui DPR Jadi Daerah Otonom". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). 26 November 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Kesakralan dan Budaya Unik Suku Ketita di Pulau Raijua NTT". Pos Kupang (in Indonesian). 4 May 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  23. ↑ "Kabupaten Sabu Raijua Dalam Angka 2021" (in Indonesian). Statistics Indonesia. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  24. ↑ "Hasil Sensus Penduduk 2010 Kabupaten Sabu Raijua Data Agregat per Kecamatan" (in Indonesian). Statistics Indonesia. 6 September 2010. p. 7. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  25. ↑ "Karakteristik Penduduk Kabupaten Kupang Hasil Sensus Penduduk 2000" (in Indonesian). Statistics Indonesia. 14 November 2001. p. 21. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  26. ↑ Fox 1977, p. 23.
  27. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, p. 270.
  28. ↑ Tryon, Darrell T. (2011). Comparative Austronesian Dictionary: An Introduction to Austronesian Studies. Walter de Gruyter. p. 243. ISBN 978-3-11-088401-2.
  29. ↑ "Agama" (in Indonesian). Sabu Raijua Regency Government. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  30. ↑ "DAFTAR SATUAN PENDIDIKAN (SEKOLAH) DIKDAS PER KEC. RAIJUA" (in Indonesian). Ministry of Education. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  31. ↑ "SMA Negeri 1 Raijua" (in Indonesian). Ministry of Education. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  32. ↑ Olla, Kosmas (4 June 2025). "Pemkab Sabu Raijua Desak Dukungan Pusat Untuk Rumah Sakit dan Tenaga Kesehatan di Daerah 3T". Koran Timor (in Indonesian). Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Emergency Response: Kekeringan Raijua, Nusa Tenggara Timur (bagian 1)". Yayasan SHEEP Indonesia (in Indonesian). 22 September 2020. Archived from the original on 8 June 2026. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  34. 1 2 Hirose, Takaki (2014). "Survival Strategies of a Society Dependent on Borassus flabellifer during the Dry Season in Raijua Island, Eastern Indonesia: Analysis of Diet, Livelihood, and Society". People and Culture in Oceania. 30: 57–72. doi:10.32174/jsos.30.0_57.
  35. ↑ Kagiya 2010, p. 81.
  36. ↑ "Kehangatan Mesra Sehelai Tenun". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). 29 September 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  37. ↑ Kagiya 2010, p. 212.
  38. ↑ "Pemda Sabu Raijua NTT Kirim 1.300 Ton Garam ke Surabaya". Pos Kupang (in Indonesian). 9 July 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  39. ↑ "Perikanan Rumput Laut & Garam" (in Indonesian). Sabu Raijua Regency Government. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  40. ↑ Duggan & Hägerdal 2018, p. 356.
  41. ↑ "Diterjang Gelombang Tinggi, Dermaga di Sabu Raijua Rusak Berat". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). 1 February 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  42. ↑ "Dermaga penyeberangan Namo segera direnovasi". Antara News NTT (in Indonesian). 22 February 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  43. ↑ "Tahun Ini, Kementerian Perhubungan RI Bangun Dermaga di Raijua". Koran NTT (in Indonesian). 28 January 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  44. ↑ "Uji Coba Sandar Kapal Berhasil, Dermaga Namo Raijua Mulai Beroperasi". Pelopor9.com (in Indonesian). 9 November 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  45. ↑ "Jadwal Tol Laut KM Sabuk Nusantara 9 Juni 2026, Sore Ini Ende ke Pulau Raijua". Pos Kupang (in Indonesian). 9 June 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  46. ↑ "Membangun Wisata Bintang di Pulau Sabu". Media Indonesia (in Indonesian). 5 December 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  47. ↑ "Lebih dari Setengah Abad Merdeka, Listrik Akhirnya Capai Raijua". beritasatu.com (in Indonesian). 13 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  48. ↑ Olla, Kosmas (4 September 2025). "Kapal Pengangkut Tiang Listrik Tiba di Sabu Raijua, Program "Sarai Terang" Mulai Direalisasikan". Koran Timor (in Indonesian). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  49. ↑ "Pelanggan Telkomsel Di Raijua Kecewa". Seputar NTT (in Indonesian). 10 November 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  50. 1 2 "BANK NTT KANTOR CABANG PEMBANTU RAIJUA" (PDF) (in Indonesian). Bank NTT. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  51. ↑ "Upacara Pengibaran Bendera Merah Putih Memperingati HUT Kemerdekaan RI ke-80 di Kecamatan Raijua". Tribrata News (in Indonesian). Indonesian National Police. 17 August 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  52. ↑ "Bupati Sabu Raijua Lantik 316 Orang ASN dan PPPK". Pos Kupang (in Indonesian). 27 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2026.

10°37′11″S 121°34′24″E / 10.61972°S 121.57333°E / -10.61972; 121.57333

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