Mamasa Regency
Mamasa Regency, covering a land area of 3,005.88 km2 with its capital at Mamasa city, is the only inland regency without a coast among the six regencies that make up the West Sulawesi Province on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The Mamasa people, a sub-group of the Toraja people, form the most common ethnic group.
History
Pre-history
The oldest evidence for humans on Sulawesi are stone tools produced by archaic humans, dating from over 200,000 to 100,000 years ago, that were found at the Talepu site in southwestern Sulawesi.Hindu-Buddhist era
In 1367, several identified polities located on the island were mentioned in the Javanese manuscript Nagarakretagama dated from the Majapahit period. Canto 14 mentioned polities including Gowa, Makassar, Luwu and Banggai. It seems that by the 14th century, polities in the island were connected in an archipelagic maritime trading network, centered in the Majapahit port in East Java. By 1400, a number of nascent agricultural principalities had arisen in the western Cenrana valley, as well as on the south coast and on the west coast near modern Parepare.Christian colonial era
The first Europeans to visit the island were the Portuguese sailors Simão de Abreu in 1523, and Gomes de Sequeira in 1525, sent from the Moluccas in search of gold, which the islands had the reputation of producing. A Portuguese base was installed in Makassar in the first decades of the 16th century, lasting until 1665, when it was taken by the Dutch. The Dutch had arrived in Sulawesi in 1605 and were quickly followed by the English, who established a factory in Makassar. From 1660, the Dutch were at war with Gowa, the major Makassar west coast power. In 1669, Admiral Speelman forced the ruler, Sultan Hasanuddin, to sign the Treaty of Bongaya, which handed control of trade to the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch were aided in their conquest by the Bugis warlord Arung Palakka, ruler of the Bugis kingdom of Bone. The Dutch built a fort at Ujung Pandang, while Arung Palakka became the regional overlord and Bone the dominant kingdom. Political and cultural development seems to have slowed as a result of the status quo.Post-independence era
Mamasa Regency used to be part of Polewali Mamasa Regency, a former Indonesian regencies and cities of Indonesia|Regency] that used to be part of South Sulawesi but later became part of West Sulawesi province. In 2002, the regency was split into two smaller regencies: Mandar Regency">Mandar people">Mandar Regency which is located on the sea-side region, and Mamasa Regency on the mountain area. Polewali Mandar is mainly inhabited by the Mandar ethnic group, while Mamasa is home to the Mamasa people, who are related to the ethnic group Mamasa.Geography
The Mamasa Regency is located at an altitude of 600–2,000 metres above sea level. The West Sulawesi Province, with 6 regencies including Mamasa Regency, lies on the west side of Sulawesi Island. Within the West Sulawesi Province, the Mamasa Regency lies on the central-west side, with Mamuju Regency to its north and northwest, Majene Regency on the southwest, and Polewali Mandar Regency to the southwest. The entire east side of Mamasa Regency has a border with the South Sulawesi Province, mostly with the Tana Toraja Regency and a small southeastern border with Pinrang Regency.Climate
Mamasa has a tropical rainforest climate that closely borders a subtropical highland climate with moderate rainfall in August and September and heavy rainfall in the remaining months.Demographics
Ethnic groups
The original inhabitants of Mamasa Regency are the Mamasa people, which is a sub-group of the Toraja people. Because the province of West Sulawesi was a division of the province of South Sulawesi, some of the indigenous people of South Sulawesi also live in West Sulawesi, and their largest ethnic groups are the Bugis and Makassar. There are also other immigrant ethnic groups such as the Javanese and Balinese.Religion
Mamasa Regency has diversity of ethnicities, religions, races and customs. Based on Ministry of Home Affairs 2020 data from Statistics Indonesia, Mamasa Regency has 77.83% Christian, 17.30% Muslims, 4.85% as Hindus."Aluk To Dolo" is primarily associated with the Toraja people of Tana Toraja. "Ada' Mappurondo" is primarily associated with the Mamasa people of Mamasa Regency who are subset of Toraja people. The Indonesian government has recognised Toraja and Mamasa's Pre-Christian Pre-Islamic native indigenous animistic belief "Ada' Mappurondo" and "Aluk To Dolo" as the "Hindu Alukta" a form of Hinduism. "Mangngaro traditional ceremonies" of Mamasa people of Sulawesi is a cultural practice entailing a series of activities offering spiritual gratitude to individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to Mamasa society, often involving re-wrapping the body of the deceased.
There were 795 Christian churches, 129 mosques, 45 Hindu religious buildings.
Population
The Mamasa Regency's official population was 170,354 in mid 2023, 163,383 during the 2020 Census, and 140,082 at 2010 censuses.Administration
The Mamasa Regency is divided into 17 kecamatan covering 13 kelurahan and 168 desa, which are listed below with their areas and their populations.| Kode Wilayah | Name of District | Area in km2 | Pop'n Census 2010 | Pop'n Census 2020 | Pop'n Estimate mid 2023 | Admin centre | No. of desa | No. of kelurahan |
| 76.03.06 | Sumarorong | 254.00 | 9,580 | 11,926 | 12,676 | Sumarorong | 8 | 2 |
| 76.03.07 | Messawa | 150.88 | 7,090 | 7,595 | 7,816 | Messawa | 8 | 1 |
| 76.03.04 | Pana | 181.27 | 8,552 | 9,797 | 10,164 | Pana | 12 | 1 |
| 76.03.13 | Nosu | 113.33 | 4,276 | 5,092 | 5,343 | Nosu | 6 | 1 |
| 76.03.10 | Tabang | 304.51 | 5,890 | 6,941 | 7,261 | Tabang | 6 | 1 |
| 76.03.03 | Mamasa | 250.07 | 22,541 | 26,053 | 27,099 | Mamasa | 11 | 1 |
| 76.03.09 | Tanduk Kalua | 120.85 | 9,984 | 11,514 | 11,969 | Minake | 11 | 1 |
| 76.03.12 | Balla | 59.53 | 6,017 | 7,260 | 7,647 | Balla Satanetean | 8 | - |
| 76.03.08 | Sesena Padang | 152.70 | 7,709 | 9,191 | 9,647 | Orobua | 10 | - |
| 76.03.14 | Tawalian | 45.99 | 6,210 | 8,832 | 9,431 | Tawalian | 3 | 1 |
| 76.03.01 | Mambi | 142.66 | 9,295 | 10,305 | 10,652 | Mambi | 11 | 2 |
| 76.03.11 | Bambang | 136.17 | 10,312 | 11,720 | 12,132 | Galung | 20 | - |
| 76.03.15 | Rantebulahan Timur | 31.87 | 5,682 | 6,093 | 6,201 | Salumpkanan | 8 | - |
| 76.03.17 | Mehalaan | 162.43 | 3,857 | 4,254 | 4,365 | Mehalaan | 11 | - |
| 76.03.02 | Aralle | 173.96 | 6,584 | 8,359 | 8,935 | Aralle | 11 | 1 |
| 76.03.16 | Buntu Malangka | 211.71 | 6,691 | 7,062 | 7,155 | Sodangan | 11 | - |
| 76.03.05 | Tabulahan | 513.95 | 9,812 | 11,389 | 11,861 | Lakahang | 13 | 1 |
| Totals | 3,005.88 | 140,082 | 163,383 | 170,354 | Mamasa | 168 | 13 |
Tourism
Home to the Gandang Dewata National Park, several waterfalls and ecotourism locations, the regency has immense untapped tourism potential hindered by the political apathy towards developing the transport and tourism infrastructure, hence keeping the local populace in poverty.Transport
There is only one airport, no rail transport or designated national and state highways in Mamasa Regency: local transport is mainly through shared jeeps.West Sulawesi's transportation sector shows mixed trends, with a tiny non-growing aviation sector and growing shipping sector.
Road Transport
Only 11% of roads were asphalted and the remaining 58% were very poor condition in 2013.Sumarorong Airport
The Sumarorong Airport, Bandar Udara Sumarorong in Indonesian, developed from an earlier dirt airstrip to a 700-meter paved runway in 2012, and further expanded to a 1,500-meter runway in 2013 at the cost of IDR107 billion for wide-body aircraft operations. Scheduled commercial flight operations ceased in 2016 due to low passenger numbers, but resumed in November 2020. Earlier, the overland transport route to the nearest major commercial hub of Makassar city used to take 8 hours, flights from Mamasa to Makasar's Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport take only 1 hour, from where international flights are available.The nearest other airport is Tampa Padang Airport in Mamuju Regency.