Madurese

Madurese, native population of the arid and infertile island of Madura, Indonesia. Today the majority of the Madurese population lives not on Madura but on the northeastern coast of the adjacent island of Java. They also live in large numbers on the nearby Kangean Islands as well as in western and southern Borneo (Kalimantan) . At the turn of the 21st century, the Madurese population amounted to about 6.8 million.

The Madurese speak an Austronesian language with two principal dialects—West Madurese, concentrated near the town of Pamekasan, south-central Madura, and East Madurese, most prevalent around the town of Sumenep in Madura’s eastern region—and a minor variant in the Kangean Islands. The Madurese on Madura raise cattle for export and cultivate rice by irrigation. Living in farm settlements of 10–20 nuclear families, they are grouped under a headman and have a separate religious group in charge of worship. Social organization is no longer based on kinship relations but is primarily territorial. Property is usually divided equally between husband and wife.

On Java the Madurese have largely blended with the surrounding indigenous communities through intermarriage. Often living in densely populated areas there, many have given up cultivating rice to pursue maritime professions. As a whole, the Madurese are recognized as devout Muslims, although their practice of Islam is strongly coloured with local beliefs and traditions.