# Mamasa Regency

Mamasa Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Mamasa), covering a land area of 3,005.88 km$^2$ with it's capital at Mamasa city, is the only inland regency without a coast among the six regencies that make up the West Sulawesi (Sulawesi Barat) Province on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The Mamasa people, a sub-group of the Toraja people, form the most common ethnic group. Despite being the home to the Gandang Dewata National Park, the regency has immense untapped tourism potential hindered by the political apathy towards developing the transport and tourism infrastructure, which is keeping the local populace in poverty.

## 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.
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.
The first Europeans to visit the island (which they believed to be an archipelago due to its contorted shape) were the Portuguese sailors Simão de Abreu in 1523, and Gomes de Sequeira (among others) 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.
Mamasa Regency used to be part of Polewali Mamasa Regency, a former Indonesian 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: Polewali 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 (formerly called Celebes). Within the West Sulawesi Province, the Mamasa Regency lies on the central-west side, with Mamuju Regency to it's 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 (Af) that closely borders a subtropical highland climate (Cfb) with moderate rainfall in August and September and heavy rainfall in the remaining months.
Climate data for Mamasa :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.5 (74.3) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.1 (71.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.8 (74.8) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.4 (74.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 19.3 (66.7) | 19.3 (66.7) | 19.5 (67.1) | 19.5 (67.1) | 19.8 (67.6) | 19.0 (66.2) | 18.3 (64.9) | 19.0 (66.2) | 19.2 (66.6) | 20.1 (68.2) | 19.8 (67.6) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.3 (66.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) | 15.4 (59.7) | 15.5 (59.9) | 15.5 (59.9) | 16.1 (61.0) | 15.5 (59.9) | 14.6 (58.3) | 14.8 (58.6) | 14.7 (58.5) | 15.4 (59.7) | 15.6 (60.1) | 15.5 (59.9) | 15.3 (59.6) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 228 (9.0) | 234 (9.2) | 237 (9.3) | 287 (11.3) | 251 (9.9) | 196 (7.7) | 125 (4.9) | 116 (4.6) | 99 (3.9) | 129 (5.1) | 205 (8.1) | 229 (9.0) | 2,336 (92) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org ||||||||||||||

## 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 (74.78% Protestant and 3.05% Catholic), 17.30% Muslims, 4.85% as Hindus (1.53% Balinese Hindus and 3.34% "Ada' Mappurondo" and "Aluk To Dolo" which are the native animist belief as part of Hinduism in Indonesia).
"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" ("Way of the Ancestors") 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 (646 Protestant and 49 Catholic), 129 mosques, 45 Hindu religious buildings (26 Balinese Hindu Pura temples and 19 "Ada' Mappurondo" prayer rooms).

### Population

The Mamasa Regency's official population was 170,354 (87,722 males and 83,632 females) in mid 2023, 163,383 (83,928 males and 79,455 females) during the 2020 Census, and 140,082 at 2010 censuses.

## Administration

The Mamasa Regency is divided into 17 kecamatan (districts) covering 13 kelurahan (urban villages or towns) and 168 desa (rural villages), which are listed below with their areas and their populations.
| Kode Wilayah | Name of District (kecamatan) | Area in km$^2$ | 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 (USD9.5 million) 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.

## Issues
### Impact of lack of transport infrastructure

Mamasa Regency, a mountainous region within West Sulawesi, faces significant transportation challenges primarily due to its underdeveloped road infrastructure. The mountainous terrain further compounds these challenges, making road development and maintenance particularly difficult. The area relies heavily on roads, yet a substantial portion of the network remains in poor condition. Specifically, data from 2013 research reveals that only 11% of roads were asphalted, while a concerning 58% were classified as being in very poor condition. This deficiency directly impacts accessibility and the region's tourism potential, hindering both economic activities and the daily lives of residents. Connecting Mamasa to other key areas, such as Polewali Mandar Regency, Mamuju and Tanah Toraja, is vital for trade and travel, but the poor condition of these roads severely limits the potential for growth. While research indicates a positive correlation between road infrastructure expenditure and economic growth in Mamasa, the current state of the road network acts as a significant impediment.