Yams and millet are secondary crops, and coconut is grown commercially. Nets, traps, and harpoons are used for fishing in the lakes. Cattle are commonly used for pulling heavy loads and horses for riding. Indonesia has more than eight million farmers who are without land. To aid in this situation, the government offers free land, housing, and other assistance to those who are willing to move from overcrowded areas to the less developed islands.
Gorontalese society is patrilineal, which means that lines of descent are traced through the males.
This middleman has the responsibility of negotiating the bride price for the groom, an amount that is determined by the girl's social status. Although cross cousin marriages are preferred, parallel cousin marriages do sometimes occur. Once married, a couple usually lives with the bride's mother until the first child is born. Then the couple leaves to establish their own household. Each spouse owns property separately, and only the land obtained after marriage becomes mutual property.