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View all search results‘If not now, when?’: The survival and revival of the elusive Lampung language
As many people from other regions in Indonesia migrate to Lampung, the local language strives to survive in its homeland.
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Signage: Road signs in Lampung, especially Bandar Lampung area, usually feature the native Lampung letters. (Wikimedia Commons/Adiyuza) (Wikimedia Commons/Adiyuza)
A
s many people from other regions in Indonesia migrate to Lampung, the local people strive to help the local language to survive in its homeland.
Lampung is known for its coffee, beaches and heavy Siger crowns, but almost nobody outside Lampung has ever heard of the Lampung language.
"Those who still often use the Lampung language are generally people who live in villages. It also depends on the environment," said Syapril Yamin, a local Lampung traditional-arts expert and musician who prefers to be called Mamak Lil (Uncle Lil in Lampung language).
Lampung was indeed a popular transmigration destination, which explains why Lampung people are a minority in their own land. As time goes by, the use of Lampung language is becoming increasingly limited.
"[There's less] indigenous Lampung people than the Javanese and Bantenese [in Lampung]," said Bagus S. Pribadi, an artist and musician who lives in Bandar Lampung. "Lampung people are practically 'marginalized'. They feel awkward when communicating in their local language in their own land."
Rilda Taneko, a Lampung author who now lives in the United Kingdom, shares the same view as Bagus. According to her, other tribes flocked to the region even before the New Order era because Lampung was the target of Javanese settlement, first initiated by the Dutch in 1905.
"According to the latest data from the statistics bureau, [indigenous] Lampung people only comprise 12 percent of the total population of Lampung," Rilda explained.
