Rejang

Rejang, tribe inhabiting Bengkulu province, southern Sumatra, Indonesia, on the upper course of the Musi River. Of Proto-Malay stock and numbering about 238,000 in the late 20th century, they speak a Malayo-Polynesian dialect called Rejang, whose written form is of Indian origin, predating Islāmization and its introduction of Arabic characters. Organized into four major patriclans having a common mythical origin, the Rejang belong to localized, kin-based communities. In addition, village communities, each led by an...