Mythologies of the Nagekeo Tribe

Nagekeo Regency (sometimes written as Nagé Kéo) is a regency on the island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia, comprising the territory of the Nage people in the south (in Mauponggo, Keo Tengah, Nangaroro and Boawae Districts) and of the Kéo people in the north (in Aesesa, Aesesa Selatan and Wolowae Districts). It covers an area of 1,398.08 km² and had a population of 130,120 at the 2010 Census, and 159,732 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 168,355 (comprising 83,187 males and 85,168 females). The regency was established on 2 January 2007 by separation of the former eastern districts from Ngada Regency; it has its administrative seat (capital) in the town of Mbay on the north coast of Flores, in Aesesa District. It is bordered to the west by the residual Ngada Regency and to the east by Ende Regency, while to the north is the Flores Sea and to the south is the Savu Sea. Nagekeo Regency is divided into seven districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2024. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 97 rural desa and 16 urban kelurahan), and its postal codes. In August 2011, Due to long dry season at the location, Australian saltmaker Cheetam Saltworks Ltd. is considering opening a plant in Nagekeo Regency with investment $15 million on a 1,500-hectare plot plus $6 million to build a port and would employ 1,600 people.

Kabupaten Nagekeo has separated from Ngada in 2007. The capital (ibu kota) Mbay is a small and hot town in the north. Actually the name Nagekeo is a combination of Nage in the north and Keo in the southern half. A big part of the regency is dry and fresh water is sometimes a problem for the inhabitants. Mbay is only 75 minutes away from Riung (for the Marine Park 17 islands) but it is more lively. Mbay has a few decent hotels and you can take the jalan tengah, a beautiful road Mbay-Boawae (if heading for Bajawa). You will have wonderful views on Ebulobo volcano. The road from Aegela to Mbay is another beauty. Sunset is between 5:50 and 6:25 pm (depending on the time of the year) coming from the south heading to Mbay, the valley is in front of you with a red-pink-orange sky if you are lucky. Most people rush through Nagekeo on their way from Moni or Ende to Riung at the northcoast. It seems a nothing to see regency also due to lack of information but there are some interesting things to see. Although Nagekeo is one of the less visited regencies it definitely has competitive attractions like the roads Aegela to Mbay and Boawae to Mbay (jalan tengah). The traditional village Tutubhada is just off the same road. Nunungongo and Boamara village a few kilometers from the mainroad. Another traditional village is Kawa, around 7 kilometers from the mainroad Aegela to Mbay, the last part is on foot around 15-20 minutes. The weekly market in Boawae is on Wednesday and worth a visit. Coming from Ende turn left in Nangaroro to head for Tonggo for a greystone empty beach with coconut trees. No tourists here. Wajo Village is a traditional village in the deep south of Nagekeo. To get here, take the road at the junction in Raja between Aegela and Boawae which leads to Maunori at the southcoast. Best to ask locals. It takes an hour to get there from the mainroad. The road is small but ok for the first 20 minutes and leads over a mountain ridge with fantastic views. Then the adventurous part begins.... with potholes and mud. The good news is that it is already better than 8 years ago. The houses are built in a circle around the traditional centre on a low hill. Tourist seldom visit Wajo because of the acces. So you will be the talk of the day. Life is simple here, far away from the "city". Women are collecting palmtree leafs, wood for cooking and betelnuts are drying in the sun. Every year in June they celebrate Ngagha Mere with their traditional music with ndoto, the instrument made of bamboo. During the festival ubi, sweet potatoe is the main menu.

The Nage are an indigenous people living on the eastern Indonesian islands of Flores (chiefly in the eponymous Nagekeo Regency), and Timor. They are descended from the indigenous population of Flores. They are largely assimilated by the neighboring people. They speak Nage, one of the major languages in the Austronesian languages group. The Nage people mainly engaged in manual slash-and-burn farming (tubers, rice, corn), hunting and gathering. Until the middle of the 20th century, communal land ownership with large families participation were still preserved. They live in cumulus-type settlements, located on the slopes of mountains and surrounded by stone walls. Houses are piled up in rectangular position and connected by an open gallery into a single complex, which is intended for joint residence of several large families. The clothes of the Nage people are loincloth and skirt or kain. Women fasten it over the breast, and men around the waist. The diet is dominated by plant based foods (cooked groats and tubers with spicy seasoning), while meat is eaten only on holidays. Agrarian cults have survived and are still being practiced. Before the sowing, rites of cleansing the field and the grains of rice will be performed on the first new moon, before the start of cultivating the fields. In 1940, Officer Louis Fontijne produced a Dutch Colonial Service study entitled Grondvoogden in Kelimado (Guardians of the land in Kelimado), Kelimado being a region included in the Nage district of central Flores. Commissioned as an investigation of indigenous land tenure and leadership, the study was the only comprehensive description of Nage society and culture produced during the colonial period. In 1983, anthropologist Gregory Forth renewed interest in the tribe, revisiting the islands while seeking a copy of Fontijne's complete study. Forth has also hypothesized a possible connection between the local stories of the Ebu Gogo, a creature in Nage mythology,^[7] and the discovery of Homo floresiensis, a possible species of extinct hominid, hence a renewed interest in the tribe.