Who are the Gayo?

The Gayo people mostly live in Central Aceh Regency and Southeast Aceh Regency while a small number live in East Aceh Regency. Their homeland is the Gayo Highlands of the passes of the Bukit Barisan mountain range. The Gayo are close neighbors to the radical Islamic Aceh people, and for a period of time in the past, the sultans of Aceh conquered the Gayo region and forced the small villages into slavery.

Their language is Gayo with two dialects, Gayo Lut and Gayo Luwes. The Gayo do not have a written language. Folk tales and oral stories are passed down in the form of poetry.

What are their lives like?

The main source of income for the Gayo people is farming with the main crop being coffee. Other sources of income are fishing and gathering forest products. They also have developed skill in ceramics, weaving mats and weaving cloth. Another handicraft, called Kerawang Gayo, that has received a lot of attention, is embroidery with gold designs.

The traditional Gayo house, which is made of wood and palm thatch, is called an umah. Several related families live together in this type of house. There is also the meresah where boys over the age of 8, bachelors, widowers and male visitors spend the night. This is also used for studying and religious activities.

Gayo arts include saman and didong, which are mixtures of movement, literature, poetry and singing. Apart from entertainment and recreation, these arts have ritual, educational and informational functions, as well as being a means of maintaining balance in the social structure.

The Gayo marriage pattern calls for marriage outside one’s own family. Despite that, marriage between cousins is not forbidden. Most men marry women from the same area so that the woman’s family can continue to look after her. This also reduces the man’s risk in marriage since he will already know the woman he is marrying. A first marriage must be approved by both families (polygamy is not forbidden, but rarely occurs).

What do they believe?

The Gayo people are mostly Muslim, but their understanding and conviction are lacking. This can be seen in the dearth of mosques in the area. Most Gayo still believe in good and bad spirits and holy men both dead and alive. They also continue to worship and make offerings to them."

What are their needs?

The Gayo need medical workers to improve health conditions, as local understanding about health matters is very low. The national government has not provided much assistance in the form of Indonesian health care workers, but still refuses permission for foreign medical workers to fill the vacuum.

The Gayo also need educators, especially mathematics and science teachers for senior high school. They also need more educational facilities such as libraries. In addition, agricultural extension officers are needed to teach the Gayo how to improve their agriculture methods.