Sikka Regency

Sikka is a regency within East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, on the island of Flores.^[2] It is bordered to the west by Ende Regency and to the east by East Flores Regency. It covers an area of 1,675.36 km² and has a population around 340 thousand people. The capital is the town of Maumere, which comprises the districts of Alok Barat, Alok and Alok Timur (although the last two also include a number of inhabited islands to the north of Flores such as Besar and Babi).

Prior to Indonesian independence, much of the present-day regency was part of the Kingdom of Sikka.^[3] The founding of the kingdom, associated with its first raja's adoption of Catholicism, is generally celebrated as 1607.^[4] The kingdom was initially centered in Sikka Natar on the south coast, today the village of Sikka in Lela district of the regency.^[5] The kingdom from its outset was strongly influenced by the Portuguese, in particular "Black Portuguese" residing in Timor. Portuguese colonial authorities transferred Sikka, along with its remaining holdings in Flores, to the Dutch East Indies in 1859.^[6]

The Dutch would establish a new seat of government in Maumere, and by the late 1910s the raja of Sikka had also moved there.^[5] Dutch rule also saw the formation of two smaller kingdoms, Kangae and Nita, coupled with the secession of Lio-speaking areas to the southwest of Sikka into its own polity sometime prior to 1859.^[7] These polities would be reannexed into Sikka by the late 1920s.^[8]

Sikka remained as an autonomous region within independent Indonesia until the death of its raja in 1952, which ended legal powers of the kingdom.^[9] Following administrative reorganization of the Lesser Sunda Islands in 1958, Sikka was formed as a regency in East Nusa Tenggara.^[3] However, the raja retained political influence and cultural authority, leading to pushback against republicanism in Sikka throughout the 1950s and 1960s.^[10] There was also conflict between the Catholic Party and the Communist Party, and following the 30 September movement in Jakarta local communist leaders were prosecuted and massacred.^[11]

Sikka was heavily impacted by the 1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami, especially its northern coastal regions and outlying islands. Out of around 2,500 dead in the disaster, 1,490 were from Maumere and another 700 were from Sikka's Babi Island.^[12]

The diocese of Maumere, which is coterminous with Sikka Regency, was established on 14 December 2005.^[13]

The regency is divided into twenty-one districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 census^[14] and the 2020 census,^[15] together with the official estimates as at mid 2024.^[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 147 rural desa and 13 urban kelurahan - the latter all in the three "Alok" districts which include Maumere town), and its post code.

Notes: (a) Palu'e is an island district, situated off the north coast of Flores.
(b) includes the offshore islands of Pulau Pemana Besar and Pulau Pemana Kecil (with a combined population of 4,917 in mid 2023) and, further north, Pulau Sukun or Samparong (with a population of 1,020 in mid 2023).
(c) comprises 4 kelurahan (Kabor, Kota Uneng, Madawat and Nangalimang) and 3 desa.
(d) comprising four kelurahan (Hewuli, Wailiti, Wolomarang and Wuring).
(e) includes the offshore islands of Pulau Koja or Pulau Besar (with 3,038 inhabitants in mid 2023), Pulau Parumaan (with 1,900 inhabitants in mid 2023 - including Pulau Pangabatan, Pulau Mermaan and Pulau Dambila) - and (further northeast) Pulau Babi.
(f) comprising five kelurahan (Beru, Kota Baru, Nangameting, Waioti and Wairotang) and five desa (including three on the offshore islands).

A small Sikka region (non administrative) called Iwangeté or Iwang Geté encompasses the villages of Watublapi (Hewokloang district),^[37] Héwokloang, Kloangpopot (Doreng district),^[38][39] Hale (Mapitara district), and Hebingare (and quite a few others in between). Krowe is another name for this area, although neither names are quite accurate. People of this area produce a very distinctive ikat cloth: the widest bands (called ina geté) bear such motifs as lizard (teké), a circular motif seen on some antique plates (pigan uben), spinning wheel (jata selér) and pineapple flower (petan puhun).^[40]

According to the 2020 Indonesian census, Sikka has a population of 321,953 people, an increase from 300,328 in the 2010 census.^[41] The mid-2024 estimate for the population is 346,614 (comprising 168,616 males and 177,998 females). Out of this, 97,679 are below 15 years old, while 26,972 are 65 years or older.^[1]

In terms of religious affiliation, Sikka is comparable with the rest of Flores with Catholicism being the dominant religion, adhered to by 84.25 percent of the population as of 2024 according to Statistics Indonesia. This is followed by Islam at 14.16 percent and Protestant Christianity at 1.43 percent, respectively.^[42] The Catholic News Agency reported that Sikka (as the Diocese of Maumere) had just over 300 thousand Catholics.^[43] This made Sikka the regency with the second-largest number of Catholics across Indonesia, behind Manggarai.^[44] The Muslim population are largely affiliated with Muhammadiyah, which had established a number of schools across Sikka.^[45]

The indigenous people of Sikka in mainland Flores identify with three ethnic groups: the Lio-speaking Ata Lio inhabiting western Sikka along with the Sikka-speaking Ata Krowe in the central parts and Ata Tana Ai in the eastern parts.^[46] The Bajau people also inhabit parts of northern Sikka along with some of the smaller islands in the regency,^[47] while the Palu'e people inhabit Palue Island.^[48] Significant migrant populations include Buginese, Makassarese, Mandarese, Chinese, and Javanese.^[49]

As with other Indonesian regencies, the municipal government consists of an elected bupati (regent) serving five-year terms and a Regional House of Representatives (DPRD).^[50] As of the 2024–2029 term, the DPRD has 35 members elected from three districts, with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle holding the most seats (5).^[51] The regent for the 2025–2030 term is Juventus Prima Yoris Kago.^[52]

• D.P.C. Ximenes da Silva (1958–1960)^[53]
• Paulus Samador da Cunha (1960–1967)
• Laurensius Say (1967–1977)
• Daniel Woda Palle (1977–1988)
• Avelinus Maschur Conterius (1988–1993)
• Alexander Idong (1993–1998)
• Paulus Moa (1998–2003)
• Alexander Longginus (2003–2008)
• Sosimus Mitang (2008–2013)
• Yoseph Ansar Rera (2013–2018)
• Fransiskus Roberto Diogo (2018–2023)
• Juventus Prima Yoris Kago (2025–present)

• Sikka people
• Sikka language
• Palu island
• Rokatenda
• Maumere
• 1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami
• Babi Island