The Story Behind the Koneq-koneqe Language, Bugis Influence in the Land of Mandar

Polewali Mandar, Sulbarkita.com - The name of this language sounds interesting at first glance: koneq-koneqe. Although it is widely used by residents around the Campalagian Subdistrict, Polewali Mandar Regency, in fact this language is not native to Mandar. Rather, it is influenced by the Bugis who live in the area, and this is related to the long history of the past during the Kingdom. What's the story like?

Mandar historian Darmawan Mas'ud, as quoted from kompadansamandar.or.id explained, there used to be a village called Cempalagi, where most of the inhabitants were Bugis. Cempalagi is the name of a mountain on the coast of Bone Bay, South Sulawesi. Precisely in Mallari Village, Awangpone District, about 14 km.

One day, there was a power struggle between brothers who were eyeing the king's throne. The older brother, who is known to be proud, is said not to accept it because the residents tend to support the younger brother who is known to be kind. He even intended to kill his own younger brother.

The tension tightened, until finally the younger brother chose to defect. He fled from Cempalagi, towards the border area of ​​the Tie-tie Kingdom which was then limited by Mapili Bridge. The younger brother believed that his brother, who was in a frenzy, would not dare to enter another kingdom.

The guess is correct. There, the brother and his followers were welcomed by the Tie-tie King. Even the King of Tie-tie then gave his piece of land to the guest, which was then occupied by the crown prince Cempalagi. The area was later named Tomadio, before being changed to Campalagian. In literal terms, Tomadio means "a person who has long lived and been born with children" in that country. The title itself was given by mara'dia Tie-tie.

At that time, the King of Tie-tie placed a condition on his guests, to obey them and not secretly accumulate war power. The younger brother agreed and finally they also lived in the area. Currently, unfortunately, not so many people understand and speak the koneq-koneqe language fluently. Among the few speakers of this language, there are those who live in Bonde Village (Masigi village), Parappeq or Banua Baru Village, Passairang Village, Katumbangan Lemo Village, Buku Village, and Panyampa Village.

Even though it is in Mandar land, the characteristics of the koneq-koneqe language tend to be very different from the Mandar language. The research itself states that koneq-koneqe is the dialect of the seven Bugis languages ​​which is the product of assimilation with local people, aka Mandar. Considering this long history, it is not surprising that the people of Campalagian have their own language that is different from spoken and spoken in Mandar.

Muhammad Rahmat, in his research entitled "The Influence of the Koneq-Koneq'e Language on the Use of Indonesian in the Bonde Community, Campalagian District, Polewali Mandar Regency," stated that the koneq-koneqe language is still alive and well-preserved among Bonde residents. Although, interestingly, there has been a bit of fusion among local youth.

According to Rahmat, the young people there began to combine the koneq-koneqe spoken language they learned from their parents, with Indonesian. So that when communicating with peers, they use mixed languages, Indonesian and local. There are times when the Indonesian language is dominant, but sometimes the koneq-koneq are thicker.

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