Luwu Regency

Luwu is named after the Luwu Kingdom, one of the three biggest kingdoms (and the oldest one) in South Sulawesi; the other two kingdoms were Gowa-Tallo (which became Gowa Regency and Makassar) and Bone (which became Bone Regency). The name "Luwu" had been known from the 13th century when the first king of the Lontara period of Luwu was throned. In Luwu history, there are two periods; the Galigo period and the Lontara period.

The Galigo period is matched from La Galigo or I La Galigo (an ancient literature, the longest epic in the world) which founded by B.F. Matthes in 1888. By R.A. Kern, a Dutch historian, the Galigo period is described as pre-historic time. The other historians said Galigo as pseudo-history. In I La Galigo, there are three places that said; Wara, Luwu, and Wewangriu that always said as Tompotikka.

Sanusi Daeng Mattata, author of Luwu dalam Revolusi, said that Luwu word is taken from riulo which means divine extended from above. This name is related to oral tradition that sacred in Luwu. In that oral tradition said that this world is divinely extended from sky, paved, then blessed by abundant natural resources.

The origin of Luwu name is taken from other words too; malucca (Bugis Ware' Language) and malutu (Palili' Language) which both mean turbid or dark. Turbid means always full with contents like river color when flooded. Dark interpreted as forest and sago near to the beach. Then malucca and malutu become malu and then becomes luwu.

C. Salombe in his book said that word 'Lu' in Luwu is taken from 'lau' word means sea or East. Salombe said Toraja is the way of Luwu people call the people who live in mountain or West. To Raja or To Riaja means people on the highland or people in the West. Luwu or Lu is the way of Toraja people call the people who live in beach or East or lowland.

Geographically, Luwu Regency is located between 2°3’45” and 3°37’30” South Latitude and between 119°15” and 121°43’11” West Longitude. Administrative borders are:

Luwu Regency is split into two separate areas by the city of Palopo in the middle. The northern area comprises the six districts of Walenrang, Walenrang Timur (East Walenrang), Lamasi, Walenrang Utara (North Walenrang), Walenrang Barat (West Walenrang) and Lamasi Timur (East Lamasi) districts - or Walenrang and Lamasi (abbreviated as "Walmas"). The southern area comprises the remaining sixteen districts tabulated below.

Luwu regency has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round. The following climate data is for the town of Belopa, the seat of the regency.

Luwu Regency in 2010 comprised 21 administrative districts (Kecamatan), but an additional district (Bassesangtempe Utara) was subsequently created from part of Bassesangtempe District. The 22 districts are tabulated below with their populations at the 2010 census[2] and the 2020 census,[3] together with the official estimates as at mid 2022.[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of villages in each district (totaling 207 rural desa and 20 urban kelurahan), and its post code.

Note: (a) including 1 kelurahan. (b) including 4 kelurahan. (c) including 2 kelurahan.
(d) the 2010 population of the new Bassesangtempe Utara District was included in the 2010 total of Bassesangtempe District.

Some 1,000 protesters recently expressed their anger that the House of Representatives did not include the requested Central Luwu Regency, which they wanted to be separated from Luwu Regency, in the planned creation of 65 new regencies and autonomous cities, on 24 October 2014. These local residents believed Central Luwu was ready to become a separate regency, comprising the six districts of Walenrang, East Walenrang, West Walenrang, North Walenrang, Lamasi and East Lamasi. This would leave the sixteen districts located south of Palopo City to become - in effect - a South Luwu Regency.

The most known culinary in Luwu is kepurung (kapurung, pugalu, bugalu, kapeda) which is made from sago plant (Metroxylon sagu). There is dange which is made from sago too. The other culinary is pacco and bagea. Luwu is known as a fruit producer, such as durian, langsat (Lansium parasiticum), rambutan, and many others.

Luwu is the origin of the longest epic in the world, La Galigo that created before Mahabharata. Some manuscript of I La Galigo is saved in European Museums, like in Leiden University Library. I La Galigo manuscript is the story about Sawerigading and known well in Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, Gorontalo, and through Malaysia. On May 25, 2011, La Galigo manuscript in Leiden University Library was inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register affirming its world significance and outstanding universal value.