Balantak, Sulawesi

Balantak is a district in the Banggai regency, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Balantak people speak Balantak language. As of 1982 there were an estimate 30,000 Balantak. Traditionally they lived in rectangular houses on stilts over are swidden fields. They raised fowl goats, rice, yams, taro, and millet. Administration was via local chiefs and the Ternate Sultanate. Ancestor worship has been a feature of their traditional religion and Christianity and Islam have been influential since the turn of the 20th century.