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Helong people are one of the indigenous inhabitants of Timor Island in Indonesia. Most of them live in Kupang Regency, namely in West Kupang and Central Kupang; and some also settled in Flores and Semau Island. Their livelihoods are mainly farming, hunting, fishing, and making traditional crafts.
They speak a native language called Helong language, which has two dialects, the Helong Semau dialect and the Eastern Land Helong dialect. Helong speakers are found in four villages on the South-Western coast of West Timor, as well as on Semau, a small island just off the coast of West Timor.Steinhauer, Hein. Synchronic Metathesis and Apocope in Three Austronesian Languages of the Timor Area. Thesis. Leiden University, 1996. Retrieved 2017-3-7.
The basic Helong family system is a nuclear family, which then joins into a limited larger family ( ngalo). Some ngalo joins to form a clan ( ingu) which is led by a clan leader ( koka ana). In terms of social strata, the traditional Helong community was divided into three layers, the nobility ( usif), ordinary people ( tob), and slaves ( ata).
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