Story

A heroic symbol against colonialism in Downtown Palopo.

Luwu Regency (Kabupaten Luwu in Indonesian) is a regency in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. On 20 April 1999, the northern districts of the original regency were separated to form North Luwu Regency. Subsequently, on 25 February 2003, some districts of North Luwu Regency were further split off to establish East Luwu Regency. Additionally, the former capital of Luwu Regency, Palopo, was designated as an independent municipality (city) on 10 April 2002, splitting the residual area of the regency into two geographically separate sections.

The current Luwu Regency covers a land area of 3,000.25 km2. It had a population of 287,472 at the 2010 Census and 365,608 at the 2020 Census. The official population estimate as of mid 2025 was 391,114 (comprising 197,342 males and 193,772 females). The administrative capital is now located in Belopa.

The first regent of the reduced Luwu Regency was H. M. Basmin Mattayang, who served from 2004 to 2009. He was succeeded by Ir. H. Andi Mudzakkar, who became regent following Luwu's first direct election and served from 2009 to 2014. Mudzakkar was re-elected for a second five-year term in 2014. In 2019, Drs. H. M. Basmin Mattayang, M.Pd., returned as regent for a second term. On 21 February 2024, Muhammad Saleh assumed the position of regent.

Luwu is the origin of La Galigo, the longest epic in the world, created before the Mahabharata. Some manuscripts of La Galigo are preserved in European museums, including the Leiden University Library. The La Galigo manuscript tells the story of Sawerigading and is well-known in Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, Gorontalo, and throughout Malaysia. On 25 May 2011, the La Galigo manuscript in the Leiden University Library was inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, recognizing its world significance and outstanding universal value.

Luwu derives its name from the Luwu Kingdom, one of the three largest and oldest kingdoms in South Sulawesi. The other two were the Gowa-Tallo Kingdom (which later became Gowa Regency and Makassar) and the Bone Kingdom (which became Bone Regency). The name "Luwu" has been known since the 13th century when the first king of the Lontara period of Luwu was crowned. The history of Luwu is divided into two periods: the Galigo period and the Lontara period.

The Galigo period is named after La Galigo or I La Galigo, an ancient literary work considered the longest epic in the world. It was discovered by B.F. Matthes in 1888. According to R.A. Kern, a Dutch historian, the Galigo period represents a pre-historic era. However, other historians have described La Galigo as pseudo-history. In I La Galigo, three places are frequently mentioned: Wara, Luwu, and Wewangriu, which are collectively referred to as Tompotikka.

Sanusi Daeng Mattata, the author of Luwu dalam Revolusi, stated that the name "Luwu" is derived from riulo, which means "divinely extended from above." This name is linked to a sacred oral tradition in Luwu. According to this tradition, the world was divinely extended from the sky, prepared, and blessed with abundant natural resources.

The origin of the name "Luwu" is also linked to the words malucca (from the Bugis Ware' language) and malutu (from the Palili' language), both of which mean "turbid" or "dark." Turbid refers to being full of content, like the color of a river during a flood, while dark symbolizes forests and sago plants near the coast. Over time, malucca and malutu evolved into malu, which eventually became Luwu.

C. Salombe, in his book, stated that the word "Lu" in "Luwu" is derived from the word lau, which means "sea" or "east." Salombe explained that the people of Luwu refer to those living in the mountains or the west as "Toraja." The term To Raja or To Riaja translates to "people of the highlands" or "people in the west." Conversely, the Toraja people refer to those living near the coast, in the east, or in the lowlands as "Luwu" or "Lu."

Luwu regency has a tropical rainforest climate (Af), characterized by heavy to very heavy rainfall throughout the year. The following climate data is for Belopa, the seat of the regency.