Kisah

Kabupaten Luwu adalah sebuah kabupaten yang berada di Provinsi Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia. Kabupaten Luwu Utara, Kabupaten Luwu Timur dan Kota Palopo, merupakan hasil pemekaran wilayah Kabupaten Luwu. Saat ini, luas wilayah Kabupaten Luwu dalam data Badan Pusat Statistik 2021, yakni 2.909,08 km², dan berdasarkan data Badan Pusat Statistik 2021 jumlah penduduk Kabupaten Luwu sebanyak 365.608 jiwa, dengan kepadatan 126 jiwa/km², dan pada pertengahan tahun 2024, penduduk Luwu sebanyak 383.198 jiwa.

Sedangkan Suku Bangsa Asli kabupaten Luwu adalah:Suku Limola,Toraja bastem dan Toala Ada tiga suku, suku Toraja Bastem ini wilayanya Berada di kecamatan Basse Sangtempe, kecamatan Basse Sangtempe Utara, dan kecamatan Latimojong (Basse Sangtempe Selatan)

Kabupaten Luwu memindahkan pusat pemerintahan dari Kota Palopo ke Kecamatan Belopa, sejak tahun 2006, seiring ditetapkannya Belopa sebagai ibu kota Kabupaten Luwu berdasarkan Peraturan Pemerintah RI Nomor 80 Tahun 2005, dan diresmikan menjadi ibu kota sejak 13 Februari 2006. Pemekaran Palopo membuat Luwu menjadi salah satu kabupaten/kota di Sulawesi Selatan yang wilayahnya tidak menyatu.

Bahasa resmi instansi pemerintahan di Kabupaten Luwu adalah bahasa Indonesia. Menurut Statistik Kebahasaan 2019 oleh Badan Bahasa, terdapat satu bahasa daerah di Kabupaten Luwu, yaitu bahasa Luwu-Toraja (Tae,Toraja Sa'dan).

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."

Secara geografi Kabupaten Luwu terletak pada koordinat antara 2°3’45” sampai 3°37’30” LS dan 119°15” sampai 121°43’11” BB. Kabupaten Luwu memiliki wilayah geografis yang unik karena wilayahnya terbagi dua yang dipisahkan oleh sebuah daerah otonom yakni Kota Palopo, ada pun daerah yang terpisah tersebut adalah wilayah Walenrang dan Lamasi atau yang juga dikenal dengan sebutan WALMAS.

Batas wilayah kabupaten Luwu antara lain;