ETNIS TIONGHOA DALAM DINAMIKA MASYARAKAT KEPULAUAN KEI

This research is entitled Ethnic Chinese in the dynamics of the Kei Islands community. The problems that will be studied in this study are as follows: 1) How is the process of entering the Chinese community in the Kei Islands, 2) How is the interaction between the Chinese community and the local community in the Kei Islands. To get answers to these problems, the research method used is the history which  consists off our stages, namely heuristics, verification, interpretation, and historiography using theories and other relevant social science concepts. The objectives of this study are: To explain the process of the arrival of the Chinese community in the Kei Islands and their interaction with the local community and their role in the governmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects of the Kei Islands. Thus, it is hoped that this research can enrich the historiography of the Kei ethnic Chinese in Maluku, which is still relatively small. From this research, it is known that the Chinese people in the KeiIslands have existed for a long time and are able to interact with local communities well. This can be seen from the use of the in digenous Kei clan by the Chinese community as well as the application of local culture in their lives even though these practices go hand in hand with the original Chinese traditions. Until now the Chinese community plays an important role in various sectors of life in Kei both in the economy and politics. This can be seen from the Chinese title Kei and some politicians of Chinese descent and even the former regent of the Kei Islands are of Chinese descent. Thus the Chinese peoplein Kei have considered them selves as kei people.