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Meulaboh) and in South Aceh (Capital: Tapaktuan). In these
kabupatens the Acehnese and the Aneuk Jamee mixed together
without dividing the area. Most people here are bilingual.
They speak both Acehnese and the language of Aneuk Jamee
natively. The language of Aneuk Jamee is a version of
Minangkabau spoken in the Province of West Sumatra, from
where the ancestors of the Aneuk Jamee came. The name Aneuk
Jamee is the old name given to their ancestors, meaning 'the
guest people;' from aneuk 'child, subjects, people,' and
iamee 'guest.' aneuk here probably means 'subjects,' which
might have been used by the authority at the time to refer
to these new subjects, as opposed to the indigenous
subjects.
The Acehnese also live on the islands near Banda Aceh,
especially on the islands of Weh (Sabang) and Breueh. Sabang
is a port town and has the status of "Kotamadya", which is
more or less equivalent to the rank of a kabupaten.
Besides the Acehnese, the Tamiang, and the Aneuk Jamee,
there are three other language groups living in the mainland
of Aceh: the Gayonese (the Gayo people), the Alas (the Alas
people), and the Kluet people. The Gayonese live mainly in
the kabupaten of Central Aceh (Capital: Takengon) and some
in the kabupaten of Southeast Aceh; the Alas live in the
kabupaten of Southeast Aceh (Capital: Kutacane); and the
Kluet people live in the mountain area of South Aceh. The
language of Alas has a very close similarity with the
language of Karo, a neighboring language in the Province of