Gorontalo

Gorontalo was a kingdom on the northern arm of Celebes, with an early town at Hulawa on the Bolango River. In 1337 its court followed local beliefs; in the fourteenth century King Ilahudu was said to have united seventeen hill chiefdoms.

In the early sixteenth century King Amai adopted Islam and the title of sultan, while King Ilato built Otanaha fortress in 1522. By 1525 northern Celebes was divided among Muslim states. Gorontalo later came under Dutch East India Company administration, and forced labour in the eighteenth century drove people to Ternate, Ambon and Banggai.