Lontara alphabet

The Lontara script is a Brahmic script traditionally used for the Bugis, Makassarese, and Mandar languages of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is also known as the Buginese script, as Lontara documents written in this language are the most numerous. It was largely replaced by the Latin alphabet during the period of Dutch colonization, though it is still used today to a limited extent. The term Lontara is derived from the Malay name for palmyra palm, lontar, whose leaves are traditionally used for manuscripts. In Buginese, this script is called urupu sulapa eppa which means "four-cornered letters", referencing the Bugis-Makasar belief of the four elements that shaped the universe: fire, water, air, and earth.