native population of the arid and infertile island of Madura, found today on Madura, the Kangean Islands, and the adjacent coast of northeastern Java in Indonesia. Of Deutero-Malay stock, the Madurese speak two principal dialects—West Madurese (concentrated in Pamekasan) and East Madurese (most prevalent in Sumenep)—and a minor variation in the nearby Kangean Islands. The Madurese on Madura raise cattle for export and cultivate rice by irrigation. Living in farm settlements of 10–20 nuclear families, they are grouped under a headman and have a separate religious group in charge of worship. Social organization is no longer based on kinship relations but is primarily territorial. Property is usually divided equally between husband and wife.

The Madurese on Java are a major ethnic group among the many indigenous peoples of the island. Although they are organized in a rigidly stratified class system including a hereditary nobility, ethnic and social distinctions have become blurred through intermarriage. Living in densely populated areas, they have been heavily influenced by outsiders. Many have given up cultivating rice to become fishermen or sailors. Their traditional religion has been influenced in varying degrees by Christianity and Islām.