The Kei Islands, a part of Indonesia, are a small group of islands located in the Banda Sea between Irian Jaya and Australia. The inhabitants of these islands are called the Kei (or Tanimbarese), and their language is also called Kei. Although their physical features resemble those of the people of Papua New Guinea, the Kei islanders are of a very mixed ancestry. They were introduced to Islam as early as the fifteenth century, and later during Dutch rule, Christianity was brought to the islands.