Portraying the Spirit’s Personality to Minahasan Christian with its Ancestral Spirits Tradition Hues

This essay attempts to portray the Spirit's personality to Minahasan Christian with its ancestral spirits tradition. Minahasan culture contains rich beliefs and rituals relate to ancestral spirits activities. This work prepares Minahasan Christian's practice such as kampetan, foso, mu'kur, and mumper together with the Spirit's personality throughout the Scripture. In the next stage, the Spirit's personality seeks an opportunity to engage with Minahasan Christian. However, intelligence, wisdom, and skill of the Spirit share possibility and constructive contribution toward ancestral spirit beliefs of Minahasan Christian. On the flip side, Minahasan culture openly receives works, characters, features, and impacts rather than a real figure and appearance of the Spirit. In conclusion, the Spirit's personality is not in conflict with the indigenous tradition. In contrast, it offers a new perspective and acts as a companion or partner of ancestral spirits tradition.

ARSITEKTUR RELIGI PESTA TIWAH DAYAK NGAJU SEBAGAI DAYA TARIK WISATA BUDAYA DI KALIMANTAN TENGAH

Title: The Religious Architecture of Tiwah Feast among Dayak Ngaju as Cultural Tourism Attractions in Central Kalimantan The belief to a transcendent space among Dayak Ngaju people, especially for Kaharingan believers in Central Kalimantan, leads to the Tiwah Feast, a secondary funeral ceremony to transmit the soul of the dead to a celestial realm called The Lewu Tatau. The Tiwah Feast manifests in many meaningfulness of sacred symbols. There are certain rules in the implementation, particularly on the physical symbols and its religious architectures. This article emphasize the uniqueness of the symbols on the religious architecture of Tiwah Feast, which has the potential to become tourist attraction in the development of cultural tourism products. Using qualitative methods, data obtained through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation, in two different locations, in Tumbang Koling and Ramang Village. Sacred symbols on its religious architecture include Sapundu and Sandong. A sapundu manifests in the form of a human or animal figure, regarding to the personification of the ancestral spirit. It shows the way for the soul towards Lewu Tatau. Meanwhile, Sandong is a secondary burial coffin to put the ancestral bones. The construction and architecture should concern on foundation, size, height, carvings, and ornaments. This local wisdom is potential to be developed as a cultural tourism attraction. However, the sacredness of the Tiwah Feast must be maintained and preserved from cultural commercialization and commodification issues.

Náápi’s Place

This chapter provides an overview of Blackfoot origins and life on the northwest plains prior to the eighteenth century. Blackfoot people credit the ancestral spirit Náápi, or Old Man, with the creation of the northwest plains landscape, where they have lived for millennia at least. The Blackfoot developed durable religious traditions, hunting and gathering practices, and diplomatic connections that long sustained their way of life. Beginning in the 1720s, the arrival of horses and European metal goods through trade networks of Indigenous “middlemen” disrupted their traditional practices but also provided new opportunities that many Blackfoot people embraced. The concurrent arrival of horses and metal goods also led to increased conflict and warfare between Indigenous people in the region.

Nyorat ceremony of Hindu Kaharingan adherents: Telawang District, East Kotawaringin Regency

The result of the study covers all three aspects. First, the causes of the Nyorat ceremony are held after thirty days of dead body to be lied down in the funeral house: (1) The belief factor of the spirit of the deceased person, (2) the fear factor for the unfortunate (3) religious social factor, (4) the economic factor of the Kaharingan Hindu adherents , and (5) the factor of affection towards the ancestral spirit of the late. The last factor is based on the assumptions, namely (1) preparing the Nyorat ceremonial facilities and infrastructure, (2) it is not to lose the meaning that can be inherent in it, (3) to purify/cleanse the spirit of the dead so that the sacred and inner and family will get happiness back. The implications of the Nyorat ceremony are (1) the religious implications relating to the belief of the Hindu Kaharingan adherents from generation to generation, that if they are not implemented, they will lose the meaning of the Nyorat ceremonial purposes, (2) the psychological implications require cooperation, (3) the social implications culture is the act of intervening to support the course of the ceremony, and (4) the economic implications of the community strongly support the course of the ceremony. Based on the results of the analysis, it is obtained three things. The first is the reasons of the Hindu adherents to conduct the Nyorat ceremony, the second is processes of implementation of the Nyorat ceremony, the three religious, psychological, and social implications, and the community’s economy towards the Hindu Kaharingan religious system are acceptable to the local community.

The Inheritance and Change of the Contemporary Daur Shaman

The Daur people are a minority living in Northeast China. They have adhered to a form of shamanism since ancient times. They believe that all things are spiritual. The Daur call an intermediary or messenger between the human world and the spirit worlds jad’ən (shaman). In addition, there are also different types of priests and healers, such as baɡʧi (healer and priest), barʃ (bone-setter), ʊtʊʃi (healer of child) and baræʧen (midwife), but only the jad’ən is a real shaman. The Daur’s system of deities is huge, complex, and diverse, mainly including təŋɡər (God of Heaven), xʊʤʊr barkən (ancestral spirit), njaŋnjaŋ barkən (Niang Niang Goddess), aʊləi barkən (spirit of mountain), nuʤir barkən (spirit of snake), ɡali barkən (God of Fire), etc. Among them, ancestral spirit is the most noble and important deity of the Daur, called xʊʤʊr barkən (spirit of ancestors). In the past, the social structure of the Daurs was based on the equal clan xal and its branches mokun. Xʊʤʊr barkən is the ancestral spirit of the mokun family. The shaman with xʊʤʊr barkən as the main patron is called xʊʤʊr jad’ən, that is, mokun shaman. The inheritance of the Daur shaman is very complicated. The xʊʤʊr jad’ən is strictly inherited along the patrilineal line, while the ordinary jad’ən can also inherit according to the maternal lineage. The inheritance rites of other types of shamans are also based mainly on the patrilineal lineage and occasionally the maternal lineage. The complexity of the Daur shaman inheritance is first and foremost related to the variety of the gods and spirits, secondly to their belief of polytheism, and finally to the constant split of the traditional clans and families, namely, the xal-mokun social structure.

Fungsi dan Makna Simbolis Pohon Beringin dalam Kehidupan Masyarakat Bali

Balinese people seem to realize that their existence in this world has a high dependence on nature as a buffer of life. One of the natural elements, especially trees that are very functional in the life of Balinese people, is banyan (beringin). Beringin, which is referred to as the waringin, wandira, and grodha agung, is preserved in almost all customary villages in Bali. Recognizing the importance of banyan trees in Balinese life, this study aims to analyze two problems related to banyan trees from the perspective of their functions and meanings. Qualitative methods are applied and data is analyzed by discourse theory. The results show that banyan trees are used as a means of yadnya ceremonies in Bali and are useful for curing various diseases, both caused by naturalistic (sakala) and personalistic causes (niskala). Symbolically the use of banyan in a pitra yadnya ceremony in Bali is interpreted as a means of purification to improve the quality of the ancestral spirit in the process of unification with the gods.

The Coastal Thanksgiving Tradition (Tradisi Sedekah Laut) in Teluk Penyu Beach, Cilacap

This study aims to analyze the coastal thanksgiving tradition and the meaning for the fishermen communities in Cilacap, especially around the area of Teluk Penyu Beach in Cilacap. Fishermen communities in the South of Cilacap cannot be separated from the original character of the Javanese community in general that they have a strong belief to the myth. They still show their honor and respect toward the ancestral spirit called as Kanjeng Ratu Kidul. It is represented through the ritual of giving some offerings to the sea. The traditional ceremony is conducted on the first day of the Javanese calendar year in the month of Sura. The ceremonies are provided to the spirits existing in the surroundings. It is expected that the spirits will not bother the family and the natural environment. The ceremony is also intended to establish a safe and secure environment and to build economic growth and prosperity. This ceremony has a deep meaning for the societies. It contains the values, morals and manners symbolized in the ceremonies. The meaning, then, affects the behavior of the fishermen’s life; for example, they are sure that they will be safe from dangers when sailing and they also will feel courageous during the sailing though they only use traditional equipment. The coastal thanksgiving tradition continues to exist although there are some efforts from Islamic organizations to reject the tradition. However, Cilacap societies still devote their trust on the spirits of animism and dynamism that have a close relation to their lives. They also have a very strong bond of solidarity and blood connection to their ancestors. That tradition is also included as a medium of thanksgiving celebration that becomes a part of Javanese characteristic.

SITUS TRADISI BERLANJUT DI BUAHDUA SUMEDANG

The prehistoric tradition that still continues today is the megalithic tradition. Therefore the megalithic tradition is a system of sustainable cultural values or so-called traditions continue. Characteristic of megalithic tradition is ancestor worship or ancestral spirit. Until now, some villages in the area of Buahdua-Sumedang megalithic tradition still continues and can not even be separated from the life of the community supporters. The purpose of this study to explore the sites of tradition continues in the life of the people of Buahdua and surrounding areas even though Islam has grown and embraced. This research is conducted by survey method to collect information and describe the forms of cultural relation with megalithic tradition. The results show that although Islam has grown and adhered to, but the worship of ancestors as local religious understandings before Islam developed still continues. The form of simple ancient tombs with erect stone tombstone, petilasan / tread and even a collection of large stones irregular stone until now still visited for the worshiped or pilgrimage.Keywords: megalithic tradition, tomb, pilgrimage.

TRADISI RUWATAN: BERSIH BUMI KEARIFAN LOKAL DALAM MITIGASI BENCANA

Tradition worship of ancestral spirits in Tengger occur along with the megalithic culture that is widespread in Indonesia, around 500 BC - 500 AD. Physical culture can be seen the remains of objects such as menhirs, and terraces devoted to the concept of ancestral spirit worship followed by a tradition in the community concerned. Megalithic tradition for a group of tribes, is devoted to the worship of ancestral spirits as ruler of protecting and giving life. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to determine the Tengger local wisdom in maintaining natural ecosystems by humans, through a tradition that has lasted for generations can overcome the problem of frequent disasters. Efforts are being made in the search for the data to answer these goals, used the method of approach by conducting interviews and observations of one tradition that held that ceremony mayu desa / ruwatan. The ceremony is conducted once a year, but in year five held over the highway at the expense of a buffalo or cow. From the results of these interviews, the data obtained with regard to the meaning, function and purpose of the ceremony mayu desa / ruwatan, related to disaster mitigation issues.