15 research outputs found
ACCESS RITUAL IN EASTERN SUMBA, INDONESIA
No full textAs a particular type of tradition, rituals have been of interest to folklorists and anthropologists. Understood as repeated, patterned, and contextualized performances, rituals could be in "low contexts" meaning that they are less formally, unplanned in advance, and. do not demand for complicated performances, or in "high contexts" that they are realized in a highly stylized and formalized occasions, and set as public events. This article attempts to describe an access ritual, called paariyangu (ritual of being a guest and a host), conducted by the people of (eastern) Sumba living in the east part of Indonesia. Visiting somebody's house is an act of entering somebody else's private domain. It is therefore necessary for the both parties (i.e. the guest and the host) to abide to certain manners so as to maintain a desirable social encounter. Key words: access ritual, Sumba, traditions, low contexts, high context
CHILDREN’S FOLKLORE IN EASTERN SUMBA, INDONESIA
No full textChildren’s folklore is common in all cultures. During childhood, children engage in activities to build friendship, have fun, and above all to develop particular life qualities. Though children’s folklore did not quite attract folklorist’s interest in the early development of folklore studies, now, it has become an attracting arena of interests for many social scientists. This research attempts to give a descriptive analysis of the children’s folklore, i.e. games, in eastern Sumba, Indonesia. The invasive presence of technology certainly affects the existence of “old-time†children’s folklore. Children of the present are heavily exposed to “modern games†that overpower the vitality of the traditional games. Some people see this shift as something inevitable, and the only way to respond to this situation is by accepting this “game revolution.†However, some old-time game supporters attempt to revitalize the old-time children folklore by holding events where children’s traditional games are performed. The latter believe that maintaining children folklore is of importance because it is a matter of identity, and above all, children’s modern games cannot replace the social values offered by the traditional ones. This present article, written based on the data from interviews and discussions on social media, aims to list some traditional games in eastern Sumba. Like any other children in other parts of the world, Sumbanese children are also friendly with modern games. Yet, some still perform the “old time†games. In addition, this article also gives some description of each game and the values the participants might learn from the children’s folklore. Key words: folklore, children’s folklore, eastern Sumb
A BOOK REVIEW: FEMINISM ANDNERSUS FEMINITY OF MODERN WOMEN
No full textOne important theme attached to pop culture is the politics of representation and sub-cultural identity. The pop singer Madonna and then the Spice Girls are frequently regarded as the representation of modern women offering a different face of feminism ideology. Successfully entering the market
competition, Madonna, through her cry of 'material girl', characterizes herself as an independent woman in the still dominating patriarchal world while challenging the burden of
morality placed on the shoulders of women. She asks young women to rebel against male-centred traditions and unashamedly exposes her sensuality as a source of power and even domination, or in short celebrating 'being women'. The flag of Girl Power is also waved by the 1990'sBritish female
singers, the Spice Girls, who call young girls to "be strong, be brave, be loud and control your own destiny. Believe that your self can do anything you want to do and be confident. We have to be independent, but it does not mean that you don't need a boy" (Swastika 2004: 66)
Double discriminations : racism and sexisme againts black women as seen in Alice Walker`s The Color Purple
No full textTHE NON-RECIPROCITY OF CULTURAL-ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE IN EASTERN SUMBA
No full textResilience is one key concept of culture and ecology. It highlights a particular system\u27s adaptive and thriving capacities in facing various challenges. This research-based article investigates the reciprocity of cultural-ecological resilience in three traditional communities in Eastern Sumba. It starts with the examination of cultural resilience and ecological resilience using five and seven qualitative indicators, respectively. The last part of the discussion analyzes how culture and ecology reciprocate in the given communities. The research employs a descriptive qualitative method. Data are collected by conducting mini-ethnographic field research for interviews, documentation, and focus group discussions. Using the five and seven indicators to examine cultural resilience and ecological resilience respectively, the research reveals that the communities are generally culturally resilient, yet ecologically vulnerable. The culture and ecology of the three traditional communities are non-reciprocal. Traditional communities require empowerment through collaborations to transform their ecological spirituality into tangible actions to build cultural-ecological resilience
Ritual Warung Hupu Liku (WHL) : Pengetahuan Ekologis Tradisional (PET) Komunitas Tradisional Sumba, Nusa Tenggara Timur (Warung Hupu Liku Ritual : A Traditional Ecological Knowledge of the Sumbanese Traditional Community, Eastern Nusa Tenggara)
No full textAmidst the ongoing ecological crises, there is an urgency to identify nature-friendly human
behaviors. When modern people are worried about the getting fragile and angrier earth and
then complain about their unsustainable lifestyles, there has been a call and movement, since
the 1980s, to understand, and give room and recognition to Traditional Ecological Knowledge
(TEK), embraced by traditional communities. This article attempts to describe an ecological
ritual practiced by the traditional community living in the island of Sumba. The ritual, called
'warung hupu liku' (putting back the rope tips), could give is an idea of how the community
understands their relationship with nature, which in turn, exposes their ecological ethics.
Primary research data were collected through interviews with 4 experts of Sumbanese
culture/environmental activists and 2 ritual speakers (wunang). The research reveals that WHL
ritual portrays the Sumbanese’s worldview of human-nature relationship. For the Sumbanese
traditional communities, human and nature are partners which maintain reciprocity. In this
reciprocal relationship, nature should be treated with utmost respect. “Take what you need” is
an ecological ethic allowing nature to restore and sustain human’s life. Indonesia is rich in
TEK, and in line with the cause of integral ecology, TEK should contribute to ecological
discourses and policies by working in tandem with 'modern' approaches to address current
ecological issues
THUKUL'S POEMS OF RESISTANCE IN AKU INGIN JADI PELURU
No full textThose who attempt to voice critically about the injustice
done by the state frequently face the government's" iron hands ".
Indonesia history has noted how some Indonesian critics from various
fields are accused of threatening national stability so that they have
to be culturized through many kinds of terror. Conscience writers
(Mangunwijaya s term) are the easy targets of state violence because
they portray the powerless, "wong cilik" (the common folk/little
people) as the victims of development, and the inappropriateness of
the elites' behavior. For an authoritative regime. such criticism doesn't
sound good because it makes look bad in front of the public. In the
New Order regime. Wiji Thukul is one of Indonesian poets who does
an advocacy for "wong cilik ". His poems are screams of the people
from huts,factories. and graves
Maryse Conde`s Razye as a re-contextualization of emily Bronte`s Heathcliff : writing back heathcliff in a post-colonial perspective
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