Petalangan people is another “indigenous” ethnic group of Riau Province who settle in Langgam Subdistrict, Pengkalan Kuras, Bunut and Kuala Lumpur, Pelalawan Regency (Tenas Effendy et.al., nd.:107). They are called “indigenous” because, according to Tenas Effendy, they belong to Proto-Malay race (Old Malay) who became the first inhabitant of the area now called Riau Province. Given this, Petalangan people are refered as “Orang Asal” or “Orang Asli” (indigenous) (Effendy et.al., nd.:107).
The addressing of Petalangan is thought to be caused by the action of the people fencing their village and took water by means of buluh “talang” (buluh = bamboo, talang = gutter). Thus, the people were then refered as “Orang Talang” (Talang people), or generally called “Orang Petalangan” ethnic group (Effendy et.al., nd.:107).
Petalangan people settle in Hutan Tanah Wilayat through generations. They hand down their cultural tradition through generations as well. Here lies the importance of preserving the culture (tradition) of orang Petalangan and Tanah Hutan Wilayat. One of the effort is by spreading them through oral tradition. More ... >>
The majority of Dayak Kanayatn ethnic group settles in two regions in West Kalimantan namely Karimawakng (the origin of Mempawah) and Bangkule Rajakng (the origin of Pahauman). The agrarian life of Dayak Kanayatn people manifests in several unique traditional rituals which are interesting to investigate (Yekti Maunati, 2006). One of them is the rite of welcoming the planting and harvesting season called Nyangahatn.
The origin of Nyangahatn rite is the belief of Dayak Kanayatn people toward their God called Jubata. They believe that Jubata has cherished them an abundant blessing to their farming. Therefore, as an expression of thankfulness and gratitude to Jubata, Dayak Kanayatn people hold the so called Nyangahatn rite (Herman Ivo, 2002).
Nyangahatn is also inspired by the faithfullness of Dayak Kanayatn people to the custom handed down by their ancestors. For Dayak Kanayatn people, the custom is a rule that must be obeyed through generations, as it is explicitly written in their proverb:
“Adat nang dinunak, dinali, dinamputn” (custom existed since the existence of mankind, therefore it is followed and obeyed through generations) More ... >>
Besale is the term used by Orang Rimba which in general means arousing human spirit or soul to be delivered from evil spirit. There has been no specific literature studying this traditional ritual of Orang Rimba. Yet, there are some books discussing about Orang Rimba and talk a bit about this theme. Thus, they will become the reference for this article.
The origin of Besale ritual is based on Orang Rimba’s belief to the god who rules the forest. According to the research result of Pusat Penelitian Sejarah dan Budaya, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Indonesia (Center for Historical and Cultural Studies of Department of Education and Culture of Indonesia) (1977: 127), Orang Rimba believe that if a family member or a relative get sick, this means that god has sent calamities. Therefore, to ask god to cure the illness, they hold Besale ritual.
Specifically, the ritual is performed to deliver the sick from evil spirit which is believed to be the cause of the illness and to purify the soul of the sick. In general, Besale aims to maintain the balance between human life and supernatural world, which, according to Orang Rimba, must be well kept. Otherwise, the imbalance will then give bad influence to their life in broad sense, such as the spread of incureable diseases (Eddy Ramlan, 1997). More ... >>
If you are interested on visiting a temple for your holiday, we suggest you enjoy some beautiful temples other than Prambanan or Borobudur. Visit Barong Temple, a unique temple situated at the southern part of Prambanan Temple, at the hills of Desa Bokoharjo, Kecamatan Prambanan, Kabupaten Sleman.
Unlike other Hindu temples which serve as the place for Shiva (The Destroyer) worshiping, Barong Temple serves a place for worshiping Vishnu and His wife, Dewi Laksmi also known as Dewi Sri (the goddess of agricultural prosperity). Worshiping Vishnu and Dewi Sri, according to Dra. Andi Riana (Head of Barong Temple Unit) was probably caused by the infertile and infertile soil around the temple. Thus, by worshiping Vishnu and Dewi Sri people hope that the soil will turn into fertile.
The temple complex was found by the Dutch at around 1913, when there was a tea plantation expansion to support the sugar factory production. At that time, the temple was still ruins and it was difficult to figure out its authentic shape. In 1970s a restoration project began. The process of buliding up the temple in 1978 managed to restore the first temple building in 1994. In the following years, there were restorations on the second temple, the fence, and the talut (slanting edge of the temple complex). More ... >>
Ijo Temple is a name of a temple complex at Bukit Ijo. The name derived from the location of the temple which people call ‘Gumuk Ijo’ (gumuk = hill). Bukit Ijo is the highest hills at Kecamatan Prambanan, Kabupaten Sleman, with its highest peak of 410 meters above the sea level. Ijo Temple itself is at 357,402 m – 395, 481 m above the sea level. This is the highest location among other temples in Yogyakarta. No wonder archeological tourism lovers refer Ijo Temple as ‘the highest temple’ in Yogyakarta.
Ijo complex is on the same hill with other temples such as Ratu Boko, Barong, and Banyunibo Temples. They are located on the limehills of Kecamatan Prambanan. It is estimated that Ijo Temple was built at around 9th century AD. Southwards the temple, tourists can see steep trass-layer valley, yet gorgeous. The soil is indeed infertile, however, bushes and shrub cover the area in rainy season. If tourists turn their view westwards, they can see Adisutjipto International Airport.
Ijo complex consists of 17 building structures and are divided into 11 terraces. The first to the eleventh are story terraces streching west to east. The terrace structure is an acculturation of both Hindu and local culture which is depicted in the structure of temple’s megalithic place of service called punden berundak. More ... >>
