The Face of Sumba: Entry No. 2

Wednesday – July 23

                It is in this afternoon that I am sitting outside my room in the convent of the parish of Santo Klemens – Katiku Loku, Central Sumba. The wind teases the leaves of the trees while the sun gives warmth to the cold breeze. The chirping birds can be heard at the distance while I got some visits from the common birds in the church, the sparrows. The other animals such as the chickens, pigs and a couple of goats can be heard as well. And the two boys staying in the convent would sometimes bother me for they are curious what I am working with my computer.

                The place indeed is quiet except for those beings that make noises. And here I am again feeling bored for I have nothing to do at this hour of the day but only to write whatever would come into my mind. Hoping that there would be something that would come and so I would be able to write.

                Anyway, I will be staying in this parish until the end of August. I wished that I would be more immersed with the people in this part of Sumba, the Sumba Tengah. And for the past days that I have been staying in the parish I discovered that this part of Sumba, the people have their own dialect – the Bahasa Anakalang. However, the culture in general is common in all parts of Sumba.

                In terms of religious belief, this part of Sumba, Catholics are also minority and there are more members of Protestants churches. Indeed, there are a number of denominations of Protestant Churches in Sumba. Certainly, it holds true as well that the Protestants are bigger in number in the whole island of Sumba. Muslims are minority in this part of Indonesia as well as in Bali in which Hindus are majority and in Flores, the catholic group of islands in the country. Aside from this, the indigenous belief system still exists until today, the indigenous Marapu belief. And the entire culture of the Sumbanese people is wonderfully colored by this indigenous belief. The practices of the indigenous belief have continued to influence the people even though they have been converted into Christianity whether to the Catholic or Protestant Churches. This is very much evident as the people carried out until today the two important practices the Pernikahan (marriage) and Kematian (death) and the burial rite. Even in the clothing of the people, the indigenous belief can be seen as it reflected in the colors of the garments and the decorative designs that they contain. Figures that regularly appear in the clothing are the images of humans, horses, chickens, birds, snakes and dragons as well as flowers, hills and stars.

                In addition, there are other cultural practices also in Sumba that tell wonderful meanings. The kuburan or the sepulchers are always visible, as one would travel along the highway. These kuburan are always situated in front or at the side of the houses of the Sumbanese people. It is very peculiar that the kuburan should be in front or at the side as a way of showing respect and reverence to the dead. The traditional houses are also expressive of the Marapu belief. The traditional houses are always elevated, as it is usually located on top of the hill. These are called Rumah Menara which literally means a “tower house” for its characteristic of having a high roof. These houses use limestone at the bottom to serve as an elevation of the house and where the posts of the house are placed. These posts support the house and serve as the skeletal structure of the house. Moreover, the floor and sometimes the walls are from bamboo strips. The roof is amazingly high that it would look like a big hat when seen at the distance. The roof is usually from a kind of grass locally called alang-alang or coarse grass. On top of the roof are two decorative-carved wood called tanduk, which means (animal) horns.

                The houses are also divided into 4 layers. The first layer of the house is called the tempat hewan or the place for the animals. The second is the tempat manusia or the place for humans and the third is the tempat makanan or the place for the food (food storage) and lastly, the tempat jiwa or the place of the spirits. Nevertheless, the fourth layer is gradually forgotten by the younger generation especially for those who grew up in the Christian faith. Yet, the older ones could still attest that there is the fourth layer of the house and that is the tempat jiwa, which is reserved for the spirits especially to the ancestors. And it is important to note that the food is between the place of the humans and the place of the spirits since the food serves also as an offering to the spirits, a means of communicating with the spirit world.

Customarily and particularly for those rich families one would easily notice the skulls and horns of the buffaloes and jaws of the pigs in Sumbanese houses. These bones would serve as decorations of the house and a reminder of the status of the family that they belong to the rich families of the society.

                Talking about food also, the Sumbanese’s staple food is rice, which is shared by all Southeast Asian people. Hence, the Sumbanese people are rice planters and at the same time, they domesticate different kinds of animals such as chickens, dogs, pigs, carabaos or buffalos, cows and horses. Even before and until now the wealth of the family is measured of how many tails (ekor in Bahasa) of pigs, buffalos, cows and horses the family has.

The men especially the older ones would always wear their traditional dress with a colorful headband called kapauta, a cloth around their waist called kain (or regi in Bahasa Anakalang) and the weapon on their side called parang. By this gesture of having a weapon on their side, it is understood that these people are a warring tribe. Usually, men ride the horses even though motorcycles have already reached even the farthest hill of the island. Commonly, the older ones are called Bapak (translated as Father or Mister) and those who have high status in the society and because of wealth are traditionally called Umbu. Umbu is a title actually given to royal people hence; the people of Sumba have also tribal kingdoms. Indeed, Umbu can also be translated as king.

On the other hand, the women especially on special occasions wear an embroidered dress stretching down to their waist. And for their lower garments they always have the sarong, a traditionally hand-woven cloth. The women like in many cultures of the world take care of the children, the small animals and the dapur, the dirty kitchen for preparing the food for the whole family. The women are the ones also who make the traditional cloth. The older women and especially those who are already married are called Mama followed by the name of her eldest child regardless of the gender. Hence, if a mother has a daughter as an eldest child and for instance, her name is Elisabeth then the mother is called Mama Elisabeth. The same address is also applied to the father; hence, he is also called Bapak Elisabet. For those women who are in high status, they are customarily addressed as Rambu which is translated as queen.

Certainly, I am slowly entering into this beautiful culture of the Sumbanese people by observing and enquiring about their practices and their meaning at least in this initial encounter with the people. And as I had conversations with them, it was easy to approach the people since they are very welcoming and hospitable. Indeed, I now appreciate my one month course in Bahasa Indonesia for I am able now to communicate with the people using the language they know. I am aware also that I would receive some kind of special treatment from the people since I am a foreign visitor and as well as a frater (brother), some who is studying for priesthood. Yet, I am also hopeful that in due time people will be more acquainted to me and I will be more comfortable with the people so that there will be a deeper experience of the culture. Then, I won’t be any more a mere outsider but someone who is among and one with the people. Yet, I am also mindful that one year of mission immersion in Sumba would be not enough as well. However, I pray and wish.

The Face of Sumba : Entry No. 1

Saturday – July 19

                Salam dari Katiku Loku! Yesterday, we went to a community for a burial rite service. The place called Patimbu was an hour drive from the parish. Well, it was quite remote as it was situated in the hills of Sumba Tengah. It was my first time to witness the local burial rite of the Sumbanese people.

                The house of the family was on top of the hill and below was a shallow river that we have to cross. So we left the car on the riverside and crossed the river and climbed up the hill. When we reached the house there were already people in the house, men and women and children. Some were chatting together while chewing the “Siri-Penang” and other men were playing cards. Then I noticed that those who are playing cards had stones hanging on their ears. Later I understood that those men who have stones hanging on their ears were the losers of the game. I thought they were gambling just like in the Philippines that if there is a funeral wake people would come and play cards and literally gambling.

                With Pater Umbu and two youth and myself, we were received by the family and entered the house where the deceased person (Kristoporis) was and perhaps sitting in a small open wooden-coffin. As it was the custom, the family gave us teh (tea) that usually tastes like sugar with tea (not tea with sugar) or kopi (coffee) that is also very sweet and the siri-penang. I asked why the teh and kopi are always very sweet. I was told by Pater Umbu that a very sweet teh or kopi means the family is generous and a teh or kopi that is tawar (not sweet) means the host is stingy.

Going back to the coffin, it was covered with the traditional cloth on the Sumbanese people. Later on, while we were sitting near the coffin and having conversations with some of the men, I could smell something that was really coming from the dead. Hence, Pater Umbu who also smelled the odor asked me to move farther and so he himself as well.

                In the Sumbanese culture, embalming the dead was not customary and since the person was already dead for four days, hence, a foul smell was already coming out from the open coffin.

                The time came for the funeral service. I thought that we would have funeral mass but I was told that we would have only the Liturgy of the Word since majority of the people were not Catholic. Hence, we had the burial rite. It was started with the presentation of the two pigs and by stabbing the side of the pigs.

When the body was taken out from the house and brought to the traditional kuburan (sepulcher), it was accompanied with traditional drums made from the skin of the buffalo and gongs played by children. The kuburan is also interesting here in Sumba. This practice actually began in the megalithic age however, until now is being practiced by the Sumbanese people. This kind of burying the dead has been practiced by many parts of Europe. Nevertheless, today only the Sumbanese people have preserved this practice. The traditional kuburan is actually made from limestone and is being carved to make a hole where the dead person is buried. On top of it, a flat limestone is made separately that would serve as the cover of the kuburan. I was also told that the size of the kuburan would differ depending on the status and the wealth of the family. However, today since cement and other materials are more accessible and easier to make, many have let go of the limestone and instead make use of the cement in making the kuburan. Usually, these kuburans occupy the front of the house. Hence, there are big and small kuburan and the bigger ones are of those who are wealthy and the family would prepare cows, buffalos, and pigs for this occasion. Since, this family was not that rich they had only two pigs and a small kuburan for Kristoporis.

It is also interesting because other kuburan that I saw just beside the road have images being carved and today the Christians would use the images of Christ. Others would even make a roof for these kuburan that would serve like a house for the dead people. Indeed, Pater Ani told me that Sumbanese people, especially in indigenous Marapu belief, believe in the spirit hence, after the body expires the spirit of the person remains. This is the reason why the remains of the dead are given respect and veneration by the family and the whole community.

Therefore, when the body was transferred to the kuburan there was really a terrible smell that I thought people would not mind because I thought it might be an insult. However, they themselves could not take the smell anymore so people began to move away. Nevertheless, before they transferred the body, I saw that inside the kuburan they put a Tikar (a woven mat) and a pillow inside. Finally, when the body was inside the kuburan, the body was wrapped with the traditional cloth. The final commendation of the dead was given and the final blessing to the people. And so, the burial ended there and later we had lunch together with the meat of the pigs which were slaughtered at the start of the burial service.