Batak's Sipelebegu

Indonesia is a large country with an area of ​​5,193,250 km2 consisting of many islands, including Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Maluku & many more. Batak is a tribal group that inhabits most of North Sumatra. Batak Toba is one of the Batak ethnic groups originating from this province.

Batak Toba does not have to live in the Toba geographical area, even though their origins are Toba. For example, the majority of the indigenous population of Silindung are the Hutabarat, Panggabean, Simorangkir, Hutagalung, Hutapea & Lumbantobing clans. Likewise, the Nasution clan, which mostly lives in the Padangsidimpuan area, is related to the Siahaan clan in Balige, of course these two clans are descended from the same ancestor.

Ugamo Sipelebegu is the religion of this tribe before the arrival of Islam & Christianity to Batak land. The belief in the spirits of the dead which is also called Sipelebegu, means people who worship & give offerings to spirits. Pele is giving food/honoring, begu means spirit, so this belief is respecting & giving food to spirits/ghosts.

Begu is also known as the spirit of the deceased. Unfortunately, the name is interpreted as worshiping Satan. In their belief system, the Batak people have the main concept of belief, namely about creation, soul, spirit & also about death / the afterlife.

Tondi is the soul/spirit of the person himself & at the same time is also strength. According to this belief, sahala is a holy spirit originating from Debata Mulajadi Nabolon which is passed down through Balabulan to a chosen human being. However, some interpret that sahala is a spirit of strength that a person possesses.

This is by the beliefs of the Karo people who are very close to a form of belief in the life of the soul whose existence is imagined to be the same as supernatural spirits. Therefore, they give offerings to good spirits in the form of food, drinks, or objects to graves, large trees, and places that are believed to be sacred and haunted. Among the Batak people themselves, it is said that according to oral stories that developed among the Batak community, this belief began when King Sisingamangaraja

The first was the migration of Hindus & the second wave was the introduction of Buddhism. They teach Sanskrit & Pallawa script as well as Hindu - Buddhist religion. Worried about the invasion of beliefs from outside, the Datu Parutiutian deliberately created an understanding of belief in ancestors.

As has been mentioned, the Karo people view the world as not only inhabited by humans but also by tendi & begu which are spirits that are not limited to place and time. An example is the ritual that takes place at the start of the Batak New Year, namely in early March. Where nangguru sits facing the urasen, then prays/casts a spell to summon the spirit of the deceased.

After that, the nangguru usually falls into a trance as a sign that the spirit has arrived until he asks for food from the person who was summoned. From these movements, for example, their mpung spirit/grandmother has heard stories about the characteristics of their ancestors. Asking what the ancestors' wishes were to be carried out for the safety and welfare of their children and grandchildren & the community.

The advice & advice mentioned by the person who is possessed is carried out by the community as respect for their ancestors. That is why in making contact with people who have died, a teacher uses his tendi with the help of another tendi called jenujung through the perumah begu ritual. This jenujung is a force from outside a teacher who can help him as a protective supernatural spirit originating from the macro cosmos.

This is also what causes many teachers to use water placed in a white bowl, especially if the teacher feels that the cause of the unbalanced state in humans is due to something to do with the disturbing spirits of the dead. Another ritual is called Pameleon Bolon, which is held between June and July. If a person who is in a trance starts dancing and the drums continue to sound until the person becomes unconscious, that's when the ancestral spirits enter.

During the dance there are subtleties of the spirits of former ancestors, while the spirits themselves come out temporarily while the trance lasts. He continued to dance on his own while talking & his style and voice were similar to the words of the ancestors who came. In the event of a summons, the spirit of the dead person originates/comes from a foreign country.

This primarily indicates that dead spirits are not the same as living humans. In this case, it is revealed that the sea is a link between humans and dead spirits. According to Rusmin Tumanggor, for the Batak people to achieve the glory of life called sarimatua, namely having offspring, living in harmony & peace, prosperity, long life, honorable both among humans and among the spirits of people who have died & in the sight of God also other supernatural beings, then a person must have ideals in life and be able to do what is called si sia na lima.

Ulos is a blanket for the soul/spirit & is a means of salvation. However, this traditional cloth is also used in ancestral ceremonies and magical ceremonies. At the time of death in the past, namely, before the Batak people adopted a major religion, objects were placed on the lying corpses by the beliefs held by their ancestors that had been passed down from generation to generation.

At that time, Sari was 8 years old & starting to enter grade 2 of elementary school. This belief was a religion that she got from her parents who were originally from Huta Tinggi, a place on Samosir Island in the middle of the lake and also the administrative center of this religion. Even though Sari never participates in the mararisabtu, this belief's weekly worship which is held every Saturday, she still follows patik, the laws of this belief.

She believes that the first person was Raja Ihat Manisia & his wife, Si Boru Ihat Manisia, who disembarked at Pusuk Buhit. Sari studied at a nursing school in Medan for three years. As parents for 21 years, Dad & Mom understand that the discrimination that happened to her was definitely related to their beliefs.

This was all thanks to Bene's confession that he drowned Sari so that Silalahi Village would be safe. However, a sudden surge from the lake, a spirit, saved Sari. But can we really say that its wrong if she chooses to end it all on this lake & join the ancestors?

Other names are Pelebegu / Hasipelebeguan / Perbegu / Pemena.