Arat Sabulungan

Many studies have been carried out on the Minang tribe, both looking at the traditional arts, customs, and folklore that developed in Minangkabau. Like the Nias & Enggano tribes, the Mentawai tribe are supporters of the Proto-Malay culture who settled in the western archipelago. The new concrete road built this year may only be around 3 - 5 km long.

It is not uncommon for a household to get fish, it will be processed into bamboo and can be heated for consumption over the next 10 days. They usually get other daily needs through trade relations with outsiders, especially from the city of Padang. Meanwhile, Sipora Island has gardens and rice fields managed by indigenous residents and people from other tribes who have transmigrant status.

Furthermore, Pagai Island has more of a wood industry environment & service civilizations that work in the wood industry. Animism/belief in spirits has existed in several regions in Indonesia since time immemorial. Before getting to know Christianity, this tribe followed their own belief called Arat Sabulungan.

Linguistically, arat means custom, sa means around & bulungan means leaf. The term sabulungan was born because the ritual always uses leaves which are believed to be an intermediary between humans and God, called Ulau Manua. As time went by, the term arat was introduced in the 1950s to refer to this belief.

This is an animist belief that everything has a spirit & soul. When spirits are not treated well/forgotten, they may bring bad luck such as illness & haunt those who forget them. In the Arat Sabulungan belief, it is believed that the spirits of ancestors called ketsat are substances that have supernatural powers.

Initially, this tribe adhered to animism & dynamism beliefs. Apart from that, it is believed that spirits are contained in every object in the world, both inanimate objects and living creatures. This spirit is separated from the body and roams freely in the vast world.

For this tribe, animism has become a ritual carried out in daily life. This understanding is different from the dominant divine religion in Indonesia today where spirits are believed to only exist in living creatures. The spirit of every object in the world is believed to occupy all space in the universe, whether on land, sea & air.

This tribe includes animists who believe in natural spirits, everything around them, in this case, the universe, has a soul. Please note, that the idea of ​​spirit & soul are different things where the soul can reside in the body of a human who has died even though the spirit has left. The spirits that are widely known in the Arat Sabulungan beliefs are also often found in myths that tell the origin of the world in the eyes of this tribe.

It is noted that this world is believed to have been created by spirits by being thrown from the sky to form the island of Sumatra and its surroundings. Then the spirit also created the humans & animals that inhabited the island and gave various guidance to the first humans on how to live. From the ocean, the sky which emerged from the east, grew like bamboo shoots, then spread and formed a sky dome.

If the origin of the world can be explained through mythological stories related to spirits, the idea of ​​human origins is actually the opposite because there is no explanation whatsoever that this tribe believes in. Schefold views that religion according to this tribe's view is anything that is said to have a soul/spirit, for example, humans, animals, plants, objects, and even phenomena that appear only for a short time, such as rainbows & cloudless skies. It is believed that the spirits of deceased people can communicate with people who are still alive and living in the world.

This tribal society consists of animists who believe in natural spirits, everything around them, in this case, connected to the universe with a soul. The spirit of the deceased person can even tell a story about his death/leave a message to the family left behind to be conveyed to the family by the sikerei. Therefore, humans are required to have a good relationship with spirits by always being grateful & not abusing everything they can get.

Apart from that, according to Schefold, this tribe considers various mythological stories about the creation of the universe / the origin of various phenomena / also about the history of human life not as mere fairy tales, but as stories that actually happened. A literature search was carried out in December 2013. The actors in the story according to their position in the Sitakkigagailau & Pagetasabbau story are the inhabitants of the sky, the forest spirit, and the sikerei.

Pagetasabbau's story also shows that he is considered a spirit who protects the sikerei & is considered father by the sikerei in this tribe. Punen is a medium for making offerings to the spirit & soul so that everything they do will be good in the future. The sikerei story in Sitakkigagailau & Pagetasabbau shows several meanings, first, the value of this tribe's obedience to the spirit & soul through offerings called punen.

Second, this tribe believes in a spirit that protects the sikerei who is considered the father of the sikerei. This sikerei spirit is considered to have the ability to see & communicate with spirits and the supernatural. When they have made peace with another world filled with spirits & souls, they also make peace with the people around them.

This is related to Robson's opinion which views that the study of previous literature is very important as a treasury of thoughts & heritage from ancestors which is very useful for life. In this regard, the disasters that occurred in this archipelago region became a cultural determining factor, where the lives of the ancestors of this tribe experienced coexistence with the disaster phenomena that occurred. There are several spirits known in the Arat Sabulungan belief and these spirits have different roles & characters from each other.

The concept of knowledge of supernatural things in the form of spirits that cause people to live is called simagre. Known spirits include sabulungan, namely a spirit that comes out of the body & is thought to come out sometimes only for a moment, for example when someone is shocked. In the uma, namely, the house that functions as a meeting hall & place for traditional tribal events, it is even known that there is a guardian spirit.

This spirit is called kina. Not only good spirits, there are also evil spirits whose work is to spread disease and cause disturbances to humans, which are called sanitu. This spirit comes from a human spirit that wanders after dying unnaturally, for example being killed or committing suicide.

If magere encounters an evil spirit while out, the human body will become ill. Meanwhile, if the body asks for help from the ancestors, the body will die with the spirit having left. The departure of the spirit at the same time leaves the body only in the place of the soul which is called pitok.

Under the dim light of petromax lamps, this tribe begs saukkuita, the good spirit who is believed to be able to rule the earth, protect all family members & keep them away from all diseases. So, if saukkuita has given strength, sikerei is also believed to be able to expel sanitu / evil spirits languishing in huma. Sikerei tries to find the spirit of the animal that was killed by the owner of the house.

This tribe believes that it is the animal spirit that transforms into sanitu. If the sanitu spirit has been trapped in a leaf, this spirit is immediately thrown out of the huma by the sikerei. The public can also immediately watch the turuk laggai dance, which is used by sikerei to summon back good spirits.

It is said that the good spirit was expelled during the pangureikan ceremony. This is due to the influence of good spirits who gather again in huma. The cultural richness of this tribe is not only found in exorcising evil spirits in huma.

Apart from that, some spirits do not go far from places inhabited by humans on earth, in water, air, wilderness & mountains. To worship sea spirits, this tribe has a tradition of turtle hunting, which they consider sacred. They also believe that sea spirits reside in the cottage area.

The peak turtle hunting season usually occurs around June - August. Using only a pair of oars and an outrigger boat, turtle hunters navigate and avoid the waves of the Indian Ocean. Sikerei believes it can invite sea spirits so that Simagerei will allow them to catch turtles.

Apart from spirit & soul, recognition of the existence of God is also known in Arat Sabulungan. First is Tai Kalelu, namely the God of Forests & Mountains. Second is Tai Leubagat, namely the God of the Sea.

The third is the Sky God who gives rain & life called Tai Kamanua. With pangabela a baby is expected to be protected from disease & its presence will not cause disturbance to the spirit. Pangabela is carried out three days after birth by giving the baby food & bathing them in the river until their skin turns pale from the cold.

The goal is to introduce the baby to nature and the spirits within it. In death as the last stage of the human life cycle on earth, the Arat Sabulungan belief has a ritual to cleanse the house of the influence of the spirit of the deceased. Apart from that, the deceased person's belongings are also removed from the house in the hope that the deceased person's spirit will not come again to take them.

This taboo is still related to the belief in spirits & the need to live in harmony with them in the world. Bad luck starts from taboos being violated until the spirit feels disturbed by actions that harm them. Likewise, if good luck comes their way, it is thought to be because the spirit shows an attitude that is favorable to them.

When hunting in the forest, for example, this tribe needs to ask permission from the forest guardian spirit so that the spirit of the hunted animal is not afraid and wants to show itself to humans. They also have to go quietly so that their activities are not known by evil spirits who could harm them. After getting the game, some of the animal meat is set aside as an offering to the spirits of the ancestors.

The skull bones of hunted animals are also hung on the uma veranda so that the animal's spirit can call its friends and humans can get their hunted animals back. Apart from that, this tribe also believes that tattoos are a reflection of the spirit of their life. Some say tattoos will be useful for people who have died so they can get to know their ancestors.

Arat Sabulungan adherents only remain on Siberut Island because the island, which is the center of local culture, is difficult to reach. People know God according to the teachings of their religion, but on the other hand, belief in spirits as in the past is still held. In the evening on the 1st, people began to gather again at the church at around 22.00 WIB.

Another name is Punen.