Daya's Animism

Previously, in the 19th century, several theories about religion were put forward, ranging from fetishism, naturism, and totemism, to animism. Through the classical sequence comes pre-animism which includes magic & fetishism, animism, then religion. Logic combines with certain ethnographic data to explain that what forms the postulate is not the power of a pre-animistic superpersonal God, but rather a pre-animistic non-personal power.

What was the belief system of pre-literate humans, who were their ancestors? The word animism comes from the Latin anima which means spirit. In the An English - Indonesian Dictionary, animism is called animism which means the soul of objects.

There are quite a lot of definitions of animism. The term animism comes from the Latin anima which means spirit. Meanwhile, animism, according to Mariasusai Dhavamony, as the theory explained by EB Tylor, has two meanings.

First, animism can be understood as the principle of religious human belief, attaching the soul to humans and also to all living creatures and inanimate objects. The second meaning, animism can be viewed according to the theory defended by EB Tylor & his followers, namely as the idea of ​​the human soul as a thought regarding psychic experiences, especially dreams. Mariasusai Dhavamony defines the term animism as the origin of religion. 

The term animism comes from the Latin anima which means spirit and ism which means belief/belief system. He also quoted the views of EB Tylor who coined the term animism to refer to all forms of belief in sentient beings. 

Animism has different meanings but has similar aims & objectives. The two basic principles above are in line with the theory of James George Frazer, a devout Protestant Christian from Glasgow Scotland. This megalithic civilization is related to the tradition of worshiping the spirits of ancestors. 

Animism is a belief in spirits. Adherents of this belief assume that the spirit of someone who has died will wander and return to living people. Therefore, in animist beliefs, adherents will hold rituals for spirits so that the spirits feel happy & do not disturb living humans. 

The power contained in this object does not come from the spirit alone, but because the power & efficacy are already contained in the object. Animism is a belief in spirits and spirits, and beliefs like this have been widely held by people who have not been in contact with or have never received teachings based on heavenly religion. The main characteristic of animist beliefs is belief in the existence of spirits. 

Among them, adherents of this belief believe that the spirit of someone who has died will wander around as if without a master, bothering them, and even coming back to visit them too. They also believe that the spirits of people who have died from being killed, bleeding to death, drowning, and falling from trees will become ghosts. People also still believe that when a person always does evil things during his life and then dies, his spirit will appear in the form of a pig/monkey that comes out of his grave. 

Animism is a belief that believes that everything has a soul/spirit. Animism is a primitive religion that for thousands of years deified animals, stars & several idols. They also practiced spirit summoning, witchcraft, divination & astrology. 

They use magic, spells, superstitions, amulets / whatever they believe will help protect them from evil spirits & appease good spirits. This false religion teaches that the spirit within humans is God. Like all false religions, animism is just another form of deception by Satan, the father of lies. 

This belief arises from the instincts of the people themselves who link belief in spirits and sacred objects with the natural & social phenomena they witness. In this way, animism can be interpreted as a belief in supernatural spirits/creatures. Their animism is often associated with natural events. 

Animist communities believe that natural phenomena such as rain and lightning and natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are caused by the actions of supernatural beings/spirits. They also believe in the existence of spirits who guard places that are considered sacred, such as caves or large, dense banyan trees. With the development of animist beliefs, people in the past considered spirits to be something that should be worshiped & respected. 

With belief in the existence of spirits and supernatural beings, animist communities believe that every person who dies will continue their life as a spirit. Apart from being a provision for those who have just died, burial with these objects is also intended as an offering to honor the spirits and souls of ancestors who have previously passed away. If you don't do this, it is believed that the spirits will give you trials that will harm the owner of the house. 

What is meant by life in an unlimited world here is that they believe that ancestral spirits can see when someone makes offerings. Apart from belief in ancestral spirits, they also believe in other spirits who occupy spaces that are then sacred, such as in caves, mountains, dense forests, large trees, etc. They also practiced spirit summoning, witchcraft, divination & astrology. 

They use magic, spells, superstitions, amulets / whatever they believe will help protect them from evil spirits & appease good spirits. This false religion teaches that the spirit within humans is God. Like all false religions, animism is just another form of deception by Satan, the father of lies. 

This belief arises from the instincts of the people themselves who link belief in spirits and sacred objects with the natural & social phenomena they witness. In this way, animism can be interpreted as a belief in supernatural spirits/creatures. Their animism is often associated with natural events. 

Animist communities believe that natural phenomena such as rain and lightning and natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are caused by the actions of supernatural beings/spirits. They also believe in the existence of spirits who guard places that are considered sacred, such as caves or large, dense banyan trees. With the development of animist beliefs, people in the past considered spirits to be something that should be worshiped & respected. 

With belief in the existence of spirits and supernatural beings, animist communities believe that every person who dies will continue their life as a spirit. Apart from being a provision for those who have just died, burial with these objects is also intended as an offering to honor the spirits and souls of ancestors who have previously passed away. If you don't do this, it is believed that the spirits will give you trials that will harm the owner of the house. 

What is meant by life in an unlimited world here is that they believe that ancestral spirits can see when someone makes offerings. Apart from belief in ancestral spirits, they also believe in other spirits who occupy spaces that are then sacred, such as in caves, mountains, dense forests, large trees, etc. They also believe that such spirits can control their lives & bring more harm to humans if they are not cared for properly. 

Thus, according to the principles of belief & tradition, this has encouraged the development of animist behavior. Animist belief is a system of worship of ancestral spirits. At that time, our ancestors were more familiar with the belief in life after death. 

Because of the belief in the power of stones/trees, around them, worship arose of places/objects that were thought to be inhabited by spirits. This worship ritual is believed to increase goodness and blessings, some people think that the worship is carried out so that the spirit inhabiting the object does not disturb it. Therefore, people believe that this spirit has very powerful power & will, where when the spirit is angry it can threaten humans and if it is happy it gives blessings & benefits to humans. 

In fact, people believe in God, but their habit is to put themselves down by worshiping an ancestral spirit. The efforts they make are so that the spirits do not become hostile towards them which results in disaster, in the hope that their lives will always receive help from these creatures. This animal acts as a mediator so that the transfer of the ancestral spirits can be carried out. 

Because they believed in the power of the stones/trees around them, worship arose of places/objects that were thought to be inhabited by spirits. This worship ritual is believed to increase goodness, some think that worshiping objects is so that the spirits that inhabit them do not disturb them. It is also hoped that the cadres will not easily follow the rhythm, that is, fall back into / be suppressed by the original culture of their ancestors, because in this way the interests of society are much stronger than religion itself. 

For them, pure religion is a belief in their ancestors. However, when faced with a traditional/cultural event, even if they are asked to bring the cow & its cage, they can do it, especially in the name of their ancestors. This cannot be separated from social strata, where if someone wants to be respected by society, they must be able to sacrifice to the spirits of their ancestors. 

There is a strong understanding that if you do not believe in ancestral spirits, it is assumed that your prayers will not be answered. Apart from that, if you believe in the spirit of a deceased person, people who worship can get healing from illness or avoid disaster. However, if you don't believe in the spirits of your ancestors you will be tempted. 

According to local beliefs, people are given the disease so that they remember their ancestors. When you don't worship the ancestral spirits, these deceased spirits will disturb those who are still alive. In this case, animists worship the spirit power led by a handler. 

The shaman's job is to persuade spirits by burying animals whose heads are previously cut off and then thrown into the mountain when a volcano erupts. One of the series of large rocks can be found throughout the South Sumatra region. The Daya community is classified as Old Malay, so the customs & culture of the Daya / Jelma Daya tribe are not much different from the Saibatin customs of the Lampung Peminggir tribe and have many similarities which are also influenced by the typical Central Malay cultural norms within them. 

As explained in the origin of this tribe, sakala bhra means the incarnation of God, the system of giving names to elders/ancestors is called pu hyang, meaning that my master comes from God. There is an origin story about the founding of the clan which spread and the existence of 7 kepuhyangan along the flow of the Komering River. Therefore, they hold ritual events for these spirits on the third, seventh & hundredth days.

This ritual belongs to the megalithic tradition, where the tribal people believe in the spirits of ancestors who lived in prehistoric times. Fun rituals were initially influenced by Hindu & Buddhist religious culture but were later updated with the arrival of Islam. In the next paragraph, we will discuss what dynamism is, what examples it is & how it differs from animism.

The term dynamism is taken from the Greek dynamos & absorbed into English dynamic, as quoted from the publication of the study of Animist Beliefs and Dynamism in Aceh Islamic Society by Ridwan Hasan from STAIN Malikussaleh. Dynamism was understood as a theory since the beginning of the 20th century through the writings of RR Marett, Konrad T Preuss & Marcel Mauss, as reported by the site encyclopedia.com. Likewise, the belief in dynamism, the people of Ogan Komering Ulu Regency believe that spirits not only inhabit living creatures but also inanimate objects, such as rocks, large trees, spears, mountains & rivers.

As for the form of belief in dynamism, the people of this district believe that spirits not only inhabit living creatures but also inanimate objects so spirits are found in rocks, large trees, spears, mountains & rivers. For the majority of people, these beliefs/rituals of animism & dynamism are at the very core of worship itself. Dynamic animism is not only different in meaning but also in terms of the characteristics of the people who believe in it.

The emergence of the concept of dynamism is considered to have played a role in the waning of animist beliefs at that time. Dynamism then emerges when animism is deemed to need improvement. Dynamism seems a little like the concept of animism.

If adherents of animist beliefs often hold rituals for spirits, adherents of dynamism beliefs are more likely to hold rituals for objects that are considered magical. According to Durkheim, primitive religious systems such as animism & dynamism exist in very simple societies and these religious systems can be explained without having to first explain other elements of religions that are older than them. Because this community still accepts & implements the teachings and beliefs of animism & dynamism.

The understanding of dynamism and animism is part of the beliefs of people who are not yet familiar with heavenly religions that originate from revelation. However, even though they both developed in prehistoric societies, dynamic animist beliefs have several differences in terms of definition, characteristics & rituals. Before delving further into the differences between dynamic animism, we must first understand the definitions of these two ancient beliefs.

The belief in animist dynamism is an ideology that arises as a result of its adherents' belief in other forces that are considered greater than themselves as humans. A series of dynamistic animist rituals & cultures developed among traditional societies that adhered to these two beliefs. These various beliefs & rituals are the legacy of ancestors who still rely on and prioritize spirits and do things that are prohibited by Islam to obtain peace and safety.

If you don't do this, the spirits will give you trials that will harm the owner of the house. Apart from animism, dynamism also appears. When ordering prayer, how is it possible if the foundation of the faith is still fragile because there is still a transition period from animism & dynamism?

This has been proven by many people who returned home because they were unable to guide them, due to the strong influence of animist & dynamism culture. That is an explanation of the animistic belief in dynamism which was part of the life of traditional societies in the past. The following are several examples of the practice of animism & dynamism carried out in society.

In some rituals, animism and dynamism are ideas that can be interrelated. During ritual processions at sea, for example, adherents of animism and dynamism can both provide offerings. One of the rivers that still adhere to the beliefs of its ancestors is the Saka Selabung River.

This tradition is commonly found on this river. This ritual was formed in ancient times when the ancestors of this tribe adhered to animism & dynamism. For the majority of these river communities, these animistic & dynamistic beliefs/rituals are at the very core of worship itself.

In contrast to this river, most people believe in animism in a different form, where they feel they are always surrounded by invisible forces, namely spirits so what they feel encourages them to carry out rituals to please these spirits, with the intention of these astral creatures do not hate people & on the other hand get help and assistance from these supernatural creatures. According to Salim Natonis, in making contact with spirits, some of the river community can do it themselves, such as praying rituals to spirits/ancestors to get protection. According to Mudjahid Abdul Manaf, the people of this river believe that living humans, as well as animals, plants & other objects are inhabited/controlled by the spirit power of dead people/evil spirits of jinn.

In this case, the position of the river community has always believed in animism. To strengthen Tohir Natonis' statement, that most of the communities in this river still practice animist systems. Zulkifli Natonis & his family, for example, still practice an animist system, namely praying for the spirits of their ancestors once a month.

The power referred to here is transferring the power of ancestral spirits/magical influences possessed by one of the families who is considered powerful, where this power is to be transferred to one of the oldest sisters. In 2019, Zulkifli's sister wanted to get married, another condition that had to be fulfilled was that her sister had to present her entire extended family first according to her uncle's orders. According to Abdurahman, he received a dream message that in the evening before the recital, he was visited by the spirit of his deceased grandmother carrying offerings.

To avoid the threat of these spirits, the river community holds rituals led by shamans. So it can be found that this factor also influences the people of this river to continue carrying out rituals of worshiping spirits because this belief has become ingrained in them. According to Amiruddin Natonis, the people of this river carry out rituals of worshiping the spirits of their ancestors in their daily lives, so these spirits are believed to have a positive impact in the form of blessings for those who worship them. 

From the description above, it can be understood that belief in ancestors is ingrained in the people of this river. So it can be found that this factor also influences the people of this river to continue carrying out rituals of worshiping spirits because this belief has become ingrained in them. Like Uis Pah & Pah Nitu Pah Tuaf, he is an accomplice of Uis Neno, namely the ruler of the sky / God in power. 

Therefore, when carrying out religious ceremonies, for all business activities, the first thing to do is contact Uis Pah & Pah Nitu, Poe Pah and Pah Tuaf. According to the belief of the people of this Village, it is the Earth God & the spirits of the ancestors who are closer to humans. However, the element of belief in animism & dynamism did not last long in this river. 

When confirmed, Tohir Natonis said that around 1996, previously there had been a transition period where 3 groups were fighting for each other's rights, namely struggling to establish power. So, that's an explanation of dynamism, for example, and the difference between it and animism. Elements of animism are present in many false religions including Hinduism, Mormonism & all New Age sects. 

Despite this, the lives of the people of Sungai Lengkayap inland are still very fanatical about Hindu cultural traditions & beliefs, as well as beliefs in large trees, magical objects & powers, animism, and dynamism. Likewise, the belief in animism & dynamism in this river community has existed for centuries before the arrival of Hinduism, Buddhism, Protestant Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, and Confucianism. Belief in the above spirits which are considered to have a positive impact is in line with Hindu tradition. 

Where Gods are believed to be able to give blessings & generosity, they can prevent themselves from being disturbed by evil spirits & disasters until the ancestral spirits finally become worship. When the Catholic and Christian religions arrived, local people did not forbid them from worshiping the spirits of their ancestors. This is understandable because it is a transitional creed from the Protestant/ancestral religion. 

Even though the majority of the community is Christian, the belief in ancestors before the arrival of Christianity until the arrival of Islam still continues today. Apart from the Lengkayap River, we found research results published in the Institutional Repository of the Ministry of Education & Culture, where there is this tribe in Plaju whose residents adhere to Catholicism, Islam & Protestantism, but they still adhere closely to spirits. This is the same lie Satan has been telling since the events in the Garden of Eden. 

Apart from that, the Bible also strictly prohibits practices carried out by animists. Many people are Muslim but until now they still believe in animism & dynamism. However, the element of belief in animism & dynamism did not last long in this river. 

When confirmed, Tohir Natonis said that around 1996, previously there had been a transition period where 3 groups were fighting for each other's rights, namely struggling to establish power. So, that's an explanation of dynamism, for example, and the difference between it and animism. Elements of animism are present in many false religions including Hinduism, Mormonism & all New Age sects. 

Despite this, the lives of the people of Sungai Lengkayap inland are still very fanatical about Hindu cultural traditions & beliefs, as well as beliefs in large trees, magical objects & powers, animism, and dynamism. Likewise, the belief in animism & dynamism in this river community has existed for centuries before the arrival of Hinduism, Buddhism, Protestant Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, and Confucianism. Belief in the above spirits which are considered to have a positive impact is in line with Hindu tradition. 

Where Gods are believed to be able to give blessings & generosity, they can prevent themselves from being disturbed by evil spirits & disasters until the ancestral spirits finally become worship. When the Catholic and Christian religions arrived, local people did not forbid them from worshiping the spirits of their ancestors. This is understandable because it is a transitional creed from the Protestant/ancestral religion. 

Even though the majority of the community is Christian, the belief in ancestors before the arrival of Christianity until the arrival of Islam still continues today. Apart from the Lengkayap River, we found research results published in the Institutional Repository of the Ministry of Education & Culture, where there is this tribe in Plaju whose residents adhere to Catholicism, Islam & Protestantism, but they still adhere closely to spirits. This is the same lie Satan has been telling since the events in the Garden of Eden. 

Apart from that, the Bible also strictly prohibits practices carried out by animists. Many people are Muslim but until now they still believe in animism & dynamism. However, the message conveyed is contrary to the teachings of the Islamic religion, because these teachings are based on beliefs in animism & dynamism. 

Even though Indonesian society today is predominantly religious, the practice of animism & dynamism can still be found in a different form than in the past because it has been influenced by Islam and the 5 other religions recognized in Indonesia. This research seeks to explore elements of animism & dynamism beliefs in Palembang Islamic society, from birth to death, and beliefs that are still maintained. This study found that, to this day, the Islamic community of this city still practices & believes in the religious teachings and beliefs left by their ancestors. 

It is known that the people of this city, to this day, still adhere to animist beliefs, even though they basically adhere to the teachings of the Islamic religion which have been broadcast by traders and merchants who came from the Arab world. The people of this city who live in rural areas to this day still believe in elements of animism which believe in supernatural powers other than humans. Before the arrival of Islamic teachings in this city area, the people adhered to animist beliefs and dynamism. 

At the same time, the people in the interior of this city still adhered to animism & dynamism, then finally they embraced Islam, even though their initial beliefs were still implemented and even influenced their Islamic practices. Before accepting Islamic teachings, the people of this city had embraced animism and dynamism by believing in various supernatural powers and spirits. This article is the result of research on animist beliefs & dynamism in the Muslim community of this city. 

Another tradition that has attracted the attention of researchers is the minority Muslim community in this city who still adhere to their ancestral beliefs. This is the problem of Muslims in this city. However, as the problem above experienced by a preacher, the process of degradation of the faith experienced so far has experienced a shift, where Muslims in this city still believe in animism, because they follow the flow of that culture. 

From the beginning, since Islam entered this city, it has not immediately explicitly restricted/eliminated the old habits adhered to by the local community. From the description above, the main problem in this research is why does the Muslim community in this city believe in the tradition of animism & dynamism? Islam first came to this city and was considered a PKI religion, because some people were afraid and worried about the impact that would arise, apart from that the government prohibited it. 

As a result of Tohir converting to Islam, his membership as a council member was reduced & he was assigned to be the sub-district head in this city. When he arrived at the village he was sick from 10 am until the afternoon prayer call. Based on his itiqad, stance & belief as a strong Muslim, he ignored other people's advice so that he followed customs, namely worshiping his ancestors, so that the illness he experienced would be healed.

Since becoming the sub-district head of this city, he has dared to step up and be able to protect people who have converted to Islam, at which time many people were arrested and shot dead because they dared to convert to Islam. According to Tohir's story, he once asked his older brother, Salim Natonis, to do community service to build a mosque, his enthusiasm was extraordinary. In particular, the family's practice is to pray according to Islamic law but interspersed with animist itiqad. 

For example, when Tohir's wife wanted her child while she was in her womb to be a pious child and serve in Baitul Maqdis. In late 2017, Tohir performed the Umrah pilgrimage to the holy land. When delivering his lecture, the ustadz in his discussion related to the strength of the ancestors, even in his prayer he took elements of strength from the ancestors, which did not mention the Umrah at all. As a religious figure, at least Tohir Natonis has a target, developing Islam in this city is considered quite difficult because the transitional faith originates from the ancestral itiqad religion which is still strong/believed in by generations of Muslims who are already considered elderly.

Tohir Natonis explained that to this day, in this city there is still the same pattern, namely that traditional events are more popular, even though Islam was introduced in 1971. For example, exchanging rings is not a cultural tradition & Islamic teachings, but rather a European way that has received approval from the church council. According to their beliefs, Rabu Abeuh is performed to ward off evil spirits, because they can destroy society.

The ritual of shaving a baby's hair is carried out when the baby is around 6 months old. Based on the description above, it can be concluded that the Islamic community of this city still practices a practice that has nuances of animism and dynamism.