Lintang's Animism

This article was written based on research we conducted in 2013. This research was to fulfill a thesis course in the Indonesian literature department, faculty of literature, State University of Malang. The focus of this research is the Lintang tribe who inhabited South Sumatra for 24 years where Sriwijaya was the center of world civilization in the past.

In this case, what makes this article different is that it is the author's reference to strengthen the identity of the Lintang tribe from the references of Dutch writers such as Roskott who have a peaceful, accommodating, tolerant & compromising character and tend to show opposition in the form of voluntary surrender. This society comes from the Vedda race, supporters of the Paleolithic culture which developed 700 years BC. And they admit that their descendants are from Majapahit, even Kediri & Singosari.

Firstly, it is seen from the aspect of the form of mystical belief in the form of the belief system of the Musi Banyuasin people who believe in animism - dynamism & the Javanese petungan system. In their literature, there is an animist belief that this community worships & greatly respects spirits/ancestral spirits of sea grouse. If this is not done, they believe that the sea grouse will become angry and can make humans sick by causing spots all over the body.

One of Gemilang Sakti's children, Sebauk, later became the ancestor of the Lintang Tribe in Musi Banyuasin. The people in that area are still in a primitive state and adhere to the beliefs of animism and dynamism. The living spirit/soul is considered to be the spirit & humans consist of nature, spirit, and life.

Spirit & life are a compound that is united in the body. But the spirit does not end after death. The spirit will continue to live as long as there is life & will be peaceful if it is cared for.

Spirits will get angry/disrupt human life if they feel ignored. Humans are creatures created by God consisting of the elements of earth, water & spirit. The material nature of humans consists of land, water & spirit, which is a compound that is alive, but will also die.

If death occurs, it means that the elements of earth, water & spirit are separated back into their original state. Material nature is united in life, all of which have a spirit. Nature & everything in it has a spirit and has provided for the lives of the Lintang people throughout time.

Because all of them have spirits like humans & communicate with each other and are interconnected with each other. They do not cut down large & tall trees, because they are the burial places of spirits. After several months or even new years, they return to that place to honor the spirits of the deceased.

Nature has a spirit like humans & also feeds humans. The arrival of outsiders can damage & sever their relationship with nature and this action is very contrary to the conception that has been rooted in their lives since their ancestors. Efforts to approach God through spirits & objects other than humans, also have spirits.

Therefore, when he dies he will return to his original form, while his spirit returns to heaven. From observations, most of the Lintang people still believe in spirits in their daily appearance, both in their words and their actions. Belief in spirits actually originates from belief in something supernatural, namely God Almighty.

The spirit that is not is a holy place & for the holy spirit. A spirit that is not holy, because during life it does not do good deeds, its spirit is not accepted in heaven but will wander in the forest and can disturb other people. Evil spirits will be accepted in heaven if they are taken care of by living humans.

An evil spirit that roams around & is still suffering, in their view, is the same as torture/punishment. Worship of spirits, but evil spirits that disturb & cause people to get sick. They are familiar with the burial of corpses & a few prayers to guide the spirit to the afterlife.

Their belief in the existence of a spirit who rules the forest and sea means that they do not carelessly cut wood or hunt. In general, both the Lintang tribe who have been resettled in Musi Banyuasin and those who still live in the forest continue to closely adhere to the values, norms & all traditional rules inherited from their ancestors from generation to generation. By obeying the rules & norms of their beliefs, a person will have a good life, and avoid the anger of Gods & evil spirits and all the things that make them unlucky.

In principle, only those who do not obey the orderly life of belief by acting in violation of these norms, Gods & evil spirits will be angry and punished with various difficulties in life and evil. They believe that nature and its contents are God's creation, although they still believe in the existence of Gods and spirits who rule certain areas. One of the titles of an ethnographic essay about the Lintang Tribe is Het Animisme in den Indischen Archipel which was published in 1906.

The form/manifestation of the Lintang tribe's religious system is in the form of animism, namely the belief in the existence of a subtle substance that gives the power of life & movement to many things in this universe. This belief in power / zielestof is what Kruyt calls animism. This kind of thinking gives rise to belief in the transfer of souls/incarnation which is also part of the animist system.

What Kruyt said about animism & spiritism is a reality found in the Lintang Tribe community in Musi Banyuasin Regency. Activities like this seem to be commonly carried out by this community as a manifestation of their animist & spiritist beliefs. The discussion in the previous paragraph has examined that this community's beliefs are more animist & spiritistic in nature, which have existed and been lived out historically.

However, animism and spiritism still color their daily lives. The Lintang tribe, as explained in the previous paragraph, is a tribe that has animist beliefs with a very traditional life, living in small groups of 3 to 5 families & large groups of 15 families. This animistic belief appears to color almost all aspects of their lives, both as individuals and as members of society.

In Musi Banyuasin Regency, where the Lintang tribe was founded and settled, it appears that although progress has been rapid compared to when they were first settled, they still appear to have not completely abandoned their old way of life which was imbued with animist beliefs in their various daily activities. However, the old animistic view that they have embraced so closely has not completely disappeared. Their strong embrace of old beliefs that they inherited from their ancestors, namely animism, is visible in their daily lives, for example believing in spirits and gods ruling certain areas such as rivers, forests, seas, etc.

One informant said that every Friday afternoon, he would burn incense in front of the back door and scatter flowers to praise and thank the guardian spirit of their house. Besale is a means to approach oneself to spirits through the medium of a shaman. Each besale ceremony begins with the recitation of a prayer by the shaman to summon the spirit/jemalang who will stop by in the entrance hall.

The summoned spirits are the cause of calamity. To attract/seduce spirits, offerings are provided in the form of rice, turmeric, incense, cakes, bananas, grilled chicken, etc. Also prepared is an imitation of an ondan bird made from sugar palm leaves as a vehicle for the spirit to be summoned.

They believe that shamans have advantages over ordinary humans & are considered holy humans and even the incarnations of gods and spirits. Jamasan / washing/cleaning is something that is usually done once a year in the month of Sura. Meanwhile, pusaka are assets left behind by ancestors.

The jamasan pusaka in Musi Banyuasin is always held every year to celebrate the anniversary of this regency. The local wisdom of the Lintang Tribe in this case is seen in understanding tetenger / the patterned nature of nature, while the implementation of jamasan pusaka rituals and the use of herbal medicine are their cultural mechanisms that have been passed down from generation to generation from their ancestors. One of the local wisdom used as a way of life for this community is mythology.

Mythology in the Lintang tribe has a sacred function as moral control, ensuring the continuation of rituals, and regulating the behavior & thoughts of the supporting public in responding to and understanding the universe. The function of mythology is to provide knowledge about the world, through mythology. In heaven there is a Raja Nyawa who takes care of human spirits who have left their bodies.

And they already believe that heaven exists as a place where the Raja Nyawa reigns & a gathering place for the spirits of the dead. The Raja Nyawa is the King of all lives, meaning the Most Great & Heaven is a holy place for holy spirits. The study above shows that the people of the Lintang tribe have a conception of God, namely that God is something supernatural, has a spirit & is in heaven, and is called the Raja Nyawa.

Apart from that, it can also be the concept that underlies their belief in the existence of a spirit ruling nature & the Raja Nyawa. About belief in spirits ruling nature, the notion of fetishism/worship of man-made objects filled with supernatural powers/they call it "tankal". In the Arab context, what is meant by Islam as a local product is Islam that was born in Arabia, specifically in the Hijaz region to answer existing & developing problems at that time.

Since Islamization in Aceh began, Islam was spread by the ulama until it finally entered Palembang and reached the interior / Uluan. Prince Suriokesumo Alim Muhammad Arsyad, Kiai H Kemas Muhammad Azhary was the first person to travel to Turkey, Egypt, Iran, India, Afghanistan, Iraq & other countries, Kiai H Masagus Abdul Hamid bin Masagus Mahmud who spread his message to the interior / uluan Pemulutan, Air Itam, Belido, and surrounding areas, Kiai H Kemas Abdurahman, better known as Kiai Delamat. To spread Islam, these kiai followed rivers into the interior/uluan such as the Lematang River, Ogan.

The contents of the inscription also state that Puyang Karangenim was the first figure to spread Islam in Muaraenim in 1312 & died in 1422 AD. Then followed the Semenda area which was brought by Sheikh Ahmad Sobirin Anom Suro in 1397 AD & the Dempo area by Sheikh Jalil in 1412 AD. He succeeded in converting Queen Agung, who was the ruler of Mount Bungkuk at that time.

This hamlet was visited by a person from the land of Mecca named Sheikh Nurul Ihwan. In the Gelumpai area, the tomb of a Muslim as Puyang Mahmudin from Sedupi was also found, the inscription on the tombstone was in cuneiform script / Hulu letter. Puyang Kedhom is considered an elder/chief ancestor, if they have a vow & are successful some have the intention to give serabi and arbor alms at the grave of Puyang Kedhom.

Another manuscript contains references to God & may come from the period 1860 - 1900. According to Andhifani, the manuscript in Lingge village was owned by Mr. Khomar Ali in 2009. This Kaghas manuscript was kept by Mr. Khomar Ali. 

It is still intact, but the cover is broken & on several pages, it appears to be undergoing processing. Weathering. One attempt to understand the Islamization process is through local historiography studies because the local Muslim community has a collective awareness of the Islamization process that is taking place & is recorded in various manuscripts, ancestral relics, and tombstones/tombs of scholars/figures who propagated the Islamic religion.

Islamic traditions in manuscripts/inscriptions with the Ulu script can also be seen in the attitude/response of the community towards manuscripts/inscriptions left by their ancestors. The legitimacy of the kepuyangan system makes people assume that when they return to the village they should pray for their ancestors by reading tahlil, alfateha & surah yasin. From the results of interviews & observations, it can be seen that even though they have actually converted to Islam, their value system regarding belief is still oriented towards spirits and spirits.

It can be said that the beliefs that are more accurately called animism & spiritism are believed by the people of the Lintang tribe still color their daily lives even though they have basically converted to Islam. The Spanish Flu can be called a human tragedy caused by an epidemic. In 1918, the jamasan pusaka tradition was still held by following the safety protocols recommended by the central government, by wearing PPE such as masks, and face shields, and maintaining distance.

In dealing with epidemics/pageblugs, the Lintang people tend to revive the advice of their ancestors. Through the representation of ancestral spirits who have supernatural powers, this community places hope, protection, etc. from evil things & beyond their control. This community's attitude to life, has a prominent identity & character based on the foundations of the advice of ancestors from generation to generation, respect for others, and various symbols in this expression, becoming the soul of this art & culture.