Rejang's Animism

In 2090 BC, Rhe Jang Hyang & his group founded a village called Kutai Nuak in the White Napal area, North Bengkulu. Some refer to the region as the Back Indies. In Ekorusyono's Rejang Culture, it is stated that at least in the 2nd century AD, Rejang's ancestors sailed across the ocean & landed on the west coast of Sumatra. 

They then occupied the downstream area of ​​the Ketahun River before finally continuing along the river until they reached the Lebong area, which at that time was called Renah Sekalawi. Before going to Sumatra, Rejang's ancestors are thought to have stopped for a long time in Kalimantan, before crossing to Sumatra via Bangka & landing on the Musi River. Perhaps because of security & conquest factors, Rejang's ancestors continued along the Musi and Rawas Rivers upstream. 

After reaching the present Rejang area, Rejang's ancestors did not immediately become familiar with agriculture/cultivation. As a member of the Austronesian language family, this language has a number of vocabulary similarities with regional languages ​​that are different & far apart in Indonesia. In fact, many do not understand their ancestral language at all. 

Bemanai Bioa Meleu, Paliak, Perbo & Lais in Onderafdeeling Lais also comes from Petulai Bermani. Later, the Merigi clan was formed from them, which was centered in Kelobak and Kelindang. It is said that initially there were no transmigrant settlements in Pemeu, because the transmigrants were placed in Keban Agung. 

It was on the initiative of the head of the Bemanai Lot clan that they were moved to Pehmeu. The transmigrants established villages such as Sukabumi, Pandeglang & Kotamanjur in the area owned by Mergo Sukau 9. Curup in this case became a crossing area for coastal area people to get to Lubuklinggau.

Their skin is much lighter when compared to South Indians of pure and mixed ancestry. Before the arrival of Islam, the Rejang people were familiar with the concepts of animism & dynamism, before finally accepting Buddhist and Hindu influences. Not much is known about the religion/beliefs held by Rejang's ancestors. 

In the beginning, the Rejang Tribe practiced animism. Kedurai consists of reciting prayers to God, praise in order to honor ancestral spirits, as well as expressing complaints, hopes & outpourings. One of the most important places to relax is Kaba Hill. 

But animist rituals play an important role in everyday life. Each of them carries out according to the teachings they received from their ancestors. As a Rejang ethnic group, wherever they are, they certainly refer to the traditions that have been taught by their ancestors from the Rejang ethnic group. 

All the teachings of the ancestors are essentially about bringing goodness & helping people to create comfort and tranquility in accordance with their beliefs. This is the influence of ancestral heritage which in the past was influenced by dynamism & animism. Generally, those from the Rejang tribe still carry out the customs & traditions that they have received from their ancestors, but they adapt them to the conditions they are currently experiencing. 

As a Rejang ethnic group, wherever they are, they certainly refer to the traditions that have been taught by their ancestors from the Rejang ethnic group. For the Rejang people, tigers are seen as the incarnation of their ancestors, sacred & must not be injured or killed. In the old beliefs of the Rejang people, the Goddess of Fertility / Goddess of Rice is known as Nyang Serai. 

The tunggau that is best known to the Rejang tribe is Dung Ulau Tujuak / the 7-headed snake which lives in the sraung / underwater cave in Lake Tes, Lebong Regency. Buddhism's teachings were introduced following the arrival of 4 monks who were respected & well received by the community. Oral tradition states that the four came from Majapahit. 

The arrival of the Dutch influenced local customs. His visit was attended by several Protestant missionaries, whose evangelization efforts were unsuccessful, apart from gaining several congregations in the Tanjung Sakti area in Ulu Manna. The failure in efforts to evangelize the tribes in Bukit Barisan may be due to the fact that they have embraced Islam, even though in practice they are still mixed with old customs and beliefs. 

Islam was introduced by the people of Minang, Banten & Aceh who had experienced Islamization earlier. The second contact occurred between 1776 - 1804. The missionaries were dominated by Minangkabau and Ogan & Palembang people. 

Minangkabau preachers since 1930 have come to introduce Muhammadiyah & Perti ideology as well as various types of tarekat. Their arrival was followed by missionaries from Java who introduced the idea of ​​the Islamic Union. Meanwhile, figures from more traditionalist Islamic groups such as Perti generally studied in the Candung area. 

Muhammadiyah figures who represent the modernist group studied in the Padang Panjang area. Upon their return, new Islamic religious teachers were also involved in efforts to purify Islam in Tanah Rejang, especially from the influence of ancestral teachings and rituals, some of which were seen as contrary to religious teachings. Its collapse was triggered by socio-political upheaval which was inseparable from Walisongo's role in the spread of Islam in the archipelago. 

The controversial thing is when he said that Walisongo came from China, with several of his discoveries, but returning to the concept of studying history is the power of interpretation using existing documents, as well as the methodology used by philologists / archaeologists, the power of interpretation from the tools of knowledge & experience that owned. Even though they are Muslim, remnants of relics in the form of respect for ancestral spirits, sacred places and certain objects as well as ceremonies to reject evil, shamanic practices, etc. can still be found in this community. People believe that the spirits of their ancestors and those who preceded them will easily find their way home to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. 

Nowadays, the torch celebration is carried out by holding a parade around the village, usually to welcome the first day of Ramadan fasting & will be held again on the last day of fasting to celebrate the arrival of Eid al-Fitr. In its performance, the kejei dance represents its affiliation with animism even though 98.4% of the people of Rejang Lebong are Muslim. If we investigate, the Rejang community has its own mystical side, with various existing traditions, is this the influence of animism/dynamism, but it must be explored further, because according to several existing sources the Rejang community is a religious community, implementing the Shari'a strictly. good & correct, because several religious figures were born from the land of Rejang such as Khafidin Bin Bun & other religious figures. 

He was appointed Pesirah Sindang Kelingi after successfully defeating his rival from the Ujan Panas village of the Sindang Kelingi clan. Maintaining security & order is of course the enforcement of existing norms and laws, this is an example of the Rejang community, a reflection of personality, not following the tradition of animism & dynamism, because belief is only one thing, in God Almighty. Inter-ethnic marriages are commonly practiced by various ethnic groups in Pondok Kelapa sub-district. 

Like marriages carried out by Christian communities, traditions are also carried out in accordance with the teachings of their religion, as well as Hinduism / Buddhism. At the time the wedding process was carried out using Islamic procedures, but a week after that it was carried out according to Balinese customs. For his father, who worked as an ABRI soldier, he said that we were created differently from Bina Iku Tunggal Iku, that is Bhineka Tunggal Ika, that is the story of our Hindu ancestors.

This condition has been going on for 10 years. The food served consists of several types, namely at 8 pm there is mencak nasi, namely a dish of rice & curry. Then around 3 pm, eat coconut milk rice with free side dishes & close at 5 am with cake.

Even though the religion of Islam has been embraced by the people of the Rejang tribe, the teachings of their ancestors are still carried out. They no longer hold funerals using the ancestral tradition of slaughtering goats, but only carry out recitations. But the stages of praying starting from the first night - 100 days are still carried out, only adjusted to each family's abilities.

However, every Friday evening Thursday evening at the house of the deceased person there is a prayer event to fulfill the month for the deceased person.