Osing's Animism
The Osing tribe / usually pronounced Javanese Osing are native residents of Banyuwangi / also known as Laros / Wong Blambangan are the majority population in several sub-districts in Banyuwangi Regency. There is also a small group in Srono, Cluring, Gambiran & Genteng Districts. Of the various sub-districts, the sub-district where the population still strongly adheres to distinctive customs & culture as one tribe is Kemiren village in the Glagah sub-district.
They speak Osing with each other, whereas in public domains such as government, education, counseling, politics, etc., Indonesian is used more dominantly as a means of communication. They are descendants of the Majapahit Kingdom who believe in Hinduism & Buddhism. During the Dutch colonial period, they displayed their tenacity against VOC domination.
The Osing people have a puputan tradition, just like the Balinese people. This tradition sparked a major war called Puputan Bayu in 1771 AD. Now most of the people are Muslim and half are Hindu and Buddhist.
Indeed, at the beginning of the formation of Osing society, the main belief of the Osing tribe was Hindu-Buddhist, like Majapahit. However, the development of the Islamic Kingdom in Pantura caused Islam to quickly spread among the Osing tribe. Even so, they still practice rituals that are said to have emerged since the 18th century.
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