Pattae's Animism

Are you curious to know how the lives of our ancestors developed in prehistoric times? Kjokkenmoddinger is a term derived from Danish, namely kjokken, which means kitchen, and modding, which means garbage. So, kjokkenmoddinger actually means kitchen waste. Kjokkenmoddinger is kitchen waste from the Mesolithic era found along the east coast of Sumatra.

This was studied by Dr. PV van Stein Callenfels in 1925 & according to his research, human life at that time depended on catching snails and shellfish because the garbage of both animals was found as high as 7 m. This advanced hunting & gathering period is estimated to have taken place during the Mesolithic period, which was marked by a change in tradition from initially gathering food to producing their own food. Still, they were not yet fully able to meet all their food needs because their tools, namely pebble hand axes, could only be used to loosen the soil by farming by gardening. In ancient times, it is estimated that the Bengawan Solo flowed south & emptied into Pacitan Beach.

The famous cultural products in the Neolithic era are square & oval axes. The distribution areas of oval axes are Minahasa, Gerong, Seram, Leti, Tanimbar & Irian. In the Neolithic era, in addition to the development of square & oval axes, there were also other items such as jewelry, pottery, and clothing.

The form of the Megalithic era relics was found in the mountainous areas of Bengkulu and Palembang / more precisely in the Pasemah highlands. Near Sangiran, close to Surakarta, small tools were also found, commonly called flakes. Because these tools were found in the Ngandong area, they are generally known as the Ngandong culture.

Research on caves in Besuki & Bojonegoro was carried out by Van Heekeren. Namely from the Dutch era until now. Hopefully, you are still enthusiastic about studying the lives of our ancestors in the past.

Research on the rock formation culture was also conducted by van Stein Callenfels in 1928-1931 in Lawu cave near Sampung, Ponorogo. For that reason, the rock formation culture in Lomoncong is called the Toala culture. Meanwhile, research on Bandung culture was conducted by van Koenigswald in the Padalarang area, North Bandung, Cicalengka, Banjaran, Soreang & west of Cililin.

Literally, bronze comes from the word undagi which means someone who is an expert in doing a certain job. Bronze comes from the word undagi, which means the same as a craftsman/someone who has skills / is an expert in doing a certain job. This era began around 10,000 years ago.

Some archaeologists say that Cro Magnon who lived 40,000 years ago, apart from being a creature that gave birth to several human races, may also be considered the first artist in the world, both in the form of paintings, scratches, and sculptures. Painting in the Philippines was found at the Angono, Alab, Gumahung, Erne, San Carlos & Minari sites in Cagayan province and Agpay cave in Quezon City province. In the Papua region, coral paintings are found in Berau Bay, Arguni, Triton & Ogar Island, Bitsyari, Seireri, and around Lake Sentani.

Roder & Galis emphasize the function of the painting more in the concept of ancestral veneration ceremonies, fertility ceremonies, initiations, and magical needs to ask for rain & fertility / commemorate an important event. Based on geographical & archaeological data, 2 areas have this painted cave, namely the Maros district and the Pangkajene district. Apart from red as the dominant color, several caves display human motifs in black, namely the Lompoa, Kassi & Sapiria caves.

The various motifs in question include images of footprints, anoa & canoes only found in the Sumpang Bita cave. Fish motifs are found in the Lasitae, Bulu Ballang, Ribba & Akarassaka caves. The only pig motif that contains magical religious meaning is proven by the presence of a kind of Iuka tattoo on the back, found in the Sakapao cave.

This painting is shown in the Metanduno, Kabori, La Kolumbu, Toko & Wa Bose caves and the La Sabo, Nsarofa, Tangga Ara, Ida Malangi & Goma niches, using brown colors. Religious studies in archeology have been widely carried out in the Southeast Asian region. Thus, the study of religion has become the subject of study from various fields of science & has developed since the 19th century.

An example of a study of religious archeology has been carried out by Quaritch Wales about the ziggurat in Mesopotamia. Direct burial in a folded manner, although rarely found, can be seen at sites in Vietnam, Sarawak & the Malaysian peninsula. This treatment is thought to have a meaning of protecting the corpse from animal disturbances, as a sign/symbol to prevent his spirit from leaving the body.

Menhir is a monument/pole made of stone & built as a symbol/sign of remembrance for the spirits of ancestors. In addition, menhirs are also used to tie sacrificial animals for offerings to the spirits of ancestors. The results of the Great Stone Age culture such as menhirs function as a means of worshiping the spirits of ancestors, as well as a place to accommodate spirits that come & a place to commemorate the chief/someone who has died.

The use of dolmen is as a place to place spirits, a place for the chief to sit to obtain the magical blessings of the ancestors & a place to place offerings. It is a multi-story building with a small incline as a place to worship the spirits of ancestors. Punden berundak is usually built in lowland areas that are not mountainous, so they make tall buildings like mountains with ancestral spirits at the top according to animist beliefs.

Statues are buildings in the form of humans/animals made of stone as a symbol of worship & a symbol of ancestors. You must have heard of forest fires, usually in the dry season around June / July, right? Because we will study the lives of our ancestors in the future.

Let's look at the lives of our ancestors later. Before the entry of Islam, the Pattae tribe had a belief called animism & dynamism. This understanding believes in the existence of spirits/objects such as trees, and large stones that have powers beyond human reason.

In addition, they also worship the spirits of their ancestors, sometimes when they see a large, tall & lush tree, humans feel scared. The belief that a person's spirit does not disappear when they die greatly affects human life. The spirit is considered to have its own realm of life after leaving the body.

This belief then developed into a belief system towards the spirits of ancestors who are considered to play a role as mediators with the supernatural world. They believe that a person's spirit does not disappear when they die. Respect for ancestors / tribal chiefs who are glorified does not stop when the tribal chief has died.

This belief is manifested in various religious ceremonies, such as offerings of ancestral heads & burial ceremonies for corpses equipped with their belongings. According to experts, this may contain the meaning of power/symbol of protective power to prevent evil spirits. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors are always watching over them.

The belief system of prehistoric society has encouraged the development of animism & dynamism beliefs. Animism is a belief system that worships ancestral spirits, while according to dynamism beliefs, certain objects are believed to have supernatural powers so these objects are highly respected & sacred. Thus, the beliefs of prehistoric society are animism & dynamism.

The entry of Islam into the Binuang kingdom, precisely in Penanian village, Batetangnga village. With Tosalama's efforts & patience, the animism and dynamism beliefs that thrive in the Pattae community can be minimized. Even though it is impossible to eliminate this belief completely, the practice of animism & dynamism such as mimala can be minimized by the method of mixing the aluk todolo culture with Islamic teachings.

The mabongi ritual in Indonesian is interpreted as a commemoration of the day of death which is carried out at night. This mabongi tradition is almost the same as the Javanese & Bugis tribe tradition, which is the same as tahlilan, Yasin, reading the Quran, and others. The month of Ramadan in Islam is a month when all Muslims in any part of the world are required to carry out the 4th pillar of Islam, namely, fasting for 1 full month.