{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1814505,
        "msgid": "mbama-ritual-the-harvest-thanksgiving-tradition-of-the-ende-people-in-ntt-1782003018",
        "date": "2026-06-21 06:30:04",
        "title": "Mbama Ritual: The Harvest Thanksgiving Tradition of the Ende People in NTT",
        "author": "",
        "source": "DETIK_BALI",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Anthropology",
        "summary": "The Mbama ritual is a traditional harvest thanksgiving ceremony still practised by the Lio Ende community in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. The ritual, held in June, involves prayers, offerings, and communal gatherings to express gratitude for a bountiful harvest. It also serves as a social adhesive, reinforcing communal bonds and preserving ancestral heritage.",
        "content": "<p>Indonesia is often touted as an agrarian country due to its extensive\nagricultural lands. Communities across the nation maintain traditions\nclosely tied to agrarian culture. Beyond the planting season, agrarian\nsocieties also uphold customs during harvest time, such as the Mbama\nritual performed by the Lio Ende people in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara\n(NTT), as an expression of gratitude for the harvest. Mbama is a\ntradition preserved across generations by the Lio Ende community. The\nritual is typically held in June, when harvests are usually abundant.\nDuring Mbama, verses of praise, prayers, and hopes are recited. The\nritual procession consists of three stages: preparation, implementation,\nand closing. In the preparation stage, the mosalaki pu\u2019u, or tribal\nchief, invites tribe members to a meeting to determine the date of the\nMbama and discuss the necessary materials, such as rice, chicken, pig,\narak, coconut, and firewood, along with other supporting items like\npodo, hawa, henna, kidha, and kidhe. The implementation stage begins\nwith the Ka Are Sewa Jala ceremony, which seeks blessings from the\nancestors for the harvest and the ritual. This is followed by cooking\nrice for Mbama, reciting verses, dancing, and culminating in the\npresentation of offerings to the ancestors at home and on the hills. The\nclosing stage, called Gawi Sia, is a complementary event often attended\nby residents from neighbouring villages. Once the guests have departed\nand the event concludes, the organisers clean the venue. For the Ende\ncommunity, the Mbama ritual serves to invoke blessings for the harvest\nobtained. Praying to ancestors is a hallmark of Austronesian culture,\nand despite the arrival of Christianity and Catholicism in NTT, the\ntradition of ancestral veneration remains inseparable. The ritual also\nfunctions as a social adhesive, reflecting the communal nature of\nIndonesian society where family and kin gatherings are integral,\nespecially during holidays and harvest seasons.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mbama-ritual-the-harvest-thanksgiving-tradition-of-the-ende-people-in-ntt-1782003018",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}