Sea gods lose out in traditional Buginese ritual
Sea gods lose out in traditional Buginese ritual
JAKARTA (ANTARA): Scores of decorated boats teeming with
people clad in traditional Buginese attire recently sailed along
the coast of Kotabaru regency, South Kalimantan. They were to
conduct a traditional procession of mappanre tasi', giving food
to the sea.
"The ceremony... is a token of gratitude toward the Creator
for His gift of the riches of the sea," said Sabir, a prominent
citizen on the Pagatan coast.
The ceremony held by the Bugis, the famed sea people of the
country, is always held in April after the fisher community here
have brought in their catch. The rituals carry the hope that
catches will increase.
Rituals of the Pagatan Buginese community are not unlike those
of other fisherfolk, such as those along the south coast of Java,
first attracted attention in the mid-1980s when the
administration got involved in managing and funding the
ceremonies.
The event has since been promoted in various regions and now
is included in the province's tourism calendar.
The site of the ritual in the Kusan Hilir district is only 200
kms over asphalted road from Banjarmasin.
Elders called sanro led prayers and walked to the boats to
release offerings which include a slaughtered chicken, bananas,
glutinous rice and eggs.
But unfortunately thousands of visitors wanting to see the
procession on April 19 were disappointed because of a lack of
water transportation needed to get a closer look.
The peak of the ritual was the release of the above offerings
at sea to appease the guardians of the sea and ask that continued
riches for the community and the safety of fisherfolk are
ensured. Many families have lost relatives to the sea while
fishing, hence giving offerings, as some measure of prevention,
is considered a must.
The trend now is that offerings are shared after they are
thrown from the boats.
"Formerly, the slaughtered chicken was abandoned after it was
released but nowadays it is considered a waste and the chicken
can be taken by people," said a participant.
Attractive traditional dances enliven up the rituals. Local
and foreign tourists also come here each year for the tasty
seafood; squid, turtle eggs, shrimps, mussels, served at many
foodstalls.
At the end of the day they take home a cotton or silk sarong,
another speciality of the community.