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The
traditional hunting or (Rori Witu) in
the local culture of Ngada Regency especially in Soa sub – district still came
down to this day. The traditional hunting activities were usually placed in the
calendar cycles based on the local culture of local agriculture. This tradition
was closely related to people’s beliefs ritual existence being ability wild
animal like board (Hui) or Deer (Kogha) that can be damaging for all
plants that venture into the local communities to fulfillment their daily
needs. This ceremony will be held every year as an annual ceremony. The
indigenous hunting tradition in Soa includes several villages namely Mengeruda
(Witu Menge), Lo’a (Witu Lo’a) Seso (Witu Welu) and also Libunio village (Witu Nio). This traditional hunting carried out in accordance with
the local – based of the lunar calendar. It was usually carried out from June
to October in the year. The traditional hunting was held of each village with
have the different time. The traditional hunting activity was determined by the
traditional leaders (Mori Raghu/Rawu
Witu) in accordance with the lunar calendar customs. The traditional
hunting had some equipment such as spear (Tuba),
barbed spear (Bhou).The barbed spear
shaped like a fishhook. The hunters came from all communities of Soa would do
hunting and were not restricted to either children or adults. They usually
hunt by using horses (Zara) or on
foot. In its effort to obtain the bluish animals the dogs were always
accompanying the hunters. All the dogs were deployed to search the boars or
deer (Hui no’o Kogha). The hunters
were always scrambling by each other, so that no one is getting a whole body of
an animal but they had partly such as the head, feet, or hands etc. The hunters
scrambled the animals to show their knight stronger. Not all the hunters got
the animals if they did not strength to scramble to the other hunters. But, it
was always do in hospitality and the spirit of brotherhood.
In every villages, the stages of the
traditional hunting (Rori Witu) as
general were common. The different thing was the stages of the ritual at night
that the next day will do the hunting. One village conducted the traditional
hunting was in Libunio. In Libunio village had two main traditional ceremonies
such traditional boxing (Sagi Adha)
and also traditional hunting as known (Rori
Witu Nio). There were several stages that became a series of major ritual
that must be held before the implementation of the indigenous hunting. The
implementation of the Rori Witu Nio
started with cooking rice beans (Ka Nika
Lebha). Lebha was a kind of bean
as cooked with rice as an opening meal before the traditional hunting day. The
next day was continued with the ritual of Pau. Pau ceremony was a ritual in
which was of Nio tribal communities (Suku Nio). It was the time that
forbidden to carry out agricultural activities such as cutting the trees, or
burning of the garden. The people who were trespassed the rule will be
penalized by the local leader. A few days later, all adults male go looking the
shrimps (Ko Kuza) as the Heza ritual. After that, the next day
was followed by the Bato ritual. It
was the ritual of eating shrimps. A further ceremony was Sina Oro as the ritual to prepare a segment of bamboo that had been
cleaned to be dipped in the river.
If everything was prepared well, then continued
with Bhore Tua. At the night, where
the next day will do the hunting, the local leader (Mori Raghu Witu) held the ritual of Pepu. The Pepu ritual was
conducted as last preparation of the traditional hunting day. The local leaders
asked the rice of bamboo (Mama Toke),
and collected the ginger (Pai Lea). The
ginger was used to treat that hunters got wound as the traditional medicines. All
the things were distributed to the girls who was who completed the ceremony of
initiation into adulthood customary (Kiki
Ngi’i/Bu’e Muzi) who participated in the day of traditional hunting. The girls will redeem the existing bush meat
on the hunters. In Pepu ritual was
also the Mori Raghu prayed and pleaded to the ancestors and the forest watchman
in order to collect the deer or boars (Pai
Nitu Kogha no’o Hui) in the places that the hunters conducted the
traditional hunting. The Pepu ritual
was also to prohibit to all the tribal community were not to wash their face,
or oiling their hair especially on the first day of hunting.
When all phases as the series of the
indigenous ritual before hunting has been carried out, finally the time of the
hunting has come. The Mori Raghu and members gather in the center of village (Kisa Nua) doing the hunt commencement
ceremony and marching toward the firebox place (Saka Api) by the traditional singing. Arriving the Saka Api place, the fire arose by swiped (Pake Zoze) of the dried bamboo (Bheto
Rogho) and alang – alang (Keri).
This ignited a fire that has been used as a source of fire that used to burn
the forest as the place to hunt. The traditional hunting conducted for three
days. The hunters did not return to their village but lived in resting area (Loka) during the hunting took place.
Returning from the hunting areas, the hunters sang the traditional singing. The
meat as their hunting’s got to eat together with the family members of Nio
tribal community and its blood smeared on Beso or the point of Mori Raghu (Basa Beso Mori Raghu).
By Wara Cypriano
Note: This article was adapted from: An interview result conducted by Wara Cypriano with Bapak Adrianus Rato as the local leader of Libunio village)
Note: This article was adapted from: An interview result conducted by Wara Cypriano with Bapak Adrianus Rato as the local leader of Libunio village)