Rori Witu (As Ngadanese Traditional Hunting)

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Rori Witu or To'o Lako  (As Soa Tribe traditional hunting)

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The traditional hunting  (Rori Witu) is an annual ritual for Soa tribe. It is 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 system of the 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 included 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 local 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) or like a sword (Sodi). The barbed spear shaped like a fishhook.

The hunters usually came from all communities of Soa would do hunting and were not restricted to either children and adults. They   usually hunted by using horses (Zara) or on foot. In its effort to obtain the bluish animals the dogs were always accompany 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 with 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) in general were common but some of steps are different such the stages of the ritual at night until the next day will do the hunting.
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In Soa district of Ngada Regency, one village conducted the traditional hunting was Libunio village. Libunio is one of a local tribe. 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. Rori Witu Nio started with cooking the 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.  The 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. People who were trespassed the rule will be penalized by the local leader. A few days later, all adults (male) go looking for the shrimps (Ko Kuza) is called (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 Siprianus Wara

 (Adapted from an interview resulted with Bapak Adrianus Rato as one of the local leader of Libunio village on June, 2017)