The Bumi Lestari Institute (LBL) carries out work plan preparation activities for traditional institutions and Marapu adherents. This event was held in Meurumba village, Kahaungu Eti sub-district, East Sumba district, on Monday, April 30 2024. In this activity, participants consisted of administrators of traditional institutions and administrators of Marapu believers and representatives from the village government.
The activity of preparing work plans for traditional institutions and Marapu adherents is a follow-up activity to their formation at the village level. “This is a form of the need to prepare work plans for each institution. "To have a reference or work plan that will be a priority," said village motivator, Rambu Mbobu.
LBL helps traditional community administrators and Marapu believers find what they want to do in the future. One of them is identifying related traditional obstacles that have occurred so far. From these obstacles, solutions to the problems that occur will later be found.
For example, traditional traditions from ancestors that have often been implemented over time are increasingly fading due to the times. When this tradition is not preserved, it is not impossible that local culture or traditional traditions will disappear.
Some of the priorities in the work plans of traditional institutions that will be carried out are related to the re-preservation of customs and culture. This can be seen when indigenous people hold traditional events. Many people no longer wear traditional clothes when sitting on traditional mats.
In fact, in the past it was the custom of our ancestors that when carrying out traditional ceremonies, all those present had to wear traditional clothing the stomach swells (for men) and lawu stomach (for women).
Apart from that, the management of Marapu devotees also carried out identification related to problems that have occurred so far. Such as, the implementation of Marapu traditional rituals (Hamyang) which has never been done. In fact, in the past, traditional rituals were carried out Hamyang This is done before planting and before harvesting garden produce so that the harvest can be abundant.
From the activities carried out by LBL, the indigenous people and Marapu believers are very grateful. Because it has facilitated encouraging and reminding indigenous people and Marapu believers to preserve their ancestral culture and traditions.
The Meurumba Village Government, Umbu Balla Nggiku, said he was very grateful for helping to facilitate the traditional community and Marapu adherents so that they could remember the traditional activities carried out by their ancestors.
"As village head, I really hope that the administrators of traditional institutions and administrators of Marapu adherents will continue to preserve the cultures that have characterized us all this time," he added.
Umbu Balla Nggiku also added that in the future the management of traditional institutions and Marapu adherents will be inaugurated so that the village government can voice the rights and needs of indigenous communities at higher levels of government.
