Sumba

Nobility

Mengkudu Island as told by Yakub from Hadakamali, East Sumba.

'There is a sacred island far out in the ocean, called Mengkudu. The island was “hot”, that is, there was bad energy there, it was frightening. Women were not allowed to go there. People said that if they went there, they would die. One king took his wife there on a fishing trip. When his wife went ashore to spend the night, she fell ill and died. The king called a dukun, a healer who knew the rituals and he was able to hold ceremonies to “cool down” the island. Another strange thing, fishermen say there is a cove where many corpses of big old turtles can be found, maybe some as old as 150 years. Some have decomposed, but many are still untouched although there are many scavengers there. The place seems like a kind of turtle graveyard.'

Mariana Matalu, a textile weaver from Pau village, Sumba explains the significance of the turtle.

'I began weaving when I was in primary school. We learnt to weave to pay our school fees, by selling our products to Chinese traders from Waingapu.

First we begin by learning how to spin thread, then how to dye the thread using the root of the kombu plant - Morinda Citrifolia and nila - Indigo. After we know how to process the plants into red and blue colours, we begin to learn plain weaving, then after that we start weaving flower designs, and then we begin learning small traditional designs – cultural symbols which must be maintained. So we begin doing designs of turtles, fish, mamuli, and andung – traditional house shapes. We learn from the elders in our village.

The turtle is such an important motif for us that we give it precedence. When we learn to weave, it is the first symbol that we must be able to portray. Turtles have their own special traditions for us. At traditional ceremonies, for example when we participate in Sumbanese dances, we must wear this (turtle motif) cloth.

Secondly, we possess the ancient symbol of Hai Kara Wulang - the Crown of the Turtle of the Moon. According to our people, the Kara Wulang is ruled by the moon because we can see by the moonlight how the turtles come up onto the sand. We know that at that time, surely the turtles will come and we go to look for them.

During ceremonies, for example the burial of a king, they sit in a circle around the king, and the women must wear the hai kara - turtle crown. At weddings, the men wear the sarong whilst the women wear the hai kara. Also in leading any ceremonies whatsoever, they must wear this mamuli which is a symbol of royalty. The symbol for women is turtle and for men the red crocodile. The mamuli is not in the shape of a flower, it originates from the time of our ancestors, it is difficult to explain its meaning. It is our link with our ancestors and must never be worn by the true owner.

Images: Mamuli, fish & turtle textiles woven by Mariana Matalu.

Kemuliaan

Pulau Mengkudu, diceritakan oleh Yakub dari desa Hadakamali, Sumba Timur.

Ada suatu pulau yang keramat, jauh di lautan, pulau Mengkudu, namanya. Pulau itu “panas”, artinya ada suasana jahat di sana, menakutkan. Orang perempuan dilarang pergi ke sana. Kata orang, kalau perempuan pergi ke sana, mereka akan mati. Seorang raja membawa isterinya ke sana memancing. Begitu isterinya mendarat di pulau untuk bermalam, dia jatuh sakit dan meninggal. Si raja itu memanggil seorang dukun yang mengetahui daya sihir, lalu pulau itu ditenangkan kembali. Ada keanehan lain, menurut nelayan, ada suatu teluk di Mengkudu, di tempat itu terdapat banyak bangkai penyu yang besar dan tua sekali, mungkin sampai umur 150 tahun. Ada yang sudah membusuk tetapi ada banyak yang tidak dimakan walaupun ada banyak pemakan bangkai di sana. Seolah2 tempat itu seperti perkuburan penyu.

Mariana Matalu, seorang pengrajin tenun dari desa Pau, Pulau Sumba menerangkan
pentingnya penyu.

Saya mulai belajar tenun waktu saya S.D. Kami belajar tenun untuk membiayai sekolah, dengan menjual hasil tenun kepada pedagang Cina dari Waingapu. Kami mulai belajar cara memutar benang, lalu belajar mewarnakan benang dari akar kombu dan daun2. Setelah kami tahu mengolah warna asli menjadi warna yang sudah diwarnabirukan dan merahkan, kami mulai belajar tenunan polos, kemudian kami mulai membuat gambar bunga, dan setelah itu kami mulai dengan gambar kecil, yang menurut adat istiadat harus kami abadikan.

Jadi kami mulai mengerjakan dengan gambar kura2, ikan, mamuli, dan andung – itu gambar rumah2 adat. Kami belajar dengan bimbingan dari yang sudah tua dalam kampung kami.

Pentingya lambang kura2 bagi kami sehingga kami mendahulukan dalam waktu belajar yang pertama, karena dia merupakan simbol yang paling awal yang harus bisa kami kerjakan, kura2 ini mempunyai tradisi tersendiri bagi kami. Pada waktu upacara adat, misalnya pada waktu kami ikutserta dalam tarian Sumba, harus kami memakai kain ini.

Yang kedua kami mempunyai simbol sejarah dengan Hai Kara Wulang. Menurut kami itu, Kara Wulang itu didominasikan dengan bulan, karena kami bisa lihat dari bulan, bagaimana kura2 itu naik ke pasir.

Kami tahu pada sa’at ini, pasti kura2 naik ke pasir dan kami pergi mencarinya. Jadi kami lihat dari simbol bulan, jadi menurut kami, kara wulang mempunyai tradisi yang sangat kuat.

Dalam rangka upacara, misalnya meninggalnya raja kami , waktu dikuburkan, mendekati upacara pemakaman, mereka sering dipakai, mereka duduk mengelilingi rajanya, dan mereka harus memakai, hai kara. Yang kedua, pada waktu upacara pernikahan, lelaki memakai sarung, sedangkan perempuan memakai hai kara. Juga kalau membina adat istiadat apapun, dia harus memakai ini mamuli, yaitu simbol kerajaan. Bentuknya mamuli bukan bunga, ‘tapi aslinya dari nenek moyang dulu, agak sulit untuk dijelaskan artinya.

Tenunan ikan, mamuli, kura2 oleh Mariana Matalu.