Traditional ceremonies

The people, the politicians and the religious leaders explain this co-existence of animism and Catholicism with; Catholicism being their religion, while animism is their culture,so there is no reason for conflict. Some of our information was collected from our interpreter and guide. He is a traditional leader from another area of Ngada (Langa), and we did not have the opportunity to thoroughly examine if all the information coincides with the local traditions in the specific villages of Jerebu’u.

Sacrifices of both water buffalos and pigs can be seen on the front of the houses

Animist sacrifices are carried out on a regular basis in various ceremonies and rituals. The most normal sacrifices are rice and chicken, but also pigs and horses are used for some of the more important ceremonies. Water buffalos are traditionally very important and considered the largest sacrifice to do. But we were told that the high prices and the difficulties to buy water buffalos have made it less common in use in the area of Jerebu’u.

Both the church and the government have in recent years encouraged the people to reduce the number of sacrifices; the government by putting a tax on sacrifices and the church by encouragement. But both efforts have not lead to a significant reduction, at least not yet.

For some of the largest ceremonies, the number of sacrifices necessary is usually so great that a family cannot afford the cost of the animals alone. However, in these ceremonies, one family does not carry the economic burden alone, and reciprocity is very evident. Even if a family agrees with the government and the church to reduce the number of sacrifices, other families and relatives will bring animals to sacrifice to pay off old debt or show their connection to the family holding the ceremony. In this way, it is very difficult to stop the use, or even reduce the numbers, of sacrifices. It would mean that old traditional ways of showing alliances and friendship between families, clans and villages would have to be removed or changed. Examples of this kind of ceremonies are the opening of a new house and the planting of a new totem.

Our interview with the Kepala Suku, the Chief of the Sakabu clan, offered an interesting insight into the system of traditions in the Perish of Jerebu’u. The Kepala Suku has a role in all the traditional ceremonies and rituals within his clan. And he has the authority over the houses belonging to the clan.

The traditions differ somewhat within each village and are passed on orally to the next generation. The Kepala Suku we interviewed had just started writing down the traditions that was under his responsibility. So the information we got was only accessible orally, therefore some details about the ceremonies might be quoted wrongly.

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