Mandailing Culture (6)

MANDAILING CULTURE: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

By Edi Nasution

6 . Religion

The period before the introduction of Islam to Mandailing, the people who lived there at that time embraced animistic belief system called 'pelebegu' (worship of ancestral spirits). However, information about the belief system 'pelebegu' is now very difficult to obtain because people are always trying to shut down Mandailing if their ancestral religious system was questionable. Circumstances in the past that they see as "the future of black and dark" (called “maso na itom na robi”).

In 1991, I along with Fumi Tamura (ethnomusicologist - Japan) and his friends never audio-visual recording performing arts 'gordang sambilan' in Sayurmaincat, Kotanopan-Mandailing Julu. One of the repertoire (songs) are played when it was the 'gordang sambilan', is 'gondang mamele begu' (rhythm or music to worship ancestral spirits). This suggests that the 'gordang sambilan' position and has an important role in the belief system 'pelebegu' in the past. In this case, Pangaduan Lubis (1986) there is recorded, that "until about the beginning of the 20th century, the rest of the ancient religious systems that still looks scars in people's lives Mandailing though Islam has become a fad evenly Mandailing people. In some places people still do spirit calling ceremony called 'pasusur begu' or 'marsibaso' which is condemned by Islamic clerics. In keeping with the tradition of 'pelebegu', the ceremony performed for the spirits of the ancestors for help to overcome a difficult situation, such as the long dry season rice crop damaging population. People who witnessed the ceremony hard to argue that they did see heavy rain in the middle of a long drought after the completion of the ritual ceremony".

Figure. Gordang Sambilan and Si Baso.

Some people who were old enough in Mandailing no mention two figures are linked to the belief system 'pelebegu', ie 'si  baso' and 'datu'. In the old belief system, 'si baso' is in many ways very much needed by the King and ‘huta’ residents to have communication with the supernatural or ancestral spirits as 'si baso' is a medium that is through a certain ritual can be possessed by ancestral spirits to give instructions to address a wide range of 'reinforcements' (catastrophe) problems are like droughts and infectious diseases are endemic.

Until now, 'datu' position and still have an important role in society Mandailing. 'Datu' known and necessary as the traditional curer (traditional healer) or as a medicine man (shaman to treat). In each 'huta' usually there are some people 'datu': be ‘datu' that can cure some diseases, but there are also datu that lead to specialization cure certain diseases, such as 'datu rasa' specifically to cure people affected by taste (poison); 'datu ipon' is a special shaman heal people who are experiencing dental pain; and 'datu natarsilpuk' is a special shaman to treat people suffering from pain due to sprains or fractures.

In the past, the position and role of 'datu' broader than that described above, as a ‘datu’, among others, to determine the right time and a good time to go down to the fields, harvesting rice, the implementation of the traditional wedding ceremony or to enter a new home. In addition, the ability to predict is necessary to look at the arrival of a disaster or otherwise fortune, and the extraordinary occult was needed to ward off or heal diseases caused by 'witchcraft' (black magic). A 'datu' always be given responsibility to lead the various ceremonies and rituals because he was seen as a ‘treasury’. ‘Datu’ as a companion king has an incredible ability to provide a wide range of traditional wisdom (traditional knowledge as local wisdom) necessary to the perfection of community life 'huta' (‘banua’).

Figure. Gordang Sambilan in Sopo Godang.

The people who live in Mandailing now generally have converted to Islam and have long Islamic scholars trying to scrape out the trust 'pelebegu'. However, among those Mandailing there is still carrying out various traditional ceremonies were very closely associated with the ancient religion, such as rites 'mangupa-upa' (ceremony to call  ‘tondi' ('spirit') in order to evoke the spirit of a person's life ) and 'marpangir'  (‘tradition shampoo) in the river (Batang Gadis) as the influence of the Hindu religion, so that the implementation of such rites are always a source of never-ending debate. [EN]