Papers by Juniator Tulius, Ph.D.
Endogami: Jurnal Ilmiah Kajian Antropologi, 2024
Tato tradisional adalah salah satu tradisi prasejarah yang tidak memiliki catatan yang dapat dite... more Tato tradisional adalah salah satu tradisi prasejarah yang tidak memiliki catatan yang dapat ditelusuri kapan diciptakannya. Tato Mentawai adalah salah satunya. Namun, ada gagasan yang menyatakan bahwa tato Mentawai tertua di dunia. Asumsi ini menjadi perdebatan di dunia akademik dan tersebar di media-media digital. Sebahagian orang meyakininya asumsi itu sebagai sebuah kebenaran. Bahkan asumsi ini dijadikan sebagai acuan yang sahih dalam membuat sebuah kebijakan publik di Mentawai. Argumen ini telah menuai kontroversi di masyarakat Mentawai. Setelah mengulas sumber-sumber ilmiah yang mendasari munculnya asumsi tato Mentawai tertua di dunia fakta-fakta berbeda ditemukan tentang tato tradisional Mentawai. Berdasarkan fakta-fakta itu disimpulkan adalah bahwa tato traditional Mentawai sebagai yang tertua di dunia tidaklah berdasar.
Jurnal ilmu kehutanan/Jurnal Ilmu Kehutanan, Mar 25, 2024
Studi ini menganalisis bagaimana penebangan kayu komersial di Kepulauan Mentawai telah mempengaru... more Studi ini menganalisis bagaimana penebangan kayu komersial di Kepulauan Mentawai telah mempengaruhi dan terus merusak kehidupan masyarakat adat Mentawai di kepulauan tersebut. Penduduk lokal, khususnya yang tinggal di Pulau Siberut, telah terlibat dalam konflik kepentingan terkait penebangan kayu komersial skala kecil dan besar selama lima dekade terakhir. Otonomi daerah, yang menempatkan kekuasaan pengambilan keputusan atas pemanfaatan sumber daya alam di tangan masyarakat lokal dan pemerintah daerah pada awal tahun 2000an, diperkirakan mengarah pada pemanfaatan sumber daya alam yang berkelanjutan. Namun demikian, penelitian menunjukkan bahwa hal tersebut belum terjadi di Kepulauan Mentawai.
Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Nov 20, 2018
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the prevailing CC-BY-NC license at ... more This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the prevailing CC-BY-NC license at the time of publication.
In the ancient and modern contemporary Mesoamerican world there exists a deep respect for the ear... more In the ancient and modern contemporary Mesoamerican world there exists a deep respect for the earth because it is considered as a being that has essence and life. The earth is seen as a mother; she sees us born and someday we will return to her body. The respect we have is reflected in the rituals and oral narratives of ancient as well as modern Mesoamerican communities, such as the Naua community of Santa Catarina, Acaxochitlan, Hidalgo. This community is located in a valley surrounded by hills and water. The spirit that lives in the tlalticpactli is considered as a mother, “the venerable mother of the people.” She is the lady of 1. La investigación que produjo el resultado que aquí se presenta forma parte del proyecto ‘Time in Intercultural Context’, dirigido por el Prof. Dr. Maarten E.R.G.N. Jansen (Facultad de Arqueología, Universidad de Leiden, Países Bajos), y ha recibido apoyo financiero del Séptimo Programa Marco de la Unión Europea (FP7 / 2007-2013) en virtud del acuerdo de...
Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Dec 3, 2023
Wacana
Mentawaians sing ritual songs enshrined in archaic texts referring to particular primates and bir... more Mentawaians sing ritual songs enshrined in archaic texts referring to particular primates and birds, while ritual and traditional dances imitate how gibbons, sea eagles, and other animals live in the natural world. Mentawaians craft sculptures of endemic primates and unique birds. The bilou gibbon ape and various other animals also symbolize specific sacred knowledge within the sabulungan spiritual belief system and traditional cosmology of Mentawai society. Although some do succeed in surviving, many older traditions have faded away. Among the traditions which continue intact, this report aims to examine the roles of primates and birds across the arts and in the Mentawai belief system to reveal the profound depth of connection between humanity and the natural world throughout Mentawai traditional culture.
Bijdragen tot de taal-, land- en volkenkunde / Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia, 2020
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC 4.0 License.
Anthropological Forum, 2018
Wacana, 2016
This paper examines some significant elements of the pig story (tiboi sakkoko). This tale contain... more This paper examines some significant elements of the pig story (tiboi sakkoko). This tale contains crucial information about the collective identity, ancestors and historical events affecting particular Mentawai kin-groups. As families do not preserve their culture and traditions in written form, storytellers of kin-groups have narrated the pig story from generation to generation so as to preserve it carefully. In the course of time, storytellers establish particular ways of telling their stories so as to remember the content and plot of the stories easily. Through the pig story, members of kin groups also recollect their ancestral place of origin and plots of ancestral lands. The role of human memory is indispensable to recalling all these important elements. Therefore, this paper analyses memories of the past of different family generations. To achieve its aims, this paper also evaluates the roles of family stories in the culture and traditions of Mentawai society.
Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia, 2013
The mango story 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Features of the mango 5.3 The mango story 5.3.1 The mango in... more The mango story 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Features of the mango 5.3 The mango story 5.3.1 The mango incident as told by the Siribetug kin group in Sirisura 5.3.2 The mango incident as told by the Salakkau kin group in Saibi Muara 5.3.3 The mango story as told by the Satairarak kin group in Maileppet 5.4 Social significance of the mango story 6 The pig story 6.1 Introduction 6.2 The domestication of pigs 6.3 A cruel conflict over a pig 6.3.1 The pig story as told by the Salamao kin group in Taileleu 6.3.2 The pig story as told by the Samongilailai kin group in Sioban on Sipora 6.3.3 The pig story as told by the Samongilailai kin group in Maileppet 6.4 Interpreting the pig story 7 The wild boar story 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Social and cultural aspects of traditional hunting 7.3 The wild boar incident 7.3.1 The wild boar story as told by the Saleleusi kin group in Paipajet 7.3.2 The wild boar story as told by the Sakatsila kin group in Saibi Muara 7.3.3 The wild boar story as told by the Satoko (Siriratei) kin group in Saibi Muara 7.4 Interpretation of the wild boar story Part Three 8 Characteristics of family stories 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Mentawai oral narratives 8.3 Themes of a family story 8.3.1 The mango story 8.3.2 The pig story 8.3.3 The wild boar story 8.4 Telling a family story 8.5 Competence in storytelling 8.6 Ownership of family stories 8.7 Concluding remarks 9 The expansion of Mentawai ancestors 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Places of origin 9.3 Migration on account of a conflict over mangos 9.4 Migration due to the pig incident 9.5 Migration as a result of the wild boar incident 9.6 Geographical expansion of Mentawaians 9.7 Genealogical expansion of Mentawaians 9.8 Concluding remarks References Summary Samenvatting Ringkasan Glossary Curriculum vitae Illustrations Maps 1.1 The Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra 2.1 Siberut 2.2 Sipora 2.3 North and South Pagai 9.1 Migration of the Siribetug kin group to Sirisura (7) on Siberut island 9.2 Migration of the Salakkau kin group to Saibi Muara and Totoet (10) on Siberut island 9.3 Migration of the Satairarak kin group to Maileppet (7, 9, 10) on Siberut island 9.4 Migration of the Salamao kin group to Taileleu (10) on Siberut island 9.5 Migration of the Samongilailai kin group on Siberut island 9.6 Migration of the Samongilailai kin group to Sioban (16) on Sipora island 9.7 Migration of the Samongilailai kin group to Maileppet (11) on Siberut island 9.8 Migration of the Saleleusi kin group to Paipajet (11) on Siberut island 9.9 Migration of the Sakatsila kin group to Saibi Muara (11) on Siberut island 9.10 Migration of the Satoko kin group to Saibi Muara and Sarabua (5) 239 A note on the use of Mentawai language Mentawai communities have been isolated in valleys and islands for relatively long time. Due to headhunting traditions and other socio-cultural reasons, Mentawaians did not frequently travelled through places. Therefore, they speak in different vernaculars. On Siberut, eleven dialects are spoken by Mentawaians and Sipora and Pagai are categorised into two additional dialects. Since 1900s, the Dutch colonials have prohibited headhunting practices and the Sakalagat communities residing in Pagai island were the first Mentawaian community that had been converted to be Protestants. Protestant missionaries from Germany translated the Bible from German into Mentawaian and the Sakalagat dialect had been chosen to be the language of the Bible. Missionaries distributed copies of Sakalagat Bible through the Mentawai islands. A clear impact of distributing the Bible is that the majority of Mentawai people can communicate and understand each other by making use of the Sakalagat dialect. Although the majority of Mentawai people have been reading the Sakalagat Bible, the local dialects keep alive significantly. For this research, I use several Mentawaian terms. I do not use a particular dialect therefore. The words used are understood and recognised by the majority of Mentawai people. However, the way of how to write the words for this research is adjusted to the orthography suggested by linguists, for example by Karl-Heinz (1989) as Mentawaians do not have a written tradition. Family Stories 18 Map 1.1 The Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra 2 In general, this study examines what I call family stories. Family stories are a kind of oral narratives that constitute the major carrier of Mentawai culture. Mentawaians do not practise any written tradition. They maintain their cultural values in the form of oral narratives. Mentawaians tell certain stories and transmit these stories in their family through the generations. Some oral narratives consist of general information and belong to all Mentawai communities. Mentawaians regard their oral narratives as important sources for understanding their cultural circumstances. Some oral narratives belong to particular kin groups, as they convey features of those kin groups. Such oral Oral tradition is very important to communities that do not culturally practice a written tradition. Even among communities with a written tradition, oral tradition still plays an essential role as a source of early information before information was documented into written accounts. Oral tradition consists of various types of oral narratives that have several elements, marking differences between types of oral narratives. Scholars of oral tradition therefore categorize oral narratives into particular genres. 'folklore' , at least to me, does not obviously convey historical matters that are important events for family or community. Scholars of oral tradition specify the historical occurrences that have affected a family or community with a particular term. Sometimes, the term 'narrative' is used to refer to several categories of oral tradition. Finnegan (1992: 39) uses the term 'narrative' to accommodate all stories of human beings. Narrative includes stories that are present at all times, in all places and in all societies as exemplified in South Pacific Oral traditions by Finnegan and Orbell (1995). In order to describe narratives, Edward M. Bruner (1986b) mentions their key elements, which are story, discourse, and telling: The story is the abstract sequence of events, systematically related, the syntagmatic structure. Discourse is the text in which the story is manifested, the statement in a particular medium such as a novel, myth, lecture, film conversation, or whatever. Telling is the action, the act of narrating, the communicative process that produces the story in discourse (Bruner, 1986b: 145). With the element of story, we are informed about events that are described structurally and systematically so that we fully understand how the events occurred and what they can tell us. With the element of discourse, the abstract sequence of events is manifested in structured texts in a particular medium. Structured texts of the abstract sequence of events are categorized into particular types of stories. With the element of telling, the act of narrating means to perform. By the performance of telling a story, we communicate the sequence of events to the audience in particular ways in particular circumstances. However, storytelling may not be politicized in order to maintain the imperative clarity of liturgical language and performance (Ernst, 1999: 88). In telling, a storyteller has particular gestures while giving his speech or narrating his story. Rubin (1995: 114) analyzes McNeill's system (1987) in seeing gestures as iconic and holistic rather than arbitrary. Gestures by McNeill are seen as a window through which to view speech production. For instance, in one exam-or kin group, I use the term 'family story' , telling about past events that have affected a family or kin group. In the next section, I aim to characterize features of the family story. Performance, performers, and audiences In terms of performance, Mentawai family stories differ from other oral narratives in which moment they are told. Oral narratives that are appropriate for communal audiences can be told in public or in the presence of different groups of people. Mythical tales, legends and historical narratives, which pertain to a community, are mostly told by members of the community in a variety of circumstances. There is almost no secret hidden from community members because those narratives belong to the community. It is slightly different in the case of family stories, which are told in specific circumstances. A common moment to do so is at family gatherings. Most social gatherings take place during rituals and ceremonials. Family members often come together when one of their members passes away. After the burial ceremony, family members gather and listen to stories about the dead person and about other events concerning their family or kin group. Or, they tell a story when a new baby is born to the family and extended family members come to celebrate the birth. This also applies to other ritual rites because particular family stories relate to particular stages of life. Sometimes, a specific story is only told in the presence of a few adult individuals of a family in order to protect the content of the story. Therefore, people make use of a moment when they are working in the garden because there are only a few people. Or they tell the story while resting in the middle of the night at home after other members are asleep. Sometimes, a story is only told from a particular individual to other particular individuals. In fact, part of the content of family stories can only be told to a limited group of people in order to maintain the secret part of the content. Furthermore, a family story belongs exclusively to a family or several related families that share the same ancestors. Due to their content, family stories have a limited audience as well as a limited number of storytellers who can tell them. Even among family members, there are particular stories that can only...
Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya, 2020
Oral traditions are an important part of the culture of most Indonesian communities. Mentawai, an... more Oral traditions are an important part of the culture of most Indonesian communities. Mentawai, an ethnic group residing in Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, has various genres of oral tradition. Traditional knowledge and local wisdom pertaining to natural disasters are also part of their oral tradition. Mentawai Islands are located along active tectonic plates, where earthquakes commonly occur at various magnitudes. Records show thatgreat earthquakes and tsunamis hit Mentawai Islands several times in 1797, 1833, 2007, and 2010. Surprisingly, earthquakes occurring some hundred years ago do not seem to appear in Mentawai oral tradition. This is slightly different from communities in Simeulue, Solomon, and Andaman Islands whose natives still remember some devastating catastrophes that occurred in the past. People’s collective memories play an important role in upholding significant messages from past natural disasters. Some ofthose messages contain important lessons on how to cope with na...
Wacana, 2022
Mentawaians sing ritual songs enshrined in archaic texts referring to particular primates and bir... more Mentawaians sing ritual songs enshrined in archaic texts referring to particular primates and birds, while ritual and traditional dances imitate how gibbons, sea eagles, and other animals live in the natural world. Mentawaians craft sculptures of endemic primates and unique birds. The bilou gibbon ape and various other animals also symbolize specific sacred knowledge within the sabulungan spiritual belief system and traditional cosmology of Mentawai society. Although some do succeed in surviving, many older traditions have faded away. Among the traditions which continue intact, this report aims to examine the roles of primates and birds across the arts and in the Mentawai belief system to reveal the profound depth of connection between humanity and the natural world throughout Mentawai traditional culture.
In the ancient and modern contemporary Mesoamerican world there exists a deep respect for the ear... more In the ancient and modern contemporary Mesoamerican world there exists a deep respect for the earth because it is considered as a being that has essence and life. The earth is seen as a mother; she sees us born and someday we will return to her body. The respect we have is reflected in the rituals and oral narratives of ancient as well as modern Mesoamerican communities, such as the Naua community of Santa Catarina, Acaxochitlan, Hidalgo. This community is located in a valley surrounded by hills and water. The spirit that lives in the tlalticpactli is considered as a mother, “the venerable mother of the people.” She is the lady of 1. La investigación que produjo el resultado que aquí se presenta forma parte del proyecto ‘Time in Intercultural Context’, dirigido por el Prof. Dr. Maarten E.R.G.N. Jansen (Facultad de Arqueología, Universidad de Leiden, Países Bajos), y ha recibido apoyo financiero del Séptimo Programa Marco de la Unión Europea (FP7 / 2007-2013) en virtud del acuerdo de...
Paradigma, Jurnal Kajian Budaya (2020) Vol. 10 (2): 147-168, 2020
Oral traditions are an important part of the culture of most Indonesian communities. Mentawai, an... more Oral traditions are an important part of the culture of most Indonesian communities. Mentawai, an ethnic group residing in Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, has various genres of oral tradition. Traditional knowledge and local wisdom pertaining to natural disasters are also part of their oral tradition. Mentawai Islands are located along active tectonic plates, where earthquakes commonly occur at various magnitudes. Records show that great earthquakes and tsunamis hit Mentawai Islands several times in 1797, 1833, 2007, and 2010. Surprisingly, earthquakes occurring some hundred years ago do not seem to appear in Mentawai oral tradition. This is slightly different from communities in Simeulue, Solomon, and Andaman Islands whose natives still remember some devastating catastrophes that occurred in the past. People's collective memories play an important role in upholding significant messages from past natural disasters. Some of those messages contain important lessons on how to cope with natural disasters if they should occur again. As a result, the majority of inhabitants of those islands survived future catastrophes because they remembered the lessons contained in their oral tradition. This is totally different in Mentawai where more than 500 people died during the 2010 earthquake and tsunami. Because of this, the Mentawai case becomes an interesting topic of study. This paper aims, therefore, to find out the reasons behind this apparent lack of oral tradition pertaining to the earthquakes and tsunamis that occurred several hundred years ago.
This paper examines some significant elements of the pig story (tiboi sakkoko). This tale contain... more This paper examines some significant elements of the pig story (tiboi sakkoko). This tale contains crucial information about the collective identity, ancestors and historical events affecting particular Mentawai kin-groups. As families do not preserve their culture and traditions in written form, storytellers of kin-groups have narrated the pig story from generation to generation so as to preserve it carefully. In the course of time, storytellers establish particular ways of telling their stories so as to remember the content and plot of the stories easily. Through the pig story, members of kin groups also recollect their ancestral place of origin and plots of ancestral lands. The role of human memory is indispensable to recalling all these important elements. Therefore, this paper analyses memories of the past of different family generations. To achieve its aims, this paper also evaluates the roles of family stories in the culture and traditions of Mentawai society.
Full Text:
http://wacana.ui.ac.id/index.php/wjhi/article/view/450/414
Wacana Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia, Jan 17, 2014
In this paper, I examine the stories about the origins of the first inhabitants of the Mentawai I... more In this paper, I examine the stories about the origins of the first inhabitants of the Mentawai Islands. My aim is to understand the perspective of the local community in seeing themselves in the particular place and space where they live in the Mentawai Islands. In my opinion, a set of narrative as a story about the origin of a group of people has a significant value for the development of local communities and their culture. A collection of narratives is an important source of information to understand the ideas of local communities in perceiving their past, especially people who do not have a written tradition. Many of these stories have not been studied thoroughly and on this occasion, I explore it in more depth.
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Papers by Juniator Tulius, Ph.D.
Full Text:
http://wacana.ui.ac.id/index.php/wjhi/article/view/450/414
Full Text:
http://wacana.ui.ac.id/index.php/wjhi/article/view/450/414
On 13th September 2007, member states of the United Nations adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), a momentous occasion marking wide political recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Ten years on, this book explores the areas –both substantive and geographic– dealing with the heritage and rights of Indigenous Peoples
globally. Written jointly by indigenous and non-indigenous scholars, the chapters offer an insight into the issues faced by Indigenous Peoples under the umbrella themes of land,
spirituality and self-determination. The case studies – which span four continents – not only highlight the various resilient and imaginative ways in which Indigenous Peoples are managing
to sustain, develop and transform their heritage, but also offer an insight into the areas where the implementation of UNDRIP is most needed.
On the 10th anniversary of UNDRIP, this book therefore serves as a clarion call to states, transnational enterprises and policymakers to act in accordance with the tenets of the UN
Declaration and take indigenous perspectives, ontologies and worldviews seriously.