Kabuenga ceremonies, traditions find a
mate, in the Wakatobi Islands, Southeast Sulawesi. This tradition continues to
be preserved Wakatobi community.
Traditions that are regularly held in
the Wakatobi archipelago each year was held in the open field and followed by
all citizens who have grown-up Wakatobi both female and male. In this tradition
every man and woman who claimed intend to live together juxtaposed in such a
swing in the middle of the field open for all to see.
This process begins with prepare the
population swings in the middle of the open field as a medium for meeting men
and women who will find a mate to say the pledge to live together. In this
kabuenga tradition, the women who will seek a mate gathered circle swing by
wearing traditional clothes and carrying Wakatobi traditional foods of all
kinds and are usually brightly colored and arranged in such a way that looks
interesting. Then these women to dance a dance called pajoge dances to the
accompaniment of drums and gongs sound as an opening this sacred procession.
When the dance is being played by the women before the men are welcome to give
money to the woman.
Philosophical meaning of this dance
tells about the customs of some men of Wakatobi which has always been
foreigners in the country. And when in these overseas promised that if returned
to Wakatobi will be set aside part of their income to give to the dancers who
welcomed his return. To accompany this procession kabuenga, indigenous stakeholders
and then walked around with a steady swing kabuenga earlier traditional chants.
After completing the strains of
traditional stakeholders kidungnya followed by women who also had a swing
around as much as 7 times as he also sang traditional songs Wakatobi with a
soft drink in the future will be given to the man she loved. Yng Women are in a
row is called a group kadandio.
When running this procession of women
who are members of the group are required to behave kadandio courtesy to a man
who would be given a drink offering was for the man to be impressed and willing
to accept a drink of the woman. The procession of this drink called a custom
pasombui.
After the women finished now turn to
the man doing the same thing that swing around as much as 7 times. But, unlike
the woman who brought a soft drink then the man while chanting rhymes bring a
kind of parcel that contains a variety of everyday needs ranging from food to
clothing.
What's interesting about this
procession is that after the man handed over the goods brought to the women,
followed by unrequited rhyme. In this poem reverberate rhyme-rhyme that was
sung by both parties (male and female) contained about expressions of love to
their partners until then they vowed to live together lively semati.
After both vowed then was escorted by
the stakeholders, both indigenous to the swing kabuenga. Every couple who sat
on the swing was then rocked by the indigenous stakeholders before he sung
poetry rhythm and rhyme.
And after going through this procession
each pair then split up and return home to their respective homes while waiting
for the talks between the two families to then toward the altar.
