A traditional house of the Boti tribe that is to be restored at the end of this year. The restoration work will start and end with a customary ritual that involves all Boti residents, including those who follow one of the official religions.
Even though it is resides only about 55 kilometers from Soe, the capital of South Central Timor regency, East Nusa Tenggara, it is not easy to reach the Boti tribe, one of the native tribes of Timor Island that lives in Kie district. About three hours of travel time is needed to reach the location because of the terrible road conditions.
The king of Boti, Nama Benu, 47, has a palace that does not have the features of other royal palaces. The building resembles the house of a village resident, with a zinc roof, walls made out of bebak (palm leaves) and ceramic floors in the pendopo (Javanese gazebo). The pendopo is 3 by 8 meters in size and is the place to welcome guests, with six wooden pillars holding up the roof.
A 100 centimeterby 40 cm table was placed in the middle of the pendopo. On the table were betel and areca nuts inside a vessel made of woven palm leaves. Every guest is served the betel and areca nuts. Regardless of whether they are to meet the host, the guests must take the betel and areca nuts to show they are good guestsby respecting their local traditions.
When a visitor touches a betel or areca nut, he or she leaves an upeti (monetary tribute) for the king inside the vessel. The value of the upeti is up to the guest. The king’s family would happily accept it.
On the bebak walls there are dozens of stickers bearing the logos of various television channels, print media and sport-loving groups. Guestbooks are presented for the guests to write their personal data. One book is for local guests; another is for foreign guests.
Boti men
King Nama Benu looks neat wearing traditional Timor attire. His long hair is tied back and falls down his shoulders. This is the typical appearance of married men in the Boti tribe. They are prohibited from cutting their hair for their whole life. Long hair is a symbol of the authenticity of the universe.
Boti people communicate in their local language of Dawan. Lobo Benu, 45, a sister of the king, speaks Bahasa Indonesia, although not fluently. She explains that 100 guestbooks have been fully used up since 2010. Each book can fit the names of 500 guests, which means that about 50,000 people have visited the Boti in that time. In the message and impressions column, most visitors wrote: “Unique; needs to be preserved and maintained because it is [the only one] remaining on Timor Island.”
The names of a number of local government officials, former officials, politicians and former politicians and members of the public are written in those books. They apparently visited to ask the king to use his supernatural powers to help with their businesses and ambitions. The requestsare accompanied by a payment of “betel and areca nut” money to the king.
“Many became successful. A few months later, they would come back to say thank you to the king because what they asked for had been granted. Some became members of the DPR [House of Representatives], DPRD [Regional Legislative Council], DPD [Regional Representatives Council], regents, deputy regents; some had their children pass school exams, pass police tests, military [tests] and so on,” Lobo said.
There is a mystical feeling around the King’s palace. Trees are left to grow tall in the settlement. The sounds of owls and other night birds around the King’s palace greet arriving guests.
The population of Boti village is 2,147, but on 85 of those, 12 families in total, follow the native religion of Uis Neno Uis Pah (God of the heavens and the Earth). Those are the descendants of the Boti kings. The others are Christian, but are still obedient to the king. They follow all of the king’s commands.
At the end of May, when Kompas visited Boti, the king was busy preparing for a ceremony for the release of the souls of parents who have died. The ceremony is a special traditional ritual that requires more than 100 head of cattle. The ceremony will be held in August 2017 to deliver the souls of the parents to a different universe and it is also a gesture of respect for the ancestors.
“Every year, we carry out this ritual three times for Uis Pah, the Goddess of the Earth, during the times of planting, harvesting and saving in the barn. The ceremony asks the Goddess of the Earth to grant fertility to the plants and an abundant harvest,” said Lobo Benu.
Terrible road conditions
Near the king’s palace, there is a 5 by 8 meter inn with four bedrooms. The rate for a room is Rp 300,000 per night, which includes food and drink. There is also one special room that is adorned with special Boti tenun ikat (woven fabric).
Every day, there are always local or foreign tourists arriving. However, many among them complain of the terrible road access to Boti. Even though it is only 55 kilometers from Soe, it takes three hours to reach. The road is rocky, goes through a steep valley, up and down hills with angles of up to 70 degrees. Only rugged cars can use the road.
The king of Boti admitted that he is embarrassed to ask the government to construct a proper road to Boti. In Boti tradition, it is forbidden to ask for favors. It would be better if the government decided on its own to build the road.
“Landslides often occur on that hill. I ask the residents to get rid of the landslide debris. We have filled holes that are up to 50 cm deep. Even though the uphill path is risky, the guests who come are still safe. Those visiting Boti with noble hearts will be safe,” Benu said.
Respect nature
As of 2007, as many as 3,147 residents of Boti village believed in Uis Neno Uis Pah. They believed in a ruler of the heavens (Uis Neno) and a ruler of the Earth (Uis Pah). However, the ruler of the Earth is more respected and worshipped through trees, stones and places that are considered sacred.
In the Boti belief, worshipping Uis Pah means automatically also worshipping Uis Neno. The ruler of the heavens was also present at the creation of Uis Pah. The worship of Uis Pah is much more powerful than the worship of Uis Nenobecause Uis Pah is closer to humans.
The kindness of Uis Pah is manifested in the produce of the universe. If humans work hard and sacrifice, they enjoy their deserved results. An abundant harvest is also believed to be a sign of the harmony in the relationship between Uis Neno and Uis Pah.
“Humans cannot be greedy toward the forest, animals, fellow humans, the sea and everything under it. The balance of life must be maintained, but the Boti tribe has more respect for Uis Pah to bring about harmony with Uis Neno. The respect is shown through presenting offerings to their ancestors who they believe stay in trees, stones and springs,” Benu said.
The people must work for their own food. They cannot wait for it to come from others. Therefore, Boti natives refuse raskin (rice for the poor). They live off the results of their own work. The electricity in and around the king’s palace was provided by the Boti village chief from the village’s power generator.
