ICHWAN SUSANTO, MOHAMAD FINAL DAENG, INGKI RINALDI
·5 minutes read
Kompas/Ingki Rinaldi
La Rabu Mbaru
La Rabu Mbaru has been writing down the cultural traditions and the history of Binongko Island in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi, since he graduated from a teachers’ training school (SPG) in 1984. He was persistent in seeking and gathering the oral traditions (culadha tapetape) of the Binongko and Wakatobi peoples. He then wrote about them to help spread the cultural knowledge.
We met with him on Tuesday (28/9) at Yoro Beach in Wali subdistrict, Binongko district, Wakatobi regency, Southeast Sulawesi. Among the reasons behind his efforts was the loss of good manners and character among some people, which often caused conflicts.
Also absent was the general understanding to protect nature. As a result, people destroyed the forest and fished using explosives or poisons that damaged coral reefs.
“Ancient [traditions] are not all bad. Some are good,” La Rabu said. That evening, he talked about many things, including the origins of the Binongko, as told through a poem that he sang and danced to.
Their ancient traditions includes kaombo, customary prohibitions on exploiting natural land and marine resources in order to ensure sustainability. Also included area system of governance and customary value systems and institutions called Sarano Wali as a basis for social life.
La Rabu said customs were like “shields” for the teachings of Islam that became the core of life.
He has written about the three kinds of morals (sara tolu mingku we’eli), which are subdivided into four sources of truth and justice, four sources of downfall and four sources of true redemption. These include mutual compassion, a ban on individual ambitions to control others’ possessions and belongings, and a commitment not to perform those deeds prohibited by religion and custom.
The origin of Binongko customary laws, which are intertwined with Islamic teachings, dates back to 1530-1538. However, changes to the post-Independence system of governance since 1946 had led to the declining influence of customary laws.
A revival of Binongko customary laws was initiated on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013, when La Ode Hasahu Tarahayani was appointed as the 24th Lakina Wali (customary leader). The decision was made by the sarahu’u (customary elders) and sarano agama (religious leaders) as the community’s sara hukumu (decision-makers) in the Sarano Wali baruga (customary hall) in Wali subdistrict.
The decision to revive the laws was partially influenced by La Rabu’s numerous writings. The written records were read out loud in the baruga, where religious leaders, customary elders, youth, educators and the general population had gathered. “They all agreed [unanimously],” said La Rabu.
It is also thanks to La Rabu’s writings that the community realized that Wakatobi, an acronym derived from the names of the Wangiwangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko islands, should have been Bitokawa instead.
Various challenges
As evidenced by his wealth of writings about the local traditions, La Rabu faced various challenges in compiling them over the years. His eyesight began to get blurry in 2006 and this limited his ability to read and write. He also faced challenges in using a computer. This was why he only began to digitalize his writings in 2016 after previously depending on handwriting.
In 2010, some of his handwritten manuscripts went missing. At the time, he was working on Wangiwangi Island. The loss was caused either by the neglect of the person who had borrowed the manuscripts from La Rabu, or by his own neglect to ask the borrower to return them. La Rabu then tried to rewrite the lost manuscripts to the best of his abilities.
Some contested La Rabu’s records of history. He patiently and openly accepted such challenges.
He let these “challengers” come to him with their arguments; sometimes, he went to them and to explain his reasoning behind the records.
La Rabu used many sources in compiling his records, including his father La Mbaru and a knowledgeable elder named La Herani.
“La Herani is gone now. He was poor and some thought him stupid, but he turned out to be highly knowledgeable. It was from him that I gathered the local creation myth,” La Rabu said, adding that he had goose bumps as he recalled the story.
He confessed twice to having chills us as he was retold the story of La Herani, who was 100 years old in 2002. La Rabu was not certain when La Herani had died.
La Rabu said that meeting with his sources on local customary laws and history was difficult. Apart from the laws that were “missing” due to the absence of a writing tradition, culadha tapetape are often inherited through the generations only among select persons.
“Only certain people are deemed worthy of hearing the stories,” La Rabu explained.
La Rabu chose the path of an educator and a chronicler of his people’s civilization after deciding that he was unsuited to the seaman’s life that his father had led. Now, his youngest son is in the sixth grade and has shown his interest in and skills as a writer and a chronicler of civilization, much like La Rabu.
