Parai Marapu The Village of The Dead

Where do people go when they die? To many older people on the island of Sumba, the answer is to Parai Marapu, the village of they dead. In Sumba , the belief is still widely held that the souls of the ancestors who reside in Parai Marapu determine the well-being of those whoa re still alive on earth. Those ancestral souls have the power to protect the living and know what is hidden to ordinary mortals. It is to please and appraise those ancestral souls that people built altars to worship the Marapu and to bring them offerings. Certain places in the house are reserved for them and at certain times animals are slaughtered and offered to them. However, how is it possible for people to interpret their messages? The answer lies in the innards of the animals offered – the liver of a pig or the intestines of a chicken. To communicate with the ancestor’s souls , a Marapu priest performs gratitude’s festivities that refer to the Mawali Tau-Majii Tau (the creator ).

In eastern Sumba, or the urrata in the western part of the island. A spear or a piece of string may be used as the device of communications. If a spear is used the head is thrust in to a selected structure of the house. The priest holds the other end of weapon , he will feel the vibrations of the ancestor’s voice and interpret them. Whatever the truth may be , there can be little doubt that at least for believers the practice of Mawali or Urrata gives the assurance that there is life after death. Some elders in eastern Sumba say the word Marapu simply means the spirit who live on a Higher place of existence and may act as intermediaries between humans and their creator.

Flobamor is East Nusa Tenggara

EAST NUSA TENGGARA is in many ways different from the rest of Indonesia. It is geographically, ethnically and culturally a border area where transition from Asia to Australia and Micronesia takes place. The territory of East Nusa Tenggara comprises 566 islands. The three main islands are flores, Sumba and Timor from which comes the term ’’ Flobamor ” which has been familiar as one of the names of east Nusa Tenggara.

FLORES, a long island located between Sumbawa and Timor , is strewn with volcanoes in a mountain chain dividing it into several regions with distinctive languages and traditions, scenic beauty, good beaches and natural wonders. KOMODO island one among the wonders, a small island of 280 sq km is located between Sumbawa and Flores and is famous for its giant lizards which are considered the last of their kind remaining in the world today, this unique species is called the Komodo Dragon.

SUMBA, formerly known at the Sandalwood island, is known for its horses and Sumba cloth. The island is famous for it’s arts and handicrafts, particularly the textile ikat weaving. The island is roughly oval in shape. The greatest concentration of those who worship spirits ( ancestral and those of the land ) is found in west Sumba where two-thirds of the population hold on to their traditional belief. It is here where incredible rituals take place. Although some exist in East Sumba , it is in West Sumba that one can find a greater number of huge megalithic tombs and traditional thatched and peaked huts raised on stilts. Many traditional activities, all with a part paying homage to the spirits. These include the building of adat houses and burial ceremonies.

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