Beru Dayang: The Concept of Female Spirits and the Movement of Fertility in Karo Batak Culture
| Autor: | Beatriz van der Goes |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1997 |
| Předmět: |
Cultural Studies
East coast geography.geographical_feature_category Visual Arts and Performing Arts biology Agroforestry business.industry media_common.quotation_subject Pastoralism Fertility biology.organism_classification Archaeology Geography Agricultural land Agriculture Anthropology Arenga business Mountain range media_common |
| Zdroj: | Asian Folklore Studies. 56:379 |
| ISSN: | 0385-2342 |
| DOI: | 10.2307/1178732 |
| Popis: | The Karo Batak inhabit the northern regions of the Bukit Barisan (a mountain range running from north to south on the island of Sumatra) and the coastal lowlands of Sumatra's east coast. The Karo of the highland plateau, nowadays called kabupaten Karo (Karo regency), combine agriculture with pastoralism and the collection of forest products. They live in villages, which in the hilly landscape look like small islands surrounded by wide expanses of agricultural land, savannah, and forest. Dry rice cultivation was traditionally the main agricultural activity. The cycle of dry rice cultivation is relevant to Karo Batak village life and rituals. To the Karo, Beru Dayang, the spirit of rice, is female. In the process of growing dry rice various stages are distinguished, all bearing the ritual name of beru dayang. However, in certain rituals the term is applied to other visible matter, such as parts of the house, ritual equipment, and features of the surrounding landscape. This paper examines appearances of the beru dayang in a Karo Batak ritual chant in dry rice cultivation, in the order of seasons, in the mythical affinity with the spirits of the arenga palm and rainbow, in the female body, and in the bodily elements of amniotic fluid and placenta. This leads to the question of how Beru Dayang is related to the fertility of both rice and people. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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