Penebal village located
in the district Bengkalis area which has an area about 36 km. There are some
ethnic are scattered in several hamlets in the Penebal village, they are Malay 60%, Javanese 15%, Tionghua 2%, Asli
20%, others 3%. Which will be discussed in this paper is an Asli ethnic and
their culture.
Asli ethnic is one of the isolate ethnic which are
scattered in several regions in Bengkalis district, one of them in the Penebal village.
The amount of the Asli ethnic inhabitants
of the Penebal village ranks second after Malay rate that is equal to 20% of the total
population. An Asli ethnic is who first occupied the Penebal village previously
migrated from the Sungai Rawa, the Sumatran region. There are several ethnics
of the descendants of the Asli ethnic that are Akit ethnic, Anak dalam ethnic,
Pemantang ethnic and Sakai ethnic. The ethnic contained in Bengkalis called
Asli ethnic.
Asli ethnic first also called
forest ethnic because living in forest areas and are dependent on forest
products in addition to relying on the river as a source of livelihood. They
were hunting, gathering, and fishing. In ancient times the staple food of Asli
peoples is sago, side dishes obtained from hunting and seafood such as clams
and snails or the like. Clothes and their houses as uninhabitable yesterday but
know is better, they are accustomed to barefoot when traveling to the forest,
sea and anywhere.
Asli ethnic animistic
belief is that trust in the spirit contained in the trees and other objects.
Although they are still embrace animism
at the moment, but they are often referred to as bandwagon ethnic. Because they
often follow the celebration of Tionghua ethnic and Malay ethnic.
Since 2000 Asli ethnic
in the Penebal village began to receive attention from Penebal government, with
Aslli ethnic held union movement. At first Asli people live separately from one
another, then the Penebal village government build 40 units of housing for Asli ethnic and
placed in an area of Asli population located in the fourth hamlet in Anak
Kembung named Gebak alley.
The language used by
Asli ethnic is generally the same as the language of the local Malay community,
but the dialect used somewhat different. Often also sound like nothing that
prevents their voices to come out. For Asli peoples who are less socializing
with the Malay community, usually in part a language they do not understand.
Examples of the
language used and understood by the Malay community is "Mika hendak
kemanak?" Which means where are you going ?, "tiadek" means no,
and others.
In religious practice,
more Asli ethnic led to the Buddhist religious rituals. It is also based on
local issues say that the majority elders ethnic ritual practice that is
difficult to understand, they deliver foods on the banks of the river, in the
woods or in a places that is in trust as the owner of the great spirit. The
food served was unusual in place above the thatch woven sheath decorated with
palm leaves and in the use of a rope hanging on the tree - the tree. The way
their treatment is still very primitive. They rarely seek treatment at a
medical team, they are more trusting supernatural powers that can cure them.
From year to year of
their original culture eroded, they blend in with the Malays and the Chinese
men that affect their lives a little pattern. Some of them already with the
times, the use of motorcycles as a means of transportation, but not a few also
who still choose to walk. And several of them begin to check their healthy to
medical treatment.
Advances in technology
have penetrated into their settlement, it is evidenced by some of those who
already have a household electronic goods such as televisions, washing machine,
rice cooker, etc. However, they are not so concerned about education, they
prefer their children to work rather than continuing education. Educational
facilities do not they use it well. Few of those who want to send their
children, and even then not until college.
One of their work
culture that still they are doing is making thatched roofs. Their lives depend
on sago palm tree as food and livelihood. Asli ethnic more like a job which is
called "Money raised" meaning they seem to be more like doing the
work in a day or a few days they directly receive money for their work.
Therefore, they still exist makes the roof of thatch fell the tree.
Nowadays Asli ethnic
don’t have interesting spesific tradition and art culture like long time ago.
Last time. in merriage ritual they used a dog for asking agreement of marriage,
but now they follow tionghua’s merriage tradition and ritual funeral. The thing that we can see to difference their
athnic to other ethnic is from their face and their language, other than that
is almost same.
Source :
- Penebal village office
- Penebal Socialite
- The Asli people
- Photos from Penebal documentary and field collecting taken 03 desember 2014
