Samson
Samson is an agreement between the Matbat people and other ethnic groups living in the Raja Ampat Islands. Another term for samson is sasi. Samson comes from the Matbat language, which means prohibition. The samson ritual takes place once a year for a period of six to seven months. In carrying out this ritual, a leader is needed who is referred to as mirinyo. [1]
As a society whose life is inseparable from the sea, the Matbat people believes that they can survive thanks to the services of the sea guardians. These guardians of the sea are the ones who provide fertility to marine life, ensuring abundant catches at sea. Therefore, they perform traditional ceremonies. During traditional ceremonies, the mirinyo will recite a mantra at sunrise. He stands in front of the village, facing the sea. Then he planted a gasamson or prohibition sign in the form of a bay tree trunk. On the stem the leaves have been pruned but the branches and twigs remain. Its function is to hang offerings such as betel nuts, cigarettes, tobacco, and even pieces of red cloth. Not only that, the mirinyo also planted two gasamson at the ends of the village facing the sea.
When the gasamson has been installed, that is when the prohibition period applies. No one, whether native or immigrant, was allowed to harvest seafood until the sasi or samson harvest was completed. In ancient times, the penalty for violators was whipping and shackled. As time goes by the sanctions have changed. Now anyone who violates the law will receive a more beneficial punishment, such as doing work related to the public interest. Another sanction is that the seafood collected by violators will be confiscated by customary officials. In the implementation of samson, not only the customary government but all residents are involved as supervisors. So any citizen who sees a violation occurring can report it to the traditional leader.
The period of samson existence ends when a change in nature occurs, such as when the wind no longer blows strongly. Similar to the start of samson, the end of samson also takes place in the morning before sunrise. When the ritual is held, the entire community must face the sea. Then the traditional head or king expressed his gratitude for the protection during the time of samson, give thanks for the fertility that is given and make requests so that local residents do not suffer disasters when collecting sea produce by reciting mantras to the guards, The inhabitants of the sea and the ancestors who had died. As a sign that samson time had ended, the mirinyo then blew loudly on the triton's shell. After the samson period ends, residents can return to the sea but with the applicable rules. On the first day after the samson period is over, residents go to sea to collect various marine biota, but they are not allowed to go beyond the designated water boundaries, which are only as far as the village coast. On the second day, the community can sail longer distances. From the third day onward, they can sail even further.
Wala
Wala is an oral tradition in the Matbat culture. Wala is also known as lan batan o or land song which means 'songs performed in the form of dance among the Matbat people'. This song tells about everything related to Matbat, starting from the origin of batan me or batan msool, spread of the life of the Matbat people, down to the events they experienced. The Matbat people views wala as something sacred. [4]
Wala is divided into two types, namely pun musa and pun muncai. Pun musa is a wala performed by the Matbat people which is at the rising sun section, while pun muncai is performed by the sunset section. The difference lies in the foot stomping and rhythm. In pun musa, the rhythm is slightly smoother, with the foot stomping following the beat. Meanwhile, the rhythm and tempo of the pun muncai are a little fast and rough, followed by foot stomping as a pause.
When performing a wala, there is a term called sibilwala (wala dance). Sibilwala is the movement performed when the wala is delivered orally. In wala there are various messages and advice about various things in life. Wala also tells about an event that is supported by evidence from a particular place. Previously, wala was only performed at special traditional events. However, now it is performed at any time, especially to welcome dignitaries.
