Religion
The Von people are mostly Buddhist, as is another neighboring Alifuru group, the Yamatitam people. [7] They adhere to Theravada Buddhism. [2] Initially, the Von people, like most of their neighboring groups in the mountains, were animists, unlike those on the coast who had adopted Abrahamic religions, namely Islam and Christianity. The Von people carry out traditional rituals to respect nature and their ancestors, one of their traditional rituals is kanahoam, namely forest sasi, is a prohibition on carrying out activities in forests that are considered sacred and protected. For them, the customary forest called Fulla Wai Vanath is their source of life, living space, and a legacy given by their ancestors. [8]
The Von people first embraced Buddhism when a young man from Von hamlet named Yopi Abalalang visited his brother's house in Yamatitam, another hamlet which was about 18 km from his hamlet. From the visit, he brought home information about Buddhism from Metam, a young man from Yamatitam who had learned about the teachings of Buddhism from monk Siriratano. Then he told the information to his family and the tete (local leader), who then passed it on to the community. After several months, the Von people finally invited a bhante to learn more about Buddhism. The invitation was conveyed through Metam, and at the end of 2014, the bhante and several people visited Von hamlet for the first time. [1]
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