Eight middle-aged women solemnly sat around a set of offerings placed on the floor of a boat-shaped container as 11 elderly men walked around them, each holding one another'€™s shoulders while singing praise to God.

Traditional instruments provided music for the annual ritual held recently by villagers of Saloya subdistrict in Sindue Tabosabora district, Donggala, regency, Central Sulawesi.

Called Mompakoni Boya, which means '€œfeeding the village'€, the ritual was held to give thanks to God and ancestors; and to ask for blessings like good fortune, health and harmony, as well as protection from all kinds of disasters.

'€œWe preserve the ritual as part of our culture, not as part of our religious teachings,'€ said Limasuju, 47, chairman of a local custom institution.

He said the offerings included, among other items, seven sets of rice wrapped in banana leaves, 17 boiled eggs, one glass of water, two cigarettes, a white-wing chicken and seven traditional cakes made of rice flour, coconut sugar and eggs.

Other offering placed in the boat-shaped container included a sheet of tobacco with a coin tied on the upper leaf, black sticky rice, prayers written on a piece of paper, 33 sets of rice wrapped in banana leaves, 33 boiled eggs and seven slices of fried banana.

'€œThe boat will be washed away into the sea,'€ said Muhammad Pilman, 51, chairman of the Saloya custom institution.

The Balia trance rite is another feature of the Mompakoni Boya ritual. During this rite, performers go into trance and run barefoot atop a pile of burning coconut shells while avoiding getting burned by the flames.

The Balia rite is accompanied by the traditional gimba drum, a long bamboo flute called lalove, a wind instrument called yori and another instrument called vanga fulu, which is made from 10 coconut shells.

This rite is believed to harness supernatural powers that rid individuals of malevolent spirits and help cure a variety of ailments.

Local cultural observer Amin Abdullah of Palu, Central Sulawesi, said that there were three levels of the Balia rite: Balia Bone, Balia Jinja and Balia Tampilangi.

Of the three levels, Amin said, Balia bone was the lowest, and was usually presented for people at the grassroots, or for those whose ailments were considered less severe. The rite is led by a single leader.

The Balia Jinja is considered identical to a round dance and is performed with the participation of spectators. The rite is also led by a single person.

Balia Tampilangi, the highest level, is considered the most sacred of the rites because of its highly concentrated power and because it adds a procession emphasizing healing to the two processions performed in Balia Bone and Balia Jinja.

Amin also said that previously, this ritual was only performed by the Kaili community, who are the indigenous people of Palu city, Donggala regency and Sigi regency. Of late, however, the ceremonies have begun to be performed further afield.

The effort to spread the ceremony, according to Amin, was held as a way of introducing the younger generation to the custom so that they could maintain and preserve it.

'€œOtherwise, I am afraid, the tradition will just become history,'€ Amin said.

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