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E. Manggarai farmers honor nature, ancestors with Umbiro
The people of East Manggarai in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, have a high regard for paddy, a staple food crop they call “Mother of the Earth.”
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Local tradition: Students of the SD Inpres Nunur elementary school in Mbengan village in Kota Komba district, East Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), perform the Umbiro ritual in Ranakolong village on Aug.1. (JP/Markus Makur)
The people of East Manggarai in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, have a high regard for paddy, a staple food crop they call “Mother of the Earth.”
Around 90 percent of the regency’s residents work as farmers, cultivating rice crops either on unirrigated agricultural fields or wet rice fields.
As the East Manggarai people live in unity with nature, they show their respect for the universe and God by preceding each activity related to the cultivating of crops with traditional rituals.
This includes the stage in which rice grains begin to develop. In a ritual called Umbiro, farmers will gather along the bunds between their rice fields, praying to the universe for a healthy harvest laden with long rice grains.
Umbiro has always been performed by farmers in East Manggarai, especially in villages in the southern part of the regency, such as Gunung, Gunung Baru, Mbengan, Ranakolong and 22 others.
To show the connection of East Manggarai’s people to Umbiro, 30 students from Catholic elementary school SDK Waekekik in Ranakolong village, Kota Komba district, performed the traditional tug of war during an event to celebrate the school’s 54th anniversary last Tuesday.
Literally, umbi means “pulling,” while ro is a kind of forest plant that spirals upward and can be used as a rope.
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E. Manggarai farmers honor nature, ancestors with Umbiro
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