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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 9, No. 2
Publication Date: February 25, 2022
DOI:10.14738/assrj.92.11747. Kebingin, B. Y., & Martasudjita, E. (2022). A Local Wisdom in East Flores and the Shift: The Transition of the Lamaholot Religion to
the Catholic Religion. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 9(2). 146-158.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
A Local Wisdom in East Flores and the Shift: The Transition of the
Lamaholot Religion to the Catholic Religion
Benedikta Yosefina Kebingin
Sekolah Tinggi Filsafat Teologi Widya Sasana
Malang Program Pasca-Sarjana – Stp Reinha Larantuka
Prof. E. P. D. Martasudjita
Faculty of Teology of Sanata Dharma University
ABSTRACT
This study aims, firstly, to determine the factors that led to the conversion of the
Lamaholot religion to the Larantuka Catholic religion. Second, to find out the social
impact upon religious conversion of Lamaholot to Catholicism on the daily life of
the people in Larantuka. And how this will gave us the basic understanding upon
the history of the transition and how Catholic religion still thriving till nowadays.
This study uses a qualitative method with an ethnographic approach. The research
locations are spread across three sub-districts, namely Larantuka, Lewolema, and
Ilemandiri. Sources of data obtained through document analysis, interviews
focused on key informants, direct involvement, observation and introspection. The
research results were analyzed using domain, taxonomy, and componential
techniques. The theology paradigm used on this writing is the Theology of the
Incarnation. How God humanizes and enters the local culture, illuminates it with
divine light so that the adherents of the culture can see into the depths of
themselves the truth that comes from that light.
Key words: Lamaholot, Religion, Religiosity
INTRODUCTION
One of the characteristics of traditional people who live in a particular culture is to have a belief
in the existence of Supreme Being. Anthropologically, the Supreme Being is seen as the Almighty
Creator, Origin and Destination of the universe, and the Divine Person. Due to the existence and
power of the Supreme Being, people tends to respectfully gave their obedience, submission,
worship and devotion to their God. Everything that is done or experienced by traditional people
were always associated as divine intervention; both good and bad things. In this context then
traditional society lives in the belief in the existence of blessings and curses from the Divine. If
people live according to the commands of the Divine, their lives will be blessed. If on the other
hand people oppose His orders, they will be cursed in the form of disease, disaster, and death.
The same belief can be found in the traditional communities of East Flores. Based on the sources
of oral tradition through the tutu maring usu asa (the stories of origin), beliefs like this have
existed and grew since the beginning of the formation of the traditional East Flores community,
called the Lamaholot community (Ritan, 2015:16). This term is specifically intended for the
traditional people who inhabit mainland East Flores, Adonara, Solor, and Lembata. This society
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Kebingin, B. Y., & Martasudjita, E. (2022). A Local Wisdom in East Flores and the Shift: The Transition of the Lamaholot Religion to the Catholic
Religion. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 9(2). 146-158.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.92.11747
lives in a monarch system, which is estimated to have existed since the 13th century
(Soemargono, 1992: 9).
Since the beginning, Lamaholot community has believed in the Supreme Being, which is called
Lera Wulan Tana Ekan. This entity is recognized as the Lord of heaven and earth, the Source
and Destination of all things. To build interpersonal relationships with Lera Wulan Tana Ekan,
the community build a traditional house, which is called korke or koke bale. Korke is believed to
be the inhabitation of Lera Wulan Tana Ekan in the world. Because of this, the korke was made
as the center of the world of the Lamaholot community. In this house, Lera Wulan Tana Ekan is
the center of community way of life, and become the spirit of the people to builds community
life and togetherness.
The belief in the existence of Lera Wulan Tana Ekan has been passed down from generation to
generation and has been deeply rooted in the Lamaholot community. In this case, it can be said
that this is the original religion of Lamaholot, because it was born and grew up in the Lamaholot
community itself. This religion then shapes all aspects of people's lives.
In further developments, around 1556, when Portuguese Catholic missionaries arrived in
Larantuka, the Lamaholot religion slowly faced challenges. Historical evidence shows that
precisely in 1665, the King of Larantuka was baptized into Catholicism, so that officially
Catholicism became the official religion of the people of Larantuka (Fernandez and Tukan,
1997: 13-14).
Since then, the Lamaholot religion has been slowly abandoned and Catholicism has become a
new universal religion in there. When it compared to other regions, this transition is mostly
experienced and carried out by people who live in Larantuka City, which geographically
stretches from San Dominggo to Lewerang, and is added to Lebao. There is a total shift from the
Lamaholot religion to Catholicism, both in terms of rites, symbols, and values.
Since the baptism of the King of Larantuka at that time, Catholicism flourished in Larantuka City
and continues to grow to till nowadays. Not a single korke building left and there are no longer
any Lamaholot rites which are celebrated as the center of community life in the city of
Larantuka. In the researcher's observation, there is no syncretism of the Lamaholot religion and
Catholicism in the religious life of the people of Larantuka City. Catholicism is celebrated and
lived without mixing with the Lamaholot religion. What happened was the inculturation of the
Lamaholot culture into Catholicism, in some aspects.
Of course, these descriptions raise some central issues that must be explored. Among them are
the reasons for the shift from the Lamaholot religion as the original religion to Catholicism
which seems so easy to happen. In addition, there is the possibility of the emergence of
interesting and memorable things contained in Catholicism, for example related to religious
practices that affect the lives of the people of Larantuka. The next question is it true that the
transition happened at that time was really a total transition from the Lamaholot religion to
Catholicism. The last one is how is the positive impact of the transition on the life of Catholics
until now. According to researchers, observing the survival of the Catholic religion in the life
and appreciation of the people of Larantuka since the 12th century, of course, Catholicism is
believed to be a means that leads the Larantuka people to live their faith and belief in God.
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 9, Issue 2, February-2022
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Larantuka People's Indigenous Culture and Religion
Historically, the original Larantuka tribe was the Ile Jadi Tribe. The ancestor of this tribe is Lia
Nurat Nura Nama with her two sisters, namely Watuwele and Watowele. These two women are
often called Watoweling (jewels) and Tonu Wujo (Dewi Sri). These three twin brothers are called
Ata Ile Jadi who was born from inside Mount Ile Mandiri (Lemba, 2019). From these three
brothers, the Lamaholot culture was originally born.
In subsequent developments, immigrants began to arrive on Larantuka from various regions.
From the east emerged the Keroko Puken Tribe and the Seran Goran Tribe. From the west
emerged the Malacca Jawa or Sina Jawa tribes. The same thing happened when Portuguese
missionaries came to Larantuka who brought new tribes, who joined the indigenous tribes and
other immigrant tribes to form the Larantuka community.
According to the findings of historians, long before the arrival of the Portuguese missionaries,
since around the 13th century Larantuka had become a kingdom (Ritan, 2015:16). The founder
of the Larantuka Kingdom was Pati Golo Arakiang, an immigrant from the Sina Javanese tribe.
Under the rule of this king, the people of Larantuka began to form a more orderly system of
government. With this kingdom, the king and the community have strengthened the Lamaholot
culture as the original ancestral heritage of Larantuka.
Lamaholot comes from two syllables, namely lama and holot (Bebe, 2018: 53). Lama means
village, tribe or village. Lama is synonymous with the words lewo (village), riang (sub-village),
sukuwungu (marga or tribe), and nuba (brotherhood). The meaning of lama and its synonyms
are villages and related tribes. While the word holot means to continue, to survived from a
disaster. If the phoneme ‘h’ is omitted, it will means sticking. The main meaning of the word
holot is to unite from disintegration. Thus, the word Lamaholot can be interpreted as a village,
tribe, village, island whose people always sticks in unity as brothers.
Based on oral sources passed down by many generation (tutu maring asa-usu), since the
beginning of its birth, Lamaholot culture already has elements that make up culture, such as:
knowledge, beliefs, art, law, morals, and habits (Bebe, 2014: 1). Each of these elements contains
values that are used by the community to interpret their experiences and then guide their life
behaviors. One of the strong elements that influenced the life of the Lamaholot community in
the early days of its existence was the belief in the Supreme Being, as a Divine Person, Creator
of all universes, Source and Destination of universe life, Ruler of heaven and earth.
In the Lamaholot community, anthropologically the Supreme Being is called Lera Wulan Tana
Ekan. Literally, Lera Wulan means the sun and moon, and Tana Ekan means earth and soil.
According to Amanue (1989:59), symbolically and metaphorically, Lera Wulan Tana Ekan is the
ruler both of the sun-moon and earth-soil. This expression shows the belief of the Lamahalot
people that Lera Wulan Tana Ekan is truly an Almighty Being, who is far above (sun-moon, or
sky) but at the same time also close to humans (earth-earth). The sun-moon is represented as
God who is above the clouds and sky, and the earth-soil is below, near and close. The sun-moon
that is in the sky is a symbol of Allah, the God who is far, high, noble, majestic, there is nothing