A number of men and women dressed black buckles, lengthy legs, walking around the State of Haruku. One of the indigenous villages in Haruku Island, Central Maluku Regency, Maluku. The night, those who are joined in Kewang’s corps (the adat bowl) get around to read the combined fish sasi of the lompa.
In the sasi tradition that already lasts more than three centuries the indigenous people are prohibited from taking certain natural resources, until the age is already worth harvesting or taken.
Sasi Lompa in Haruku State is a panen fish harvest (Trisina baelama; a kind of small sardine fish) which is only once a year, the fish is unique because it is similar to the widely known salmon fish in Europe and America as well as can live in the sea and on the river.
Before harvesting, the time of maintenance of the lompa fish is carried out with a traditional ceremonies “Panas Sasi” by Kewang who reminds the citizens to maintain and maintain the environment around the Learisa Kayeli river, as far as more 1500 meters are living and fish habitat.
Citizens are prohibited from bothering or capping fish when in the sasi location area characterized by special milestones, citizens should also wash the kitchen utensils or discard the river. If there is a sanction or punishment in accordance with the provisions in the rules of the sasi, in the form of a fine or a rotan whip for children.
If it’s time, Kewang will announce the time of harvest. This time of harvest is a lot of people to reconcile in capturing the fish of the pump with the equipment.
However, it is easy to maintain this tradition, because of the action of coral reef wild bombers on the coast, and the height of sedimentation and mud along the Learisa Kayeli river that threatens the habitat of the village fish.
Text & Photos : Embong Salampessy
