Getting to know the Lom Tribe in Malay Bangka, Indonesia
Ditulis pada: August 09, 2021
Some people may not know what the Lom Tribe in Malay Bangka is. However, for people who live in the Bangka Belitung Islands, the name of this tribe is certainly familiar to the ears.
The Lom tribe is also known as the Mapur Tribe. This tribe can be found in Air Abik Hamlet and Pejam Hamlet located in Gunung Muda, Belinyu District, Bangka Regency in the Bangka Belitung Islands.
The area where the Lom tribe lives is only about 13 Km from Belinyu City. To reach the area, visitors can choose two-wheeled vehicles or four-wheeled vehicles. But visitors must be prepared to face the road that is not smooth alias full of potholes and damaged.
The Uniqueness and Magic of the Lom Tribe
So what is the attraction of the Lom Tribe so that some people are interested in visiting? Unlike other tribes in the archipelago, the existence of the Lom Tribe in Malay Bangka is clad in magical nuances that can make the forehead wrinkle and the hair on the neck stand up, but at the same time arouse curiosity.
The name of the Lom tribe itself comes from the Bangka language which means not yet. This title is given because the Lom people do not yet have a religion. A few members of the Lom tribe do include Islam on their identity cards, but that is only a formality. To be honest, the Lom people don't believe in anything.
Although they do not follow any religion, the Lom people live by adhering to the principle of respecting others and not hurting others. The Lom people who have no religion are obedient to customary laws.
They believe that they were born from a universe consisting of forests, rivers, mountains, sky, animals and earth. That's why the people of the Lom tribe really appreciate this universe. They have a strong belief that a curse will befall those who violate the power of the universe.
Not only believe in the curse of the universe, the Lom also know the use of spells for various purposes. For example, spells to protect the fields they manage from theft, spells to perform hypnosis to make someone admit a crime they have committed, spells to make the opposite sex fall in love, and there are also spells to keep the household together.
The existence of these spells makes the Lom tribe wrapped in magical nuances like the Dayak tribe in Kalimantan.
Even though the Lom Tribe uses this spell in their environment only and with great care, the people around the Lom Tribe tend to be careful when dealing with this tribe. People who already know what the Lom Tribe in Malay Bangka are of course will maintain their attitude when entering the Lom Tribe area.
In addition to spells, the Lom Tribe also has a number of rules that are obeyed by all its citizens. These rules seem absurd, but they actually have a deep meaning.
For example, the rules in the Lom Tribe that forbid pregnant women to sit on the stairs. Because the Lom people believe that stairs are a place for spirits or spirits to pass.
Pregnant women who sit on the stairs are worried that spirits or spirits will enter them so that they will hinder the delivery process. The Lom people also always keep themselves from whistling in the fields. Because they believe that the whistling sound will make the spirit of life go away.
When the spirit of life leaves, the seeds will not germinate and the plants will stop growing, resulting in crop failure.
Another rule is that if one of the Lom tribesmen dies, when he is about to be buried, his body is not brought through the front door.
The Lom carried the bodies through the back door or even by breaking through the wall on the side of the house. Because they believe that people who have died are gone forever so they can't be taken through the front door.
In addition, if their traditional elder dies, the Lom tribe does not wrap it in cloth but with bark. The funeral procession was carried out to the accompaniment of the sound of coconut shells being beaten and certain spells.
Meanwhile, regarding the origins of the Lom Tribe there are several opinions that arise. One version of the origin of the Lom Tribe says that this tribe came from a group of Vietnamese people who were stranded on Tanjung Tuing Belinyu Beach around the 14th century AD. Some of the Vietnamese who survived then made a settlement in the area of Mount Pelawan Belinyu.
This version was obtained from an anthropologist named Olaf H Smedal. This anthropologist from Norway has conducted research on the Lom Tribe in the 1980s. This anthropologist conducts research by living for several years in the midst of the Lom Tribe.
However, there is also an opinion that the Lom tribe is descended from the residents of the Majapahit Kingdom who did not accept the influence of Islam so they chose to flee.
The Development of the Lom Tribe in the Modern Era
The development of the takurung era has also gradually touched the Lom Tribe. Although the Lom people maintain the customs and rules that apply in their tribe, now they have allowed their children to attend school.
Unfortunately, these children from the Lom Tribe did not complete their education in Elementary School. Presumably they still provide a limit not to stay in touch longer with the world of education and the modern world.
At first the Lom tribe lived by nomadic. However, since 1973, some of the Lom people have made permanent settlements in Air Abik Hamlet. These settlements are the result of the government's initiative in a project called PKMT (Project of Remote Community Villages).
In this project, the government built 75 semi-permanent houses, namely houses with walls and boards and tile roofs. The number of Lom people who inhabit the village area built by the government continues to grow. The Lom Tribe who lived in this village came to be known as the Lom Luar Tribe.
Uniquely, in Air Abik Hamlet, there are no immigrant tribes. The Lom Luar live in their own community. Thanks to the Lom's love for nature, outsiders cannot change the use of the Abik Water Forest.
Until now the Air Abik Forest is still awake. Oil palm plantations and tin mining are very limited in this area so that the forest condition is maintained.
However, there are also families from the Lom tribe who want to join this village and choose to live nomadic lives in the forest. These families are hereinafter referred to as the Lom Dalam Tribe. They live at one with nature. Their dwellings are made of bark with a roof using palm leaves. As for clothing, they chose to use leaves.
Well, that's a brief knowledge of what the Lom Tribe in Malay Bangka is. Hopefully this knowledge can add to your insight about the tribes in the archipelago.
The uniqueness of the Lom Tribe is the main attraction for those who want to learn about inland tribal culture. Meanwhile, the Lom tribe's love for nature can provide lessons for all of us to love nature too.
