Buang Au (Childbirth Ceremony) in Lombok

1. The Origin

Childbirth has not only social meaning, the increasing of new community member for example, but also sacred meaning. The sacred and social meanings of the childbirth, for example, can be observed on buang au ceremony which is held by Sasak community (an indigenous inhabitant and a group member of ethnic majority of Lombok Island), West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

In Sasak community, the baby‘s delivery is helped by a balian (traditional medic). The balian, after delivering process, will burn charcoal and place it under the bed of the baby. This rite is to keep warm the baby. A week later, the baby‘s parent will hold the buang au ceremony (throwing ashes). In the ceremony, when balian throws the cinders, the baby‘s parent will announce the name of the newborn baby.   

The custom of choosing and naming a newborn baby vary in different ethnics and communities. In Sasak, naming a newborn baby is not mistakenly done. Because, they believe that the name will give an impression on the future of the baby. In addition, they also believe that giving name, which is not suitable for the baby‘s character, will give the bad fortune. For these reasons, the baby‘s parent will consult the name to Pemangku (chief of Sasak‘s community) or Kiai (religious leader). The Kiai and the Pemangku will choose a name based on the baby‘s astrological chart that depends on time, date, month, and year of the childbirth. For some cases, the baby‘s parent will give their children his grandfather or great-grandfather‘s name in order to keep in mind the origin of their ancestors.

2. The Equipments

There are some tools used in the childbirth ceremony of Sasak:

1. Bedak keramas consists of coconut milk, chicken blood, and sembek (local food) placed into a piece of coconut shell.
2. Sampak is a tool (tray: nampan) that made of earth. The amount of Sampak depends on the invitations. According to Sasak‘s tradition, odd number of sampak draws on the ceremony of gawe urip (making a life) and even number of sampak draws on gawe pati (making a death).  
3. Lekesan (ritual offerings in Javanese tradition).
4. Dish service for eating together. The excessive dish depends on the (big or small) ceremony and the income of the Epen Gawe (host). The excessive dish is symbolized by slaughtering cow and buffalo. While the moderate dish is symbolized by slaughtering sheep and chicken.

3. The Way of Performing the Ceremony

Sasakians believe that when a newborn baby is coming into the world, he/she brings the parent‘s sins. Therefore, the parent has to perform buang au ceremony for the baby, a week after birth, in order to put away from the derivative sin. This ceremony consists of the bedak keramas (purification ceremony) and praying of the Kiai. The Kiai has to spread the bedak keramas on the forehead of the baby and the parent. The following step is eating together and pariapan buang au by all participants (Kiai, Pemangku, Toaq, Lokaq, family of baby‘s father, and noblesse).

In Sasak, the buang au ceremony is conducted in the berugak or bale-bale (the place where Lombok community sit on). This ceremony is led by Kiai. However, if the epen gawe (the host) has invited more than one Kiai (all Kiai Kagungan are invited) in this ceremony, the Penghulu, Ketip or Lebai will lead the ceremony.          

The performing of buang au ceremony can be described in the following steps:

1. The invited guests have to take a place which is divided into two lines. All the Kiais sit down (with the legs crossed) by facing the east in front of the Pemangku, while Toaq, Lokaq, and noblemen sit down by facing the west.
2. When all of the invited guests gathers, the sampak (dish service) will be served and placed amongst the men who are sitting on two lines. According to its tradition, the sampak for two men who are sitting in front of each other. 
3. When the sampaks are distributed, the penyilak will deliver a speech about the aims of this ceremony on the behalf of the Epen Gawe. In the following step, he will ask the Kiai to bless for the Epen Gawe.
4. The Kiai, who leads the ceremony, ups his hands and recites short Arabic prayers.
5. He (the Kiai), afterward, nods his head to the penyilak by saying auk (yes) which means penyilak could leave his place to start eating.  Before eating, the Kiai will wash penyilak‘s hands, take the water from the earthenware, and in the last, he will gargle with the water.
6. The invited guests, who are sitting in front of and behind the Kiai, have to do as the Kiai has done.
7. Afterward, the Kiai asks the audiences to open the cover of the sampak and tells them to start eating.
8. The Kiai will start to taste the rice with his index finger and thumb thrice. This practice is followed by the guests.
9. The Kiai reasks the guests  to eat the dish service by saying (formally): silak beleq ‘ang.
10. The final ceremony is symbolized by wiping (sembek) the baby‘s body and the forehead of the parent. This rite is intended to get blessing from their papuk-baluk.
11. After completing of all rites above, the Epen Gawe will bring and place the sembek in front of the ancestor‘s grave for one night, and will be taken back in the following night when they are sleeping (mengolam). After that, the epen bale will be invited to put a lekesan on the upper corner of home. While bless of epen gubug will be gathered from lekesan which stays for one night in the Kampu Pemangku or the Kiai.  

The end of these steps signs us that buang au ceremony is completed.

4. The Prayers

The prayers which recited in buang au ceremony are short Arabic prayers (the text of the prayers is still in the process of collecting data).

5. Cultural Values

Buang au is the Sasakian ritual which has specific performances and cultural values. These values are: religious sacred values (sakral) and social-cultural values. The religious values could be seen in the amount of sampak and in the reciting of Arabic prayers. The odd number of sampak refers to unperfected human life. In addition, the sacred values have been also described by the sembek which is placed in front of the ancestor‘s grave and lekesan which is placed on the upper corner of home. They believe that ancestor‘s souls could give blessing for their offspring. The social-cultural values could be seen in the practice of eating together and the reciting of Arabic prayers. The usage of Arabic prayers in the buang au ceremony indicates that Sasak‘s culture can adapt other cultures. Therefore, the performing of buang au ceremony which is practiced by Sasak‘s community is the evidence that culture always be inherited and organized.

(TN/trj/10/9-07).

References :

• Erni Budiwanti, 2000, Islam Sasak, Wetu Telu versus Waktu Lima, LKIS, Yogyakarta.
• Belajar dari Sejarah, from http://labulia.blogsome.com/2007/04/04/belajar-dari-sejarah/, retrieved at Sepetember 11, 2007.
• Nusa Tenggara Barat, from http://www.depdagri.go.id/konten.php?nama=Daerah&op=detail_provinsi&id_prov=24&dt=nilai&nm_prov=Nusa%20Tenggara%20Barat, retrieved at Sepetember 11, 2007.
•  Wetu Telu, Kearifan Tradisional di Lereng Utara Rinjani, from http://impalaunibraw.or.id/ dat/detail.php?id=12_0_1_0_M, retrieved at Sepetember 11, 2007.

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