Unveiling cultural meaning in ritual language
An ethnolinguistic brief analysis of the geleten pelumut ceremony in the adonara community
Keywords:
Ritual Language, Cultural Meaning, Ethnolinguistics, Traditional Speech, Ceremonial DiscourseAbstract
This study explores the forms and cultural meanings embedded in the Geleten Pelumut ritual speech as practiced by the Adonara community in Sukutokan Village. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study employed participant observation and in-depth interviews to collect data. The findings reveal thirteen distinct layers of cultural meaning expressed through the structure of the ritual speech, which includes the opening, the core body, and the conclusion. These meanings encompass reverence for ancestors, spiritual interconnectedness, requests for permission, communal solidarity, traditional guidance, well-being, divine blessings, moral orientation, metaphysical dimensions, the principle of bonum commune (the common good), gender equity, social interaction, and expressions of hope. This analysis highlights the significance of ritual language as a vessel of cultural identity and moral philosophy within the Adonara context, contributing to broader ethnolinguistic and anthropological discussions on the functions of ceremonial discourse.
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