Tradisi Pemberian Naran Matabian pada Masyarakat Desa Lorotolus

Abstract

This study examines the practice of the Naran Matabian tradition (naming based on ancestral spirits) among the Tetun community in Lorotolus Village, Malaka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. Despite living amidst modernization and the influence of Catholic teachings, the Lorotolus community maintains the naming ritual as a medium for transmitting collective memory and strengthening kinship identity. This study uses a qualitative approach with ethnographic methods to explore the symbolic meaning, ritual stages, and values ​​of local wisdom contained therein. The results indicate that there are three main mechanisms in naming: Hakserak Mama (betel nut confirmation), Tein Tula (ritual offering banquet), and Nakmeik (communication through dreams). Theoretically, this practice is a manifestation of the concept of liminality, the formation of narrative identity, and the maintenance of collective memory that serves to maintain a cosmic balance between the world of the living and the ancestral world. The Naran Matabian tradition has proven to be more than just a mystical ceremonial, but a local knowledge system that plays a vital role as social capital in maintaining family cohesion, lineage continuity, and psychological stability in communities in border areas.