User:Maria Teresa Naa

Bone Payment ritual on the Day of the Dead Mey Brat Tribe
The death of parents( father or mother ) in the Mey Brat tribal tradition does not end the tribal ritual activities. Payment of bones from the father or mother who has died is carried out by children, grandchildren and all family members to the family who receives the payment. Family members who may receive the payment of the bones are family members of the mother of the deceased father or family members of the deceased or deceased uncle. Likewise with the mother who died, bone payments were made to her uncle's family members. Bone payments are usually made in a procession carried out by women from the uncle's side by performing and chanting song lyrics while hold certain symbols. Bone payment or in Mey Brat language “Kmamos”or other words “Yagi ytei”.

Introduction
​The death of one family members in tribal tribes in Papua has a custom or tradition of rituals or ceremonies, processions, and other events. These traditional rituals or ceremonies are  different from one region to others. In Mey Brat tribal tribes conducting the ceremonial of death is one of simbol of pride and dignity in their culture. A tradition that takes place in a tribal tribe community is a form of knowledge in a society that is realized through customs to solve certain problems or to celebrate certain things. This knowledge usually has a basis of truth, both mystically and rationally  (Levi-Strauss-2005). Based on the above statement, the death ceremony, payments of bone, chanting song lyrics  while holds certain symbols  in Mey Brat tribal tirbe tradition has meanings and knowledge used as a strategy to solve a problem when it is happen  in  their tribal tribes community or used as ways to bind brotherly relations between kinship relations, social relations, trade of “ Kain Timor “, and culture.

Mey Brat Tribal ritual of death
The tradition of Mey Brat tribe death of parents( father or mother ) in the Mey Brat tribal tradition does not end the tribal ritual tradition conducting when one head of family die. Chanting song lyrics while holds certain symbols, a group of women coming into the room or a shading where deceased was laid down. Groups of woman crying, chanting song lyric expressing all of the biography of the deceased. They chanting song lyric while holds a toy expressed  the deceased mom. When she/he was a little bay his mom would rock her/him in the cradle …… ( like the song lyrics of credence descripe cotton fields back home) .or country road song lyrics ( Country roads, take me home ,To the place I belong  West Virginia, mountain mama, ….)   they chanting song lyric while hold a bunch of rose flowers … it describes that when he/she was a child there was a rose flower were planted in front of his/her house.. Some woman were wearing uniform of PNS or ASN .. It means that when the deceased was alive she/he serve as a PNS or ASN, etc. All groups of Woman dance around crying, and chanting song lyric telling story of the deceased. All song lyric expressing all of the biography of the deceased while dressing and hold accessories. It was last one or two hours until the deceaseds’ children or families members put money in those womans’ bags  or pokets. They would stopped crying and  chanting song lyric after received money from deceaseds’ families.

​The ritual of Bone Payment on the Day of the Death.( Kmamos )
The death ( father or mother ) traditional ritual in Mey Brat usualy mourned by his/her children, grandchildren, relatives, friends,  his/her uncles’ families or  his mothers’ sister and her family who were coming from his mother side. However, the deceaseds’ uncles’ families and all of his/her  mothers’ sisters families    who attended   the death ceremony will reveive the bones payment. They pay bones with valuable things, namely ; “kain Timor“. In Mey Brat tribel tribes “Kain Timor” serves as the main medium of exchange in the Mey Brat tribe's culture. It is well known that the characteristics of the Papuan alliance are like grains of sand separated from one another (Boelaars 1986: 25). Bartering and other customary contacts is one way of maintaining the fragile peace between neighboring clans or tribes (Muller 2011: 112-113) The ritual of Bone payment is conducting  after funeral procession. Uncle and all families of his mother are meeting while late father/mother families discuss about the “ Kain  Timor “. A moment later, the master of ceremony explained about the tradition of Mey Brat tribal tribes and the accient tradition specially the bones payment. Besides, the master of ceremony explained also why the bones payment of  the late father/mother should be conducted. It is one symbol of the self-respect and dignity. Then the master of ceremony  pleased the deceaseds’ families to show the “ Kain Timor”  to the deceaseds’ uncle and families. If they say okey we receided,, they shake hands each other. The ceremony is finished. But if the deceaseds’ uncle and his families refused, it means the “ Kain Timor “ should be replace with the hig value one or they had to add the total of  “Kain Timor”.

Additional Information
As an additioal information The value of  “ Kain Timor “ consist of 2 classes. The first class name is “ Wansafe” ..another first class is “ Mo'on “ second class were “ Srahg” and “ Sarim “.. The Traditional ritual payment of “ Kain Timor “ in Mey Brats’ traditional ritual are : 1. ​Dowry payment   ( Boyu) 2.​second Dowry (Masibah) 3.Children payment (Bofan) 4.​Payment of dead (Kmamos)

= ​Referencies
= - Boelaars, Jan. 1986. Jakarta: Gramedia. Manusia Irian. Cet. 1 - Muller, Kal. 2008. Mengenal Papua. Daisy World Books.