The Biak tribe from Papua has a certain culture in carrying out marriages. One of its cultures is Ararem. This culture is a tradition to deliver gifts in the form of a dowry from the prospective groom to the prospective bride. The form of the gift given must consist of at least three items, namely plates, bracelets, and money. Ararem is considered a sacred culture and must be carried out. The involvement of the community, especially the relatives of the bride and groom, to help carry out Ararem is very necessary. The process of collecting plates and other items until they are delivered together shows the high value of kinship in the Biak Tribe community. Indeed, one of the things that stands out from the Biak Tribe is a society that is very compact, gathered, and also has high solidarity values. Kinship values are fostered by a culture that supports harmony between communities. The process of the Ararem ritual consists of several stages. After the marriage is confirmed to take place and an agreement has been made between the groom and bride, then the Ararem begins to be prepared. First, the process of gathering relatives from the groom to explain that there will be a wedding that requires the Ararem ritual to take place.
Second, the Ararem process, namely starting to collect plates, glasses, and also money as items that will be delivered from the groom to the bride. The collection of Ararem is carried out by relatives according to their respective abilities and responsibilities. For closest relatives, they usually have more responsibilities. In collecting this ararem, the relatives will help each other, work together, work together to collect what is their responsibility.
Third, the meeting process of representatives of the groom and bride. The items collected will be rechecked by the bride’s party whether they are in accordance with the agreed request regarding the type of goods and their quantity. Fourth, the process of handing over the items at the agreed time on the wedding day between the groom and the bride.
In the procession towards the woman’s family home, these groups are arranged according to the respective groups holding the ararem. The first and second groups are those who hold the core dowry. Then the third group that holds it is a team of musicians who accompany the Ararem procession with traditional songs.
Ararem is a meaningful cultural tradition that has values of support such as kinship and belonging, seen from each relative who involves themselves through kinship in giving ararem, because it is based on a strong and bound sense of belonging. Then the value of openness and acceptance, of the readiness and availability of the groom’s family, so that relatives understand the availability they have. Next is the supporting value, which shows how relatives support each other.