Wor Cultural Traditions of Biak, Papua

BIAK – Wor tradition as a traditional ceremony is a ceremony to invoke, invite or ask for protection from the ruler of the universe, Wor is held by every batih or nuclear family by involving husband and wife relatives who aim to ask or ask the ruler to protect their children who live in the sasor world, therefore Wor is carried out in the life cycle rites of the Biak people, which is carried out to accompany the physical growth of children from the time the child is in the mother’s womb, born, to old age and death.

The Biak tribe or Biak people are one of the major tribal groups of 254 ethnic groups spread across the land of Papua, the Biak people have a broad historical background of cultural contact with other ethnic groups both in Papua and outside Papua and until now their cultural traditions have survived even though in certain cultural aspects have shifted, one of which is the Wor tradition.

Wor in Biak culture has a broad meaning and cannot be separated from the religious life of the Biak people whether it concerns dowry payments (ararem), meal transactions (fanfan and munsasu), traditional dances and traditional songs.

In another sense, Wor can be expressed as a ceremony and as a traditional song or folklore in Biak culture, Wor tradition as a traditional ceremony or traditional party and Wor as a traditional song. Wor as a traditional ceremony contains symbolic meaning in which cultural values are contained which have the function of regulating their relationship with the creator, among others and with the natural environment where they are.

Wor is considered a sacred ceremony because Wor serves to protect a person in his social transitional role in a series of traditional ceremonies around the circle of life or life cycle in Biak culture, according to Van Gennep, life cycle rites are ceremonies that follow the stages of human development or growth from birth, then childhood through the process of becoming an adult and getting married to become parents until the time of death. Here are some wor related to the life cycle:

1. Wor Fasfesmandwampur, (Fasfes = bond), (Mandwam = the name of the bark pounded until smooth) this wor is also called Fasfesepen (bond to hold) or Babyos (membalaut), so what is meant by these terms is a bond to hold the lower part of the stomach of a pregnant mother, this Wor is carried out since the child is still in the mother’s womb.
2. Wor Fasasnai, meaning showing is Wor which means showing the baby or child to nature so that the ruler of nature and everything in it recognizes the newborn baby or child, this Wor is also called anunbesop (bringing or taking the child down) or wor taking the child out of the room (anun berurido).
3. Wor Anmam, composed of the words an (to eat) and mam (a lump of chewed food), means feeding a baby with food that is not the mother’s milk for the first time for a baby or child who has just started teething.
4. Wor Famarmar and Sraikir Kneram, Famarmar (wearing a loincloth or clothes) is a ceremony performed for the first time wearing clothes or loincloth for a boy, while Sraikir Kneram is a ceremony to pierce the ears for a girl.
5. Wor Papaf (Weaning) is the ceremony of releasing a mother’s breast milk with her baby because according to them the baby or child is able to eat alone, the baby or child at that time faces a new atmosphere where the child begins to learn to take his own dishes and food served by his mother and his mother’s attention begins to decrease.
6. Wor Kapanaknik, is a Wor or hair shaving ceremony held after the child is about 6-8 years old before the child enters romawa dibes or adolescence.
7. Wor Kabor, after Wor Kapanaknik, Wor Kabor is performed, there are several opinions related to the K’bor rite such as Koentjaraningrat and Jozh Mansoben giving the understanding that k’bor comes from two syllables kuk or kak which means stabbing and bori which means above something so slicing or stabbing the top of the penis of the male genitals, Wor Kabor is the last wor in childhood stepping into adolescence.
8. Wor Beba, this Wor is also called munara beba (big ceremony), fararur beba (big job), called big because it involves many people, considerable costs and considerable energy, in addition to wor kabor for boys after following traditional education in rumsram, Wor Beba greatly determines a person’s social status in the keret (clan) in the community.
9. Wor Farbakbuk, which is Wor related to marriage ceremonies where in the process there are several stages such as Wor Ramrem, Wor Yakyer and Wafwofer, Wor Anenfasus.
10. Farbabei (Mourning Ceremony), Farbabei means to benefit something on the body as a sign of eye or memory of the deceased brother, Farbabei means the ceremony of hanging something or object belonging to the deceased brother on the body of a living brother as a sign of mourning. In the farbabei ceremony there are several stages of the ceremony starting from the time of death until the storage of the bones in the storage place (traditional funeral procession).
11. Wor Rasrus, is a ceremony carried out by families to move the bones of their deceased relatives by washing the bones and putting them in a chest made of trees At that time an amphianir (statue) is made on the head given the skull of their deceased brother and there are also statues made without a skull.