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THE ART ON MEGALITICAL RELICS OF WARUGA IN NORTH MINAHASA Seni Hias Tinggalan Megalitik Waruga di Minahasa Utara Ipak Fahriani Balai Arkeologi Sulut Jalan Pingkan Matindas no. 92, Manado, Sulawesi Utara Email: [email protected] Abstrak Wilayah Minahasa merupakan daerah yang cukup potensial memiliki tinggalan budaya megalitik, salah satunya adalah wadah kubur batu “waruga”, yang tersebar di hampir seluruh bagian wilayah Minahasa. Salah satu keunikan kubur batu waruga ini terletak pada Ragam hias yang terdapat pada bagian wadah dan tutup waruga. Penggambaran ragam hias pada obyek tersebut ternyata memiliki berbagai fungsi, sehingga menarik untuk dikaji bagaimana perkembangan budaya Minahasa melalui ragam hias yang ada di Waruga. Pengumpulan data dalam tulisan ini bersifat deskriptif yang diperoleh berdasarkan survei yang dilakukan terhadap situs Waruga di Minahasa Utara. Berdasarkan pengamatan yang telah dilakukan, ternyata dapat diperkirakan adanya pengetahuan tentang kepercayaan dan seni yang berkembang pada masa berlangsungnya budaya Megalitik di wilayah ini, sehingga dapat diperoleh gambaran tentang berbagai aktivitas yang pernah terjadi di wilayah Minahasa pada masa lampau. Kata Kunci: Waruga, ragam hias, simbol dan kepercayaan, estetika. I. Introduction North Sulawesi, particularly in I.1 Background Minahasa called "waruga". A prehistoric site showing human The results from data collection migration and cultural spread in North and data description on the megalithic Sulawesi is common. Generally, there site that were found in Minahasa in are settlement sites form that have general indicate the existence of pattern paleolytic-neolithic and megalithic that was spread the potential megalithic characteristics, as well as sites that sites. Research on this object has have neolithic-paleometallic charac- yielded quite diverse information of teristic, including sites that was found various activities in the region at the in Minahasa. Its distribution, especially past. One of megalithic relics that was megalithic in this region is quite a lot found in the Minahasan region is the and shows the potential archaeological, megalithic object of the waruga. The because it is useful for data collection to research results on waruga megalithic reveal and reconstruct a cultural history carry an important picture of past and process in the past. activities, a funeral activity. The burial At a megalic era, it was known aspect is important for research, since that there was a burial system using many things can be expressed as containers or without container. The activities, such as social stratification development using containers was and belief at that time related to prevalent in Indonesia in different background of using large stones, even shapes, sizes, and decorations. One of technology. megalithic tomb containers found in I.2. Problems 107 Tumotowa Vol. 1 No. 2 Desemb2018 Until now, the research results tendency to use nature as life support on the object relics of waruga megalithic means and infrastructures has applied that spread in the Minahasan region since the past. Dependent indication on have reached thousands of waruga, natural surroundings can be seen from which already have been described and how humans manage and use nature in classified. The waruga are scattered in everyday life. It can be seen on the almost all parts of Minahasa, especially megalithic relics spreading in in North Minahasa relatively having Indonesia, including the megalithic dense spread compared to other relics scattering in North Sulawesi, for Minahasan areas (Central, South example container object of "waruga" Minahasa, and Southeast Minahasa). grave which is commonly found in From the overall shapes and sizes of Minahasa. waruga scattering in Minahasan region, As a region with a considerable unique objects of cultural relics lies on amount of waruga resources, North decorative motifs, whether done Minahasa has become a strategic through sculpturing as well as casting location for cultural development of techniques. waruga megalithic in the past. The use So far, studies on waruga development of waruga containers in decorative art have not been done and Minahasa Utara is long enough and has known, so a description about social a wide variety of decorations, sizes, and stratification or belief concept possibility shapes. Therefore, to reveal how the through decorative patterns has not cultural developments occurring in this been much revealed. Therefore, in this region in the past, it will be studied paper it will be studied how roles of through the megalithic relics scattering ornamental art inscribing or imprinting in the region of North Minahasa. on waruga. Because of waruga’s wide In accordance with the study spreads in Minahasa, a study area of focus about this waruga, method used waruga art be focused in Northern in the data search is collecting data Minahasa region. This region is the horizontally through literature study and largest waruga spread and has a wide field survey using archaeological rules. variety of decoration. Concerning the study focus on I.3. Aim ornamental art of waruga in North To find data through decorative Minahasa, the method in collecting data arts on waruga megalithic relics is inseparable from the survey activities spreading in the North Minahasa, it is to observe the symptoms supporting expected to be disclosed and the objects existence on the field. The reconstructed megalithic culture environment also becomes an history, especially to the burial activity. important thing in searching data about In addition, this study results are resources supporting the object expected to be utilized as input existence of these waruga. materials for regional planning and interests in education and cultural II. Waruga Decorative Variety tourism in North Sulawesi region in Decoration is a basic form that general. will usually be a repeating ornamental I.4. Theoretical Framework and pattern in a craft or art. Variety of Methodology ornamental itself can be distiled Humans are inseparable from (stilired), so that the form varies, even it their dependence on nature. A can have spiritual meaning poured in 108 Ipak Fahriani : The Art on Megalitical Relics of Waruga in North Minahasa the stylization of decoration (Wikipedia: or patterns that exist in North Minahasa 2011). can be grouped into ornamental The ornamental pattern use in patterns, among others: the prehistoric cultural relics, especially - Fauna decorative pattern: a megalithic era is numerous. Its decoration form that has a shape or presence in the megalithic period had various and varied animal shapes. several functions, such as symbolic, Generally, research results on aesthetic, and constructive. From waruga’s ornamental variety in ornament variety contained in waruga’s Minahasa are animal species used container and cover in the Northern are snakes and others, such as Minahasan region, some serve as cattle/ox, pigs, birds, and elements of beauty and others have a combinations of poultry, snakes, and certain background (as a ruminants. Each Minahasan symbol/magical element). The waruga’s ornamental motif variation decorative techniques on the container of animal species is made in pairs or and the cover of waruga are sculpting twins. Some are formed separately, and scratching techniques that were but most animal motifs were made commonly depicted on the front, back, together of one body with two heads. and sides or sides of each section of This animal ornament or decorative waruga. The appearances of these pattern is found almost on every ornaments on the front, back, and sides waruga spreading in Minahasa, or sides of each section are also varied. especially in the north, whether done Its cover is with a dense ornamental on its container or cover. pattern, but its container is plain (on the waruga in North Minahasa). On other waruga findings, container sections are with the decorated motif variation, but the lids are plain. However, there are also the rich decorative motifs on both waruga parts, both on its container and cover. The ornamental motifs that were made, either on the waruga’s cover or container, generally not only in one decorative motif type, but also sometimes more than one decoration, Figure 1.A fauna decorative pattern: a so it looks full and beautiful. There is pair of cows found on Paslaten Site of North also a medium decorative pattern, Minahasa where a decoration on waruga’s cover is not full or too much. In addition, there is also a plain or not found any decoration on the waruga’s cap. The result of data processing on the spread of waruga’s megalithic site in the Northern Minahasa show various kinds of the ornaments that were made on the parts of the waruga’s container or cover. Waruga’s ornamental shapes Figure 2 Info: a fauna ornamental pattern having a dragon-shaped (stylized) found on the Matelenteng site, North Minahasa. 109 Tumotowa Vol. 1 No. 2 Desemb2018 the future, where megalitic culture still live in Minahasa, although the existing - A human ornamental pattern: a belief values have developed and be decorative form that has a human suited with applied norms in the society. shape pattern, whether as a whole Generally, the findings with the pattern human pattern, a human’s body part of those decorations are found on a pattern, or other pattern shapes that location surrounding habitants’ describes a human feature. This settlements and are found at around the human motif pattern was sculpted public graves that are still used as their and drawn in the various shapes cemetaries. In a site, it sometimes be and in the varied positions. The found a mixture of waruga findings result of data processing on the having a prehistoric decorative pattern. decorative ornaments that are As an example on a waruga finding, spread in the North Minahasa shows there is a human together with an that an ornaments of human animal decorative patterns, such as a decoration also lots enough are dog with a sharp tool meaning the found on the megalitic site in this buried people in waruga during the life region.

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