Artist: Dwie Judha Satria
Project: Animalia
Website: dwiejudhasatria.blogspot.co.uk
Welcome to the second post of a new self-initiated project by Dwie Judha Satria. Over the next few weeks and months Dwie will be exploring the symbolic meanings and significance of animals from several different historical and cultural perspectives.
Starting with the horse, each post will present you with Dwie’s own perception of the creature via an illustration and text providing some insights into the Creature’s history within a given cultural context.
This first post explored the horse in pagan beliefs. This week he investigates the horse in Subanese tradition.
Sumba is an island located in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Steeped in history and tradition the island it’s people are known for their distinctive horse breeding techniques. In Sumbanese culture the horse is a symbol of true obedience and loyalty.
Traditionally each person has their chosen horse to accompany them for a whole lifetime. This chosen horse is named “Njara Madewa” which means through life and death. When their master dies, Njara Madewa have to be sacrificed as well. in order to carry their master’s soul to Parai Marapu, defined as a sacred place where the ancestors, and all Sumbanese souls rest.
Further reading:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumba
koekoeh.wordpress.com
Originally posted 2013-06-17 13:24:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter