Analecta et Additamenta
Feasts Among Niasans of the Batu Islands, Indonesia *
Contents :
1. Batu Islands
2. Stone Statuaries
3. Gold Feasts (fomboi ana’a manafia)
4. House Adorned with Serpentine Figures (motomo)
5. Discussion and Conclusion
1. Batu Islands
The islands that comprise Batu number approximately 50; of these some 20 are
inhabited. The inhabitants, who number around 18,000, are Niasans; i. e., people who
came from Nias or are descendants of people who migrated from Nias, the major island
northwest of Batu, in the chain of islands that lies west of Sumatra.
The language spoken is Nias, a separate branch of Malayo-Polynesian, which is
intelligible to the inhabitants of Nias and Batu.
Tubers were the basis of the Niasans’ horticultural economy: they cultivated
manioc and yams; in addition to these plants they had rice, coconuts, and palms for
Sa go. Fishing, hunting, and gathering were also economic activities of some importance.
Hog-raising, however, was the major adjunct to their horticultural work.
The people lived in villages scattered throughout the inhabited islands. They
were organized patrilineally with an Omaha kinship system h
Like their forebears in Nias, Batu Niasans had a three class society composed of
nobles, commoners, and slaves. As free citizens the first two classes named were duty-
bound to constantly validate their position and improve upon it by making and dedi
cating artistically designed objects in gold and stone. The remainder of this paper is
devoted to a description and discussion of the various steps that freemen and freewomen,
* This paper is based on data gathered by M. A. Bouman ), former Deputy
Commissioner of Batu, from two informants, Nihela Laowo of the village Sebuasi and
Hatua Nitaja of the village Hilinitaja. The information was supplied to Bouman in Batu
mom May 25 to May 31, 1937. The data collected were then supplemented and verified
° n June 10 and 11, 1938, in Batu. Reverend W. L. Steinhart added some marginal
^otes on the original manuscript written by Bouman (“Burgerschapfeesten bij de Niassche
pevolking der Batu-eilanden”). The value of the heretofore unpublished data inheres
j n the fact that they help throw light on a facet of Batu Nias culture that has received
httle systematic attention. The added bonus, of course, is that because the data were
gathered some 35 years ago, Niasans who can recall data as specific as Bouman recorded
ar e probably now few in number, thereby increasing their worth.
The junior author, Suzuki, added materials from published sources and expanded
a nd reworked the manuscript to the present form. He assumes sole responsibility for
an y shortcomings and/or errors that may appear in this publication.
1 For further details regarding the culture see Suzuki 1970.