Page 249 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

People from Biak in the Saireri Gulf. (photo by Fred Hill, 23/8/1944)
The initiation or traditional education is also known in Maluku. Generally, initiation
education centers were located in the woods behind the village, like the one in Buria village
of West Seram. This education was known by the name of Kakehang education, in which
headhunting was one of the tests young boys needed to pass.
In some ethnic groups in Papua, Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara, in doing customary
education for boys, there had been a traditional house, for example among the Sentani
Papua ethnic group, the house was called Kombouw, while on the Plain Maladum Moi
in Papua it was called the Kambik house. In some ethnic groups in Papua, the house of
initiation was built around the inhabitanted area but the distance was a bit far. In some
other ethnic groups, the initiation houses were usually built far away from inhabitanted
areas, and some were built it in the forest. This was because in both cultures, in Papua,
Maluku and NTT, not all the customs, norms and customary rules might be known by
all elements of society in the ethnic groups that existed in the three areas above. At the
beginning of this study all the traditional knowledge and customs, either taboo or not
taboo were taught, but it was prohibited altogether to pass such knowledge to others. The
consequence of violating the customs rules wa death.
In the Huaulu in Seram Maluku, there is an Imesari ceremony. During the traditional
educational process any activity around the training area is prohibited. The practice of the
knowledge gained is usually carried out at night. Therefore, usually at night people were
forbidden to leave the house, fearing they would be targets of the practice of knowledge
obtained. After undergoing the process of education or initiation, they would normally
embrace a party or reception ritual accompanied by singing and traditional dances. The
initiation education graduates were first driven to the custom house, after that they had
customary welcoming party.

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