Page 192 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

The villages of the Gamkonora are located on the coast, and sea fishing is the primary
means of livelihood. Nevertheless, it is not enough in itself and agriculture is also important.
Fishermen who do not have agricultural land, especially in the transition between the dry
and monsoon seasons that lasts from early December to late January are a difficult time.
They’re looking for non-cultivated sago owned by someone. An unwritten social code
lets someone take sago, especially in difficult times by sharing partial sago obtained (in
comparison based on custom rules). Dolabololo mentioned above conveys the value of
togetherness in search for life.

Two examples of a pantun (Imelda, 2013: 60):
1
Saya heran kapal udara
Dari Dodinga terbang ke Oba
Dulu terima sekarang tidak

I wonder about an airplane
From Dodinga flying to Oba
It used to be accepted but not now

2
Air pundak ke satu botol
Cuci muka ketiga kali
Laki-laki macam begitu
Haram tobat sekali-kali

Carrying water in a bottle
Washing one’s face three times
That kind of man
Forbidden is occasional repentance

The pantun in Ternate Malay is quite understandable by those who speak Indonesian.
The first pantun is about a young man’s love that is rejected, whereas the latter pantun
condemns a man who frequently expresses love.

Linguistic and Non-Linguistic Factors
The people of North Maluku are multilinguals who normally speak several languages
beyond their first language. In North Maluku, there are 15 languages in the Austronesian
language family and 16 in the non-Austronesian language family with overlapping speech

192 Chapter 4

MELANESIA BOOK FA LAYOUT 051216.indd 192 2/10/17 2:10 PM