Oral Traditions of Taur-Taur and Forms of Local Wisdom in the Maragad Activities of Simalungun Community

Abstract

Oral tradition is a part of culture that is spread and passed down traditionally from one generation to the next in a different version. The presentation is in the form of oral which can be accompanied by examples of actions and reminder aids. The Simalungun community have an oral tradition, one of them is taur-taur, which is an oral tradition in the form of poetry or song that is sung when the manggar enau is tapping. This oral tradition is associated with the legend of the growth of enau trees in Simalungun. With the growth of enau trees (Arenga pinnata), maragad activities has come, namely tapping enau sap. The Simalungun people called enau as bagod. Before taking sap from an enau tree, there is a tradition that carried out by tappers, namely humming in a sad and mournful tone (taur-taur). The community believes that this tradition must be carried out if you want the enau tree to put out a lot of water. In this series of activities, the various local wisdoms that has come and needed to be revitalized. To revitalize local traditions and wisdom, an appropriate research is carried out, namely the research of oral traditions and local wisdom. This research discusses about the form, function, and meaning of taur-taur, performance (components, stages, symbols), and local wisdom contained in the maragad tradition. The method used in analyzing the problem is a qualitative method with field research techniques. There are two theories applied, namely the theory of oral tradition and the theory of local wisdom. As stated by Finnegan, it is stated that maragad activities are passed down from generation to generation without experiencing significant changes, traditions are conveyed with guidance, direction, and practice within the family sphere, this oral tradition is carried out in stages. Meanwhile, the forms of local wisdom that found in the maragad oral tradition include helping, mutual cooperation, discipline, gratitude, hard work, honesty, gender management, preservation and creativity, culture, positive thinking, and education. Keywords: oral tradition, taur-taur, maragad, and local wisdom