Peranan Guru Bungan Dalam Melaksanakan Ritual Ngayo

Abstract

According to local residents, the Long Amo village, also known as Uma Kayan Long Amo is a Kayan village located in Belaga, Sarawak. Some of the residents of this village still practice the traditional customs of the Kayan community, the Bungan customs, which have now been adopted as a religion by its devotees. In the religious customs of Bungan, there is a ritual that has its own significance for the Kayan community, which is the Ngayo ritual. The specific implementation of this ritual shows its significancee and position within the Kayan community. This ritual is led by an individual called Guru Bungan. The Guru Bungan also plays an important role in every other Bungan religious ritual. This article aims to explain the role of Guru Bungan in performing Ngayo ritual. A fundamental study was designed using qualitative methods to obtain data of this study. Given the significant knowledge gap on this topic, interviews were selected as the main method for data collection. The informants interviewed are Guru Bungan and selected villagers who are experts in this ritual.The findings of this study indicates that Guru Bungan bears a high responsibility in the traditional customs of the Kayan community. Guru Bungan is one of the individuals who must be present in almost all the cycles of Ngayo ritual ceremonies. The function of Guru Bungan in the Ngayo ritual is as the leader of the ritual ceremony who gives numerous instructions and reminders to ensure that every equipment and requirement in performing the ritual is done correctly. In addition, Guru Bungan also acts as an intermediary for Bungan religious customs and its followers.