Indonesia has many unique traditions to celebrate a marriage proposal between man and woman, especially in a region with cultural diversity. One of the traditions is by giving an offering to the bride to be from the groom to be. In West Papua, the Biak tribe call this procession Ararem. It has been done from ancient days until now.
Ararem Tradition
Ararem tradition is a dowry procession from the Biak tribe in West Papua. According to Biak language, Ararem means dowry. This procession is a sign of honor and pride from the future groom’s family to take the future bride to make a new household in the hope to continue the groom’s family name and lineage.
The process of this tradition begins from the offering preparation by the groom to be family. These offerings consist of money, homeware, food, cultural plates, and jars. In this process, the groom is accompanied by Wor dance when he goes to the future bride’s home. However, it only happens when both parties agreed with the nominal and terms given by the bride’s family.
Steps in Ararem Tradition
There are several steps in the Ararem procession.
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First Step
The first step is to make a deal about the dowry. In this step, the groom’s family will ask how much the dowry to the bride’s family. If both families reach a deal, the groom’s family will prepare all of the things asked by the bride’s family. After that, they will continue to the second meeting.
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Second Step
After the deal, the bride’s family will be invited by the groom’s family to their home. They will show the dowry to the bride’s family whether they agree with it or not. If the bride’s family is already pleased with the dowry and treasure, the next step is to make an agreement for the giving time.
Ararem Giving Procession
In the process, there are two things in the dowry giving:
- If the bride was from another village, the groom must bring the dowry to the bride to a home they agreed on for the second meeting. The groom is accompanied by his family and extended family who lives in this village.
- If the bride was from the same village, only his family who will accompany him. There is no need for his extended family to follow him to the bride’s home.
Ararem Procession
When the dowry is delivered, they will make a crowd procession in big rows formation consisting of three groups.
- The first group is the elderly from the groom side. All of the people in this group are women. This first group will always be on the frontline. They have to wear traditional clothes from the Biak tribe while holding big plates. In Biak language, these plates are called “Ben be pon”.
- The second group consists of a mixed group—men and women. They will be the deliverers who hold the small plates as a complement of the dowry.
- The third group is the musician and singer group—consisting of men and women, young and old. This group will make a row, and this row is called the dowry deliverer.
During the procession of Ararem, the crowds will follow the parade while singing some songs. They will also use the instruments to create exciting and memorable vibes for both parties. Also, there will be a certain dance to accompany this procession called the Yosim Pancar dance. This dancing symbolizes friendship and closeness between youth from the Biak tribe, West Papua. Another interesting part is they also bring along the Indonesian flag in this procession.
When the groom arrives at the bride’s home, they will start the signing procession to agree on the dowry giving. This is the end of the Ararem rite.
However, after the rite has ended, they will make a party for seven days and seven nights. It is called Munara Yakyaker. In this procession, both the groom and bride are staying at their home under the supervision of their parents. After the Munara Yakyaker is ended, the bride will be brought to the groom’s home along with the Wor dance. Meanwhile, in this home, they will legitimize their marriage with a ceremony. Here, we also can see Wor dance is an important traditional dance from West Papua.
Conclusion:
This dowry tradition from the Biak tribe in West Papua has been rooted for a very long time. It is a part of tradition from our ancestors and a part of Indonesia’s heritage richness. This tradition aims to strengthen the ties of both families and the new husband and wife who begins their new chapter of life.
