Graham's study (1985) revealed that the socio-cultural life of the people of East Flores, there are four aspects that play an important role, namely episodes in origin myths, and three other ritual symbols of nuba nara (altar / rock worship), korke (traditional house), and namang (places to dance which is usually located in korke pages). Thus it can be said that the people of Flores have a very high appreciation to the customs and rituals inherited his ancestors.
Myth of the origin of the story is seen as the most important element in determining the authority and power. Through the episodes in the myth that the origin of the first ancestors of magical legitimacy can be obtained. Origin myth of the sacred often retold usually on ritual occasions such as building relationships formal marriage, funeral, there was a land dispute, preparations for war, the opening of new fields, harvesting, receiving guests, and so on.
Nuba tower or altar / stone is a symbol of worship attendance Land Wulan Ekan tastes. There is a belief that the tastes Wulan down and united with the Land Ekan through Nara's Nuba. Korke equipped with the name "church" traditional, center of hope and comfort them.
Very strong and prominent role to Mary devoci among the Flores on one hand shows the historical elements (the Portuguese heritage) but also culturally (the worship of Mother Earth, as in tastes Ama, Ina Land Wulan Ekan).
The sense of unity Flores
Ties are very strong collective in society Lamaholot occurs at the level of village or Lewo. Lamaholot society in general have a unique attachment to the Lewotanah or residence. Through the size of the village, they differentiate themselves with people from other villages. Kampong is the largest social group, and group consciousness barely beyond the village (Vatter, 1984: 72-73).
In Flores really no sense of unity that relies on genealogical ties, historically and politically. As mentioned above, due to their attachment to more common factors or village residence. Even so, the pattern of village organization is always built with the spirit and concept of social cohesion which proceed from a genealogical framework. In the village-lived kampuang people from various immigrant groups, who then grouped in the tribe (the term for the tribe is Ama).
That is why people tend to greet each other Flores called kinship (Om, aunt, brother, sister or brother claimed to be). They also can appreciate the differences in political, religious, ethnic if they had been tied in a single unit dwelling. Sense of unity like this, sometimes making a little Flores people are ethnocentric.
Notes on People Love Pain Flores
Even in Flores was not a lot of instruments in musical instruments, musical taste of Flores was quite special. This can be seen in the view of Max Weber, quoted from J. Kunst (1942) below.
"Of musical instruments I did not see much, although, as a matter of fact, the population of Flores seemed to me to be more musically talented than the Kindred Indonesian tribes whose acquaintance I made in Sumatra, Java and Celebes, where I never heard tolerable voices sing any agreeable melodies. It was different in Flores. Many a sonorous male voice, rendering simple songs at the river bank, still sounds in my ears; melodies which might well please the European ear, too. And where is the Florinese who could paddle without singing his pantuns, complete with soli and chorus sung in chorus? Among these soloists there were some voices that might, with better training, have been turned out as good tenor, soprano and bass voices. Hardly but this seems to me to apply to the treble voices of the genuine Malay people, including the Buginese and Macassarians. It would seem that we have here to do with a morphological distinction in the vocal means of expression, which may well amount to a support of my view concerning the Kinship of the Florinese with tribes living further east "(p. 32).
Here is the translation more quotes above.
"About the music instrument is not much I find, but it is a fact that the inhabitants of Flores has more musical talent than the tribes of other Indonesian I met in Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi. I have never heard the sound of singing and matching compact with the melody. This is different in Flores. Many male voice deep, echo singing along the river, still ringing in my ears, nice melody European ears, too. And where people are walking Flores pantunnya without singing, complete with solo and in choir refrainnya? Among the solo singers, there are some voices that, with better training, will be the tenor, soprano and bass is good. But this is almost certainly not visible in the original sound Malays population, including the Bugis and Makassar. Perhaps this is the morphological differentiation of vocal expression, which supports the idea of kinship in Flores with the tribes who lived in the Far East "(p. 32).
People of Flores, as expressed in the quotation above, has a musical talent is very high, especially in the singing choir. Some (small) Flores songs are accommodated in the liturgy and is contained in the hymn book Bhakti. But this book is less preferred in Flores because of lack of variety and creativity feels like pressure.
There remains one important thing to note. If someone Flores, according to Max Weber, has a musical talent is very high, the question is, why did not anyone Flores later national prominence as a singer? Are there cultural barriers that hinder the achievement of this?
Several studies (Vatter, 1984; Graham, 1985; Taum, 1997b) revealed that the family of Flores (in this case East Flores) plays a very small role in the process of education and socialization of children. Family not the goal but a means for the formation of social groups that became the core of the community and determine interest. Tribe's social base and the smallest autonomous. All the rights and obligations of individuals directed to the tribe together. That is why a space for expression and actualization of personal potential becomes more limited, in contrast togetherness becomes more valuable. Perhaps this is one of the cultural constraints that inhibit it, in addition to technical factors such as opportunity, capital, and so on.
