Marapu culture

E652664

Marapu culture is an indigenous ancestral belief system and way of life of the people of Sumba in Indonesia, characterized by megalithic tombs, ritual ceremonies, and a strong connection to nature and ancestral spirits.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancestral religion
indigenous belief system
traditional way of life
associatedWithEthnicGroup Sumba people NERFINISHED
continuity still practiced in parts of Sumba in the 21st century
coreBelief existence of a spiritual upper world and human world
sacred relationship between humans, nature, and ancestors
veneration of ancestral spirits
hasFuneraryFeature buffalo sacrifice at burials
hasFuneraryFeature elaborate megalithic tomb construction
grave goods for the deceased
hasRitualObject megalithic tombs
sacred houses
stone altars
hasRitualPractice animal sacrifice
divination
funerary ceremonies
harvest ceremonies
life‑cycle rituals
hasRitualSpecialist ritual priest
shaman
hasSymbol horn‑shaped roof of traditional Sumba houses
influences agricultural calendar on Sumba
customary law on Sumba
social organization of Sumba communities
traditional Sumba architecture
practicedIn East Nusa Tenggara NERFINISHED
Indonesia NERFINISHED
Sumba NERFINISHED
preservedThrough clan genealogies
oral tradition
ritual performance
recognizedAs indigenous belief (kepercayaan) in Indonesia
relatedTo Austronesian indigenous religions
threatenedBy Christianization
Islamization
modernization
state pressure for official religion affiliation
timePeriod pre‑colonial origin
usesSacredSpace ancestral village
megalithic graveyard
sacred grove
worldviewFeature importance of clan and lineage
reciprocal relationship with ancestors
ritual exchange and gift‑giving
strong connection to nature

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Waikabubak knownFor Marapu culture