ABSTRACT I show in this dissertation that a social institution, which influences in whole ofinstitutions of society, and it pointed to the core of cultural value, where located aworld-view and belief of society, could stable and resistance for interpreting thechanged environment.The problems in this dissertation are activation of cooperation symbols, conflictssymbols and competition symbols inside of a kind of kinship through the executionthe ritual of Bebeitei Uma, which is executed by Mcntawaian for gaining the highsocial stratification as a one of effort the community's life prosperity. The activationof the symbols of Bebeitei Uma ritual that executed by one of kinship group, couldfunction for spreading the effect from that kinship group for covering the Mentawaiansocial life in Kabupaten Kepulauan Mentawai society as a common that actuallyconsisted in different ethnic-groups background.As a specific, the goal of this dissertation is for producing a theory about dominanceculture iiom a society, through the Bebeftef Uma ritual that executed by Mentawaianin their status as a Kabupaten Kepulauan Mcntawai society. How the community thatexecute this ritual is connected with cultural arena in plural society.Ritual as a one of social institution, which is based on the cultural value that consistedof world-view and belief that hom, grow and spread in a community could sustain inall of era as the only one of social institution among other social institutions in thecommunity in their area. The social cultural changing could not intluence the ritualexecution. Also with the ritual function that executed, would get a goal as a specificthat connected with the context of execution.The frame of theory that I used pointed to the ritual, which as a cleaning process, asinteraction vehicle between macro-cosmos and micro-cosmos, as a vehicle forbargaining between natural and supernatural world condition. Prosperity, securefeeling that needed by human actually, are the equilibrium condition that connectedbetween natural and supernatural world.I used ritual concept especially in it function in Mentawai society. In the process forcleaning the social condition connected with natural condition through ritual, humanwould regrouping and repair the condition that are considered as polluted. Ritual is avehicle for redefinition of the social condition, already regrouping the status and rolesfrom individual as the members of society.The research methodology that I used is qualitative research stressing in participantobservation and in-depth interview. As a specific, the method that I used isethnography that study in deep and holistic view about ritual activities, which areexecuted by Mentawaian.Bebeitef Uma ritual actually is a social institution that penetrated in a whole of allsocial institution because the society in Kabupaten Kepulauan Mentawai includedpeople from other ethnic-group, who are living in this area, always using this ritual forgaining social position in this society, especially in government area. |