WOMEN AND POWER IN THE POLITICAL THOUGHT OF DAYAK MA’ANYAN TRIBE

Abstract

Barito Regency, the role and status of women and men is equal. These roles and status were accommodating in adats concept and adat law of Dayak Ma’anyan which is said that women can get a strategic position in public area as in the traditional political context. Surprisingly, in the political history of Dayak Ma’anyan, their first leader is a woman. Her task was to organize and to order all people of the tribe. In mythological, it is believed that the woman leader earn the leadership skill and regulation on adat directly from Gods as a gift and these regulation still apply by the tribe in their daily life. Because of the belief, women of Dayak Ma’anyan are welcome to participate in public area, political, social, adat and cultural. This article is a research which is use descriptive method with interpretative qualitative data analyzes. The research is done on May, 2015 to March, 2017 in the region of Dayak Ma’anyan: in South Barito Regency and East Barito Regency, especially in Paju Epat District. Paju Epat District believed as a center of descendant of Uria Napulangit, e.c the descendant of Nan Sarunai Kings. Dayak Ma’anyan Paju Epat was called “Tutur Mantir” (leader group), where live in Balawa, Siong, Telang dan Murutuwu villages. Writer gain information by deep interview with local adat leader e.g Mantir, Damang, Pangulu Adat, and Pamakal. Also from oral source data e.g Taliwakas (stories on leader), Hiyang Wadian (sacred song of ritual priest), Sorosilah (history of leader) and adat law of Dayak Ma’anyan. Then Data interpreted by using theory of political thought on power and sources of power of Charles F. Andrain.

Keywords: Women, Political Thought, Sources of Power, Dayak Ma’anyan Tribe, Adat