A COCKLE WITHOUT PEARL

Latterly, the influence of foreign culture grows bigger. It is caused by a larger coverage area of mass media, such as television, radio, etc. There is a faction whose goal is just to get profit. They are the capitalist who use the power of mass media to make a same appetite as a pop culture for the amenity of getting much profit.

In this case, teenagers become a delicious target. In their labile, teenagers trend to imitate. Because they have not got their spirit yet. They think, by following the pop culture they will be received in their own society. That’s why, they just become the copy-cat of pop culture’s icon

Many teenagers have no appreciation anymore to the culture. They are crazy about the pop culture. While there is no icon of it that can save the culture’s authority. They just make it worse. Because when they save the culture, the capitalist will not get a same appetite of the public and it will be more difficult to get profit. The teenagers do not want to know anymore that the heritage of their ancestor needs to be paid attention. The heritage is the culture. Whatever they say, the culture will be in the responsibility of each generation. Nevertheless, for the teenagers, the culture is going to be a conservatism which can bring them left behind.

In this globalization era, all of countries try to be the modern ones by making some changing in the society. Modern is defined as a threaten of western people’s developing, or imitate the technology, education, economical, and industry of western countries. However in the way, they get more than what they need. They are not only interested with the positive side of modernization, they prefer to the imitating of life style of western people, the clothes, how they talk, also the attitude. Actually it is more than a modernization, it is a westernization.
It causes many people do not recognize their culture anymore. The capitalist by mass media which is helped by globalization era, do an erasing process of the identity of Indonesian people. It means the erasing of Indonesian’s self esteem.

Actually, we have to try to love what we have. Because if we do not do that, we will have nothing. If so, we are not more than a lost amnesia child in the jungle. He has nothing, weather guide or his identity. We have to wake up, never stay in the dark of detached.

The culture is guide for the owner. It shows the way to do many things. If we see the cultures of Indonesia, we will be proud of our country. We have many cultures, because each ethnic has their own culture. The differences become a challenge to maintain the one heart of our country. It is the spirit of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika.
To prove that the culture can be a guide, it is an identity, and its is the symbol of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, here will be an example of the culture of Buginess and Makassarness ethnic in South Sulawesy.

The culture of Buginess and Makassarness is consist of custom in the society. The custom is based to five fundamental aspects of pangaderreng (custom and manners). It is concluded in ASBIRAWA ( Ade’, Sara, Bicara, Rampang, and Wari).
Ade’ is part of pangaderreng which is consist of ade’ akkalabinengeng and ade’ tana. Ade’ akkalabinengeng is norm about marriage, method of clan, rights and obligations, and domestics ethics. Ade’ tana is a norm about governance. Construction and observation of the execution of ade’ is done by several custom functionaries, such as: pakatenni ade’, pampawa ade’,and parewa ade’.

The second is Sara. It is a part of pangaderreng which is based to Islam.
Next is Bicara. It is about activities and concepts prestiptive law and justice. It is different with just speak or talk. It is about delivering speech regarding the prestiptive law.

Then about Rampang. It is a propos to poem and analogy. As a part of pangaderreng, rampang keeps the certainly and the continuity of an oral decision. It also makes some analogies of cases and what the government should decide.
The last is Wari (indeeling in standen), it is the part of pangaderreng which is used to classify many things related to the human’s life.

Those are the aspects which describe the mind of Buginess and Makassarness. Those makes identity, prestige and self esteem for the ethnic. It is bore a new concept namely siri’. For the Buginess and Makassarness, there is three marriage which are included to the ideal ones.

First, assiialang marola. This is the marriage with cousins of first degree. The cousin of first degree is child of our parent’s brother or sister.
Second, assialanna memang, it is a marriage with cousins of second degree. The second degree is the cousin which is the child of our parent’s cousin of first degree. Third, ripadeppe mabelae, it is a marriage with cousins of third degree. The third degree cousin is the child of our parent’s second degree cousin.
Those all the ideal marriages. Other than it, the ideal marriage is not obligation, therefore many people get marriage not with their cousins.

The people have opportunity to choose woman for their marriage. But they may not get marriage with their parents, their brothers or sisters, son and daughter in law, parents in law, uncle and aunt, nephews and nieces, grand parents, and grand children.

The marriage with those people is called salimara’ (forbidden) marriage.
The Buginess and Makassarness have a customing house and customing clothes. The house of Buginess and Makassarness is included of three parts. Kelle balla is a part of the house which is used to welcome visitors, living room, bed room, and kitchen. Pammakkang is used to keep heirloom. And the last is passiringang, it is used to keep the farming tools.

The bigger, the more beautiful and the more perfect facilities in the house describe the higher of the nobility. For example lompo, it is a big house for the noble, while balla is a house for general citizen.

The Buginess and Makassarness have a customary clothes named baju bodo, it is a sarong with bright color and the motif is squares. The color are usually red, pink, blue, and green.
The custom and manner is a guide for the people to show them what should be done. It is also such an identity, because the culture describes it. Indonesia have many different cultures. For example the traditional dances; turtor dance from Batakness, piring dance from Minangkabauness, jaipong dance from Sundaness, reog dance from Javaness. The differences is such a symbol of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika.
We have to develop the national culture, therefore the identity of our country will not be erased. Because we are the new generation which should keep the culture from ancestor.

National culture is for developing of national culture insight in all sides in our life. It also has a goal to strengthen the personality and self esteem of our country and to be the reason to be proud of our country.
In developing the national culture we need ability to increase the value of national culture and we have to be ready to make a filter from the foreign culture. Because not all of things from foreign can give positive effect in our life.
To develop the national culture, it is needed to make the society understand of the importance of the culture. So that the society can be proud of what they have. And step by step they can love the culture because of the pride. It is such a way to everlasting the culture. We also need to avoid the feudalism. It is a system which glorify the capitalist. While the capitalist is a creature which can erase the national identity also the self esteem of Indonesian people.
Actually the pride of the national culture is not enough to save the national culture itself. The using of Indonesian language is needed to be increased. Because Indonesian language is used as the symbol of national pride, the symbol national identity, and the connector of each side of the country.
Indonesian language may not become a guest in its own home. For example, in the label of food, the foreign language become he first one, and Indonesian is only as a translator. Indonesian language is lack of their right and their position as a host.

We cannot close our eyes that we do need to be able to have capability in foreign language. Because it is such a connector with other countries. But the position in our country may not be higher than our own language.
Those the way to be proud of our culture, to be proud of our identity and to everlasting the culture. We may not be a cockle without pearl. The cockle will prefer when they have a pearl to be wanted. It is not more than a food when it does not produce pearl.

Indonesian people is not more than a cockle without pearl when they forge their culture. Like that cockle which can be eaten only; the Indonesian people just become target of reaching a big profit by the capitalist. They have nothing to be brought and say that it is mine.
You are just a cockle without pearl when forgetting your culture.

written by: Nila Sartika Achmadi