Myth of Boki Sea: an observation of Banggai matriarchal cultural values

Abstract

This research analyzed the myth of “Boki Sea”, folklore from Banggai Islands using the cultural anthropology approach through the analysis method of Levi-Strauss’ structuralism to analyze the meanings in the myth. Data processing steps are ranging from reading text, decapitation of text into several chapters, determining the ceritheme, compiling the ceritheme into the relations of syntagmatic and pragmatic. The result of this study showed that Boki Sea is a myth created by Banggai people in looking at the facts through four levels: geographic, techno-economic, sociology, and cosmology. In geographic level, the origin of Boki Sea from Tano Kinombol (clay) formed by Temenenno; the place where Boki sea lives known as Tano Tuu; Boki Sea’s residence, Sandung is lined with Sea Flowers or ‘bunga pukul empat’ (Mirrabilis Jalapa). The techno-economic level includes Boki Sea’s wealth, the inheritance and the works of the four children of Boki Sea. In the sociological level, the matriarchal cultural values are found: worshiping to the Goddess or holy mother who is an embodiment of Mother Nature; Boki Sea managed the distribution of the inheritance; decision making is democratical; never differentiate the children based on gender. In cosmological level, the worship to the Pilogot Boki Sea in the ritual of Bapilogotan as ‘the mother of life (Boki Tubuan); the worship to the Pilogot Sangkap, the children of Boki Sea, as believed as the four life symbols (pilogot sangkap). namely The Goddess of Sweet Potato Garden, God of Hunting, God of Catching Fish and God of Bees and Cuscus.