Nunas Nede: Kesik Community's Ancient Ritual to Protect Lombok's Water Sources

The Kesik community in Masbagik District, East Lombok Regency, Lombok, Indonesia, annually performs the traditional ritual 'Nunas Nede' to protect their water sources and express gratitude for nature's bounty as the season transitions to the rainy period. This ritual is an integral part of their spiritual, ecological, and historical practices inherited from their ancestors. Preparations for the ritual begin nine days prior to its execution. Villagers gather at the home of Amaq Marni, a 73-year-old woman, bringing their harvested rice and glutinous rice. These contributions are processed into traditional foods to be offered during the ritual. Women are seen busy winnowing rice, preparing coconuts, and stirring glutinous rice dough in large containers within the home's compound. Meanwhile, men engage in conversation while arranging the necessary items for the ceremony. Two days later, residents of Kesik Village begin their procession towards the water source. Each person carries a 'dulang,' a tray filled with agricultural produce, including paddy, glutinous rice, fruits, free-range chickens, and small clay pots intended to be filled with water from the spring they have protected for generations. In a village where the majority of the population depends on agriculture, seasonal changes are not a simple matter. Rain dictates whether their rice fields can be planted. When the dry season is excessively long, water sources dwindle, and fields crack. Farmers begin to worry. Consequently, the Nunas Nede ritual emerged from the community's collective anxiety about the natural environment that sustains them. This journey to the water source is more than just a cultural procession; it is a spiritual journey, an ecological one, and a historical narrative passed down by their ancestors. The ritual, popularly known as Nunas Nede, is an annual tradition held by the community as they anticipate the shift from the dry to the rainy season. Information Source: Mongabay Indonesia