Lamalera Women in Penetang Culture

Abstract

Penetang is a one kind of work in the daily life of the Lamalera Village community that has existed since the time of their ancestors, up until now. Penetang culture is carried out only by women, and mostly consisted of mothers. In summary, this culture is conducted by roaming from one village to another bringing fish, salt and calcium which will be exchanged for products from mountain areas, such as rice, corn, bananas, tubers, vegetables and fruits. This exchange activity is often called barter (bartering). Penetang culture has provided good values and must be maintained and preserved by the people of Lamalera Village. This study uses a qualitative method with an ethnographic approach, which brings up authentic and targeted data, using data collection, observation and interview techniques. These data is then analyzed by focus onto data collection, data reduction, data exposure and data verification. And based on this data analysis, it was concluded that the women who lived in Lamalera is trying to seek for improvement of their standard of living through Penetang Culture. Furthermore, this research focused on highlighting the involvement of women as an actors who decide the fate of generations of the Lamalera community through Penetang tradition. Related to the timing, Penetang will be held after completing the ritual of the ie gerek when the men getting marine products in the form of fish and many more depends on the family needs of each Lamalera community.