Pengkayah as a Landkeeper

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3. DESCRIPTIONS OF PENGKAYAH

Pengkayah is a culture of Karo people. Pengkayah is used to find the lost of goods. Pengkayah is also connected as folklore nowadays because a number of people does not believe about it. People thinks that Pengkayah is only a myth from Karo culture because Pengkayah is rarely to find. According to Koenjaraningrat1990:7 states that culture is a system of idea, behaviour, and the human creation in this life which apply with study Culture is a cultural system that includes idea form, social system, and physic system. According to Danandjaja1997:1 folklore is folklore the traditional beliefs, legends, and customs, current among the common people and the study of them.

3.1 Pengkayah as a Landkeeper

Pengkayah is a culture of Karo people. Pengkayah is used to find the lost of goods. Sometime to keep their field or animal they use Pengkayah as solution.Like pengkayah as a landkeeper in Kidupen village. Kidupen village is one of village in Karo district. Kabanjahe is the centre government of karo district, and the distance from Kidupen to Kabanjahe its about 38 km. So Kidupen village is rather far from the centre of government. Kidupen village located in Juhar subdistrict, its between Jandi village and Jaberneh village, even in the south near with Dairi district. Society in Kidupen village is about 1200 person with 500 leaders of family. Generally, Kidupen 24 people is friendly and easy going. They are popular with their relationship. For example, if someone make a mistake, like steal goods, so the problem will finished with relationship system. If the problem is not clear too or not found the thief, so the problem will finished with the government of law or they use Pengkayah. In addition, Pengkayah as land and animal keeper. Pengkayah as land and animal keeper is done to keep the goods. Generally land and cage of animal have kept of Pengkayah that usually marks in white flag. The white flag signs to remember people who does not come to the field and take the crops. Pengkayah is proper thing to search the goods that was lost. Because for them who is make a mistake such as steal is very fade up for them. So the thief is proper get punishment, althought he dead because Pengkayah. Pengkayah’s maker usually locates the white flag at center or beside of cage of animal. The white flag is put below the white flag such as betel “Belo Cawir”, lime “Kapor”, areca “Pinang”, small fragarant “ Rimo Mukur” to steal the crop or farm product. However someone steals the crops from the land or the farm that have kept of Pengkayah so heshe will attack by Pengkayah, hisher stomache will be bigger or call “Galang Beltekna” and happen the death. 25 Here are some crops that are usually stolen : 1. Rice page We are known that rice is the main foods of Indonesian people. Its mean Kidupen people too helped this country to product rice as main foods. But usually Kidupen people not sold their rice, but they will save their rice in rice barn lumbong for family consumed. The farmer saves the rice in lumbong in order to keep the rice from the thief so they use pengkayah to handle it in the skull white flag shape. 2. Corn jong Kidupen people is planting corn. The corn is usually sold the corn to increase their income. Sometimes the corn their take early to make Cimpa Jong 26 cimpa is one of traditional foods in Batak Karo, and usually as food in merdang- merdem. The farmer uses pengkayah in order to keep the corn from pests and the thief. 3. Cacao coklat Many people like cacao, be sides delicious, cacao too fine for growth, as ingredient to make perfume, etc. Cacao in Kidupen village is better, and growth fertile. Now days many people planting this plant in hill. Farmer usually keeps cacao using Pengkayah so that the thief can not steal the cacao in white flag shape. 4. Betel Belo 27 Betel is the result of popular agricultural from Kidupen village. People usually said it with Belo Jandi. Because the distinctive flavor, taste and aroma is better. Be side it, betel can used as medicine and perfume too. Betel is one of the ingridients to create pengkayah.

3.2 Pengkayah as the thief finder