The Views of Manggarai Women About Belis

Abstract

Manggarai is an ethnic group or tribe originating from the western part of the island of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The Manggarai tribe is spread over three districts, namely West Manggarai Regency, Manggarai Regency and East Manggarai Regency. The spread of these tribes makes people, especially women, have different views on culture. The culture in question is the belis (dowry) culture. The amount of belis is often considered to be a woman’s self-esteem. The higher the degree of a woman, the higher the belis given. This study used a qualitative research method with data collection techniques through focused interviews. Centralized interviews are interviews that give freedom to the subject to answer questions according to the respondent’s intention. The respondents in question were Manggarai students studying in the city of Makassar with a total of 6 people. Data was collected by conducting direct interviews. The results of the interview are then described in the form of a narrative. Manggarai women interpret belis as a burden that is a burden and a tradition that has a bad impact, because it can become an obstacle in a traditional marriage.