Buginese's Proverbs

The Reference on Some Meaningful Buginese’s Proverbs

A.   Introduction

Some expressions in Buginese’s tribe have a deep meaning in context which is called a proverb in English. They are analogized to such a thing which is very sacral beliefs. It has a valuable value which cannot be separated from Buginese’ culture and thought along of Buginese history and its proverbs itself.

Such commonly proverbs over languages throughout the countries, the Buginese’s proverbs are also functioned as an advice on people’ heredity to their children, teenagers or even people generally. These proverbs are purposed to prevent people doing a bad act or persuading children or teenagers to conduct a good behavior in life. As the reason is that the proverbs cannot be separated from the society’s norms, too. If one of people does such a thing which is out of the norms, a worst consequence will be asserted to his family. Other people may address his family as an embarrassing family. Because it is usually the one who doesn’t care about those such proverbs will do freely amoral or embarrassing act.

       Most of these proverbs are related to a thing which is abstract as its reference. This reference is a characteristic term of the proverb itself. Therefore, parents of the Buginese people usually use proverb to advise their children or teenagers in order that they always stay on their ethical culture as the Buginese call it. The Buginese’s child is usually very sensitive in ashamed or shy; particularly who they are from an isolated area. By this reason, the Buginese’s parents usually suggest their children to take care of their ashamed culture.

      This writing is going to elaborate a thing which relates to some proverbs of Buginese through the reference point of view. To what exactly thing those proverbs refer when the Buginese people express these proverbs to their children, teenagers or to anybody else.

B.   The Philosophical Terms of Reference

A reference just alike a meaning in philosophy. As the meaning states that it is impossible to cover the knowledge if that expression is not clear enough on its meaning of words like ‘know’, ‘forget’, ‘listen’, etc (Cooper, 1973:11). Relating to the meaning, the reference is stated that it is what a word, phrase or sentence refers to. If we state a thing in a word, we refer to a thing or a noun, of course. Our expression must refer to that the thing which what we have just stated. But, It may have a reference or not. If it has a reference, it is called a referring expression. On the reverse, it is non-referring expression if it does not have a reference whether on the abstract thing or concrete one (Cooper, 1973:71). If we say ‘a president from Malaysia’, it is not a referring expression. It does not refer to a man or a woman whom we may know who he is. One can imagine about a man or a woman who is as a president, but he cannot convince to us to whom that the president refers to. There is not a president as the leader of the country in Malaysia.

On the meaning term, it is also not necessary for the meaning as a noun will be there to take place on expression. For the example ‘I did it for the sake of John’ (Cooper, 1973:13). The sake here does not have meaning itself or have an entity which belongs to John or something else, but Cooper on his statement states that he just did it to help John. With the same expression he states ‘I did it in the nick of time’. He means that he did it just fast enough. The nick does not have the meaning belongs to the time as he has just said on his expression.

In this case, of course, that the above two phrases – the sake and the nick – also do not have a reference. The two expressions, therefore, are non-referring expression. They do not refer to whether an abstract thing or concrete one.

The sake or the nick may refer to something which is abstract on a single word in English language, but to the above expression it does not have the meaning at all, and so for to the reference. If it occurs on the proverbs, the above two phrases will be different, surely.  In this writing, therefore, will be discussed about some meaningful proverbs in Buginese’ expression reference. To what any references the Buginese refer to of their proverbs as an advice or suggestion to their heredity children, teenagers or people in generally.

C.   The Data of Buginese Meaningful Proverbs.

Here are some of Buginese meaningful proverbs which are usually expressed by the Buginese parents, the head of people society or any other ones who usually use these proverbs for an advice.

·         “Duami riala sappo, unganna panasaē na bēlona kanukuē”

·         “Mali siparappe, malēlu sipakainge, rebba sipatokkong”

·         “Lēlē bulu tellēlē abiasang”

D.   Analysis

The above first proverb ‘duami riala sappo, unganna panasaē na bēlona kanukuē’ is a very general proverb expression in Buginese. The purpose of this proverb is to remain a child for holding it as a reference of a truth. The ‘duami’ word refers to the cardinal number ‘two’, means there are two here as the reference of that truth. So, which ones the two references are. The first one is ‘unganna panasaē’ and ‘bēlona kanukuē’ as the second.

What about the words ‘riala’ and ‘sappo’ references? The word ‘riala’ means a thing which has synonymy with ‘getting’. It refers to a thing that where we can get in touch in order that we always stay on the truth as in the context of the proverb’s entity. While the word ‘sappo’ means a defense. The defense refers to the thing which is able to be used to cover our property like a farm land or a house. But here, it refers to our behavior in life. We as a human being should be covered with the two things; those are ‘unganna panasaē na bēlona kanukue’.

‘Unga’ is a flower. The suffix –na means a ‘panasa’ possessive as a tree of the jack fruit. The ‘panasa’ flower is called ‘lempu’ in Buginese language. The word ‘lempu’ means honesty. A child, teenager or people, therefore, should always be honest if they want to save in life. So, the reference of the defense here is in order to be saving in life.

The next word is ‘na’. ‘Na’ is the conjunction word like ‘and’. So, the second thing we must be kept in with is ‘bēlona kanukuē’. ‘Belona’ means ‘a beauty’. The ‘bēlona’ refers to a thing from leaves of a tree which usually used to beautify our ‘kanuku’ which is called ‘pacci’ in Buginese. It is usually pronounced ‘paccing’ to be analogized into cleanness.  ‘Kanuku’ means the nail which is usually beautified by the ‘pacci’ leave.  The Buginese’s children, teenagers, or people generally, therefore, should know that in our live we must always stay up with the honesty and cleanness, and make them as the two postulated direction in order that we will live safety and clean in life.  

The second proverb is ‘mali siparappe, malēlu sipakainge', rebba sipatokkong’. This proverb is referred to the responsibility for people in life whether they are as a personality, with family, religion, or as a community in one of organization clubs, or even as in a nation. ‘Mali siparappe’ is supposed that we go to somewhere place with some friends, pass by a river, but somewhat is incidentally happen. One of the friends is trembled felt down to the river. He cannot help himself and flow away by the water stream. We as a friend must hand up to help him in order that he can be saved to make him survive.

‘Malēlu’ means ‘forget’. Forget here does not mean just to forget about something. But it refers to the word synonymy ‘takkalupa’. In Buginese, ‘takkalupa’ means that someone who does the act which is uncontrolled. He does the act without thinking firstly. He does it like a blind pig. Consequently, the result of his act makes him be suffered only as the wrong way of his life. The responsibility of us as a friend, then, is to ‘sipakainge’ means to remind him for not doing it any more. The synonymy of this word is ‘siparēngerang’ means we as a friend must remind by one another. The prefix si- here means if there are two persons as a friend, they give advice or suggestion by one another in order that they do not do something which is wrong.

‘Rebba sipatokkong’ is also related to the act which gains to have a help. ‘Rebba’ is supposed that there is a cupboard which is going to fall down on the floor. By looking at it in the glance, then we do an act to reposition it into a good standing up. This is the meaning of ‘patokkong’. It is usually given prefix ma- to be ‘mappatokkong’ which has the same function with prefix me- in Indonesian language, means to help. The reference for the whole of this the second proverb expression is an act for doing something as a help to our friends as a set into one of the integrity by one another.

The last proverb is ‘lēlē bulu tellēlē abiasang’. This proverb is supposed as a mountain or a hill which can move to another place compared with to someone who has a bad behavior which cannot be changed into the better one. This is, even though, an impossible one to see the mountain move, except the God willing. The word ‘lēlē’ is meant move, ‘bulu’ means a mountain. ‘Tellēlē’ is from the word base ‘lēlē’ which is given prefix te- means ‘not’ or ‘cannot be’ moved. ‘Abiasang’ is a word which means ‘habitual act’ or ‘habitual behavior’. For example, “I am used to go fishing in my leisured time.”

The above example, though, does not really like to the meaning with this proverb. The proverb refers to the bad behavior which someone has. It is like the ashamed culture where if there is a girl who likes to visit a boy home by herself in a very often, the boy is staying home alone, though. It is taboo in Buginese culture. It is particularly in the isolated Buginese camp land. It, even, could be married by being forced both of them in order that their families are not embarrassing. The implication of this is to remain us as relatives or one who hates that habitation to avoid doing that act. Because if one has a habit to do such a thing, she may not be able to loss its bad behavior, and it may be even on her a long life. At another example, like one who has a habitation in throwing liter at any places. Even though we place some recycle bins on the any corner, he just will put his liter scattering out as his habitual act. That is why it is called that may be it is possible to move a mountain than to change one behavior as of his habit.

E.   Conclusion

The three proverbs which are discussed in this paper are a very limited part from the whole of Buginese proverbs. It must be there are still many others which cannot be discussed here. As we know that the Buginese people have many interesting works and culture, namely such as Vinisi Boat and Lontara Book, which are still not recovered and discussed. It is whether written on book or be saved on the museum history. The reason of this is that most of Buginese people in particularly and the South East people generally are still left behind in the case of historical writing for now days.

It is, even, there is an assumption that the Buginese Lontara is more sophisticated with cultural content than the story about Mahabarath. But who has proved this? It is just a presumption till today.

It is supposed to be also on this paper gets as the same reason as the above reality. It, of course, is caused by the writer limited knowledge and proverb stock which are behaved. This also proves that for the time being is there a good chance that some of heredity culture from Buginese is probability not cared by the next new generation.

One thing which would be the expectation that through the writing like this to explore cultural contents, proverbs reference or its meaning, and many other things which are completely with norms and value will arise our locally culture heredity. It is included for the reference as in the above three proverbs in case of philosophy terms.

Source:

Cooper, David E., 1973. Philosophy And the Nature of Language. Longman: University of Surrey. London.