Kenopak Lamaholot: Menemukan Makna Religius-Etis dan Didaktis Ungkapan Bijak Masyarakat Tanalein

Abstract

Kenopak, in the literary perspective can be compared with the “wisdom
genre”, found among the Lamaholot people, who live in the eastern
part of Flores. Most people use the “Lamaholot” language as the spoken
language. Lamaholot language can be used in different ways, either
ordinary or extraordinary. Kenopak is always used in extraordinary
times, for ritual needs or different cultural events. Using “kenopak”,
the Lamaholot people try to describe the history and the role of the
clan in certain social contexts, the existence of the High Being, and
many different values in different fields of life. Being conscious of the
important values of kenopak, this study is trying to find different values
of kenopak among the people in Tanalein, West Solor, Larantuka, and
comparing them with the values of wisdom in the Bible Tradition.
Kenopak as the wisdom expression among the Lamaholot people is
not only a range of words and sentences without meaning, inherited
from the old generations. After doing a long research and analyzing its
contents, kenopak actually have different important values for life. Ethic,
religious and didactics are the basic and fundamental values that can’t
be separated from different kenopak, that are known and acknowledged
among the Lamaholot people. Those values have a close relation with
the basic christian values found in the Bible. Facing the changes and the
development of times, those values might be useful for the formation of
young generations, preparing them as the generation for future.