The Philosophy of Wala Suji in Bugis-Makassar Culture

The term of Wala Suji is not a stranger thing to the Buginese people. If we visit the wedding custom party held in South Sulawesi, we will absolutely see a Baruga (gate). It is known as Wala Suji and placed at the doorsteps of the bride house or at the doorsteps of the public building where the wedding party held.

These two words wala and suji taken from Buginese language. The word Wala Suji is derived from the word wala which means separator or fence or we can say it as guard and suji means daughter or even princess in a family. It also symbolized the perfection of the one who will marry. The perfection here refers to the royal blood, wealthy or even the beauty.

Wala Suji is made from bamboo. In its main function, wala suji is a kind of bamboo fence and woven in rhombic form. According to the late Prof. Dr. Mattulada, South Sulawesi humanist and also a professor of Hasanuddin University, Makassar, the concept of having and making wala suji for being the gate in customs wedding party, it is placed horizontally in the middle of the world. Bugis-Makassar people view the world as perfection. This perfection is covering the four corners of the wind square, which is east, west, north, and south. Besides, sulapa eppa (four sides) is a mythical form in the belief of Bugis-Makassar people that symbolize the structure of this world, which consists of fire, water, wind and soil.

Why Wala Suji must use bamboo? That is the question here. It is due to bamboo tree is believed to have a philosophical meaning in the culture of Bugis-Makassar people. Bamboo tree is a plant that is very useful for human life, whether its leaf, branch and its tree. There is one side of the bamboo tree that can be used as meaningful learning for human being, it is seen during the growth process. In its growth, before bringing the tree, branch and leaves, the first to come and to complete is the root structure. It is believed that the roots support the foundations of the earth to make bamboo into a tree that is very strong, flexible, and cannot be broken though blown by wind. Therefore, it teaches people to grow, develop and achieve life experience from the inside out, not the other way. Here it is the important philosophical teaching that human being can get from learning bamboo trees growth. Eventually, the philosophy of the bamboo tree for human’s life is what we actually really depend on the understanding, appreciation, and our practice of faith in God related to the life and how to live our life in this world.

Posted by miasastra

Tweet