Perempuan Nyurlembang Dalam Tradisi Merarik

Abstract

Merarik is a tradition which has been maintained by Sasak since a long time. In the beginning, this tradition was an effort to save women from immorality of Anak Agung Made Karangasem, the king of Lombok. But the aim of this tradition started to change. This paper tries to analyze the change of merarik in Nyurlembang Village, Narmada, West Lombok. Using qualitative descriptive and feminist approach, this paper found that merarik causes cultural violence for women. Sasak women finds themselves hard to refuse merarik. Merarik becomes the best way for men to overcome financial problem due to their lack of economic ability and makes women become vulnerable after married. Merarik also raises conflict because of two factors. First, the Sasak women’s family has to accept their son in law even if they don’t like him to avoid disgrace. Second, Sasak women’s family has to accept pesuke (money given by men’s family) whatever they have. Sasak often not register their marriage in KUA because merarik becomes legal marriage in religion and custom. This situation enables men do poligamy. In the middle of the merarik problem, proposal becomes a better alternative for women, but proposal not fully received because it is not their own culture.