Social Norms and Local Wisdom Found in the Language of Andung

in Mandailing Ethnic of South Tapanuli: Documentation and

Translation in English

Siti Norma Nasution¹

¹Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia

Keywords: andung, Tradition, Social Norms, Local Wisdom, Preservation.

Abstract: This article is made based on research entitled social norms and local wisdom found in the language of andung

in Mandailing etnic of south Tapanuli (documentation and translation in English which is conducted in three

regency namely Medan, Padang Lawas and Sipirok. Andung is ussually used by a woman to express her

feeling who wants to get married and leave her family. It is made up of beautiful, polite, and good words. This

research is to dig the social values and local wisdom which may be hidden in the language of andung. Andung

is not known in big cities anymore. They are only used in small villages. This research is made to preserve

and document andung so that they are not extinct from the world. Our local government in Indonesia is trying

hard to revitalize the traditional culture especially to be introduceed to the young generation. The tradition

and culture may become the principle of life which may hamper the bad influence from other countries. The

language of andung may show the young generation how to be polite and appreciate their parents and family.

We don’t want our generation to be uprooted from their own culture.

1 INTRODUCTION

Andung of Mandailing is made in local language

faund Padang Lawas and Sipirok, it is different from

pantun Malay, there is no sampiran, all the line are the

content of andung. It is usually used by a women who

wants to get married. She expressed happiness and

sadness, she is going to leave her parents and family.

This old tradition is nearly extinc from the local place

because the young generation are not interested

anymore in using this tradition especially because is

made in local language and they dont understand the

meaning of andung.

Most of young generation today use Indonesian

language to communicate between each other.

Andung language use beautiful words and polite

words. Andung also expose the principle of life and

the philosophy of social life. Which have been in

herited by our encestor.

The young generation prefer to use Indonesian

language as nationla language and also used as social

communication. Andung language use beautiful and

polite words as inherited by our ancestors which

expose philosophy and prinsiples they may guide the

young generation not to be influenced by foreign life

style which is against our tradition and culture.

Andung language expresses happiness and sadness

experienced by a woman who wants to leave her

parents and her family because she wants to get

married with a man from other villages, using

Andung language the woman exposes her gratitude

and praise for her parents and family. She is very

grateful for all her family have done for her during

her life time.

Andung language is ussually use by women not

by men because the language is so soft and

sentimental (emotional), she moans and cries so

softly showing her feeling. The words of Andung is

quite different based on places it emerges, like

Andung Marbagas from Sipirok as follows.

Iiiiiiiii, ke ma au da inang

Ke ma au da inang, tu huta sihadaoan i.......i

O inang.....o inang......tolong jagit doma jolo

da inang

Tangan jau solom ni borumu au.....

Oh my mother, I am leaving you

I am leaving you to go to the village where I

get married

Oh mother, oh mother, take my hands

1698

Nasution, S.

Social Norms and Local Wisdom Found in the Language of Andung in Mandailing Ethnic of South Tapanuli: Documentation and Translation in English.

DOI: 10.5220/0010095716981701

In Proceedings of the International Conference of Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental and Ramiﬁcation Researches (ICOSTEERR 2018) - Research in Industry 4.0, pages

1698-1701

ISBN: 978-989-758-449-7

Oh my mother forgive me, I am very grateful

Andung language from Mandailing should be

preserved from extinction that the young generation

may learn and get the advantages. The team of the

researchers have translated Andung Language into

English that the students may learn easily and there is

no reason to say that Andung language is out of date

and is not suitable to be used in this modern time. This

is in agreement with the purpose of this research that

is to introduce Andung to the wider social

invirontment, documented and preserved. The use of

Andung is hoped to enrich prenational culture

(treasure).

Tradition and culture is so dinamic, always in the

process of changing but we should not let it changed

and becoming worse. In this modern time, people

think that sucess means economic success, that’s why

people prefer to live more effisien and practise

Andung that have been translated may be learnt in

schools and libraries. The students may get two

advantages, the first one is understanding English

language and the second one is getting the hidden

values and philosophy within andung language.

2 METHOD

This article is made based on field research and

library exploration. The location of the research are

Medan, Padang Lawas and Sipirok Mandailing,

South Tapanuli. There are at least 20 informants

consist of traditional leaders and public figures. The

data are collected by note and documentation, tape

recording and taking photos. Data collected consist of

variation of Andung, comments, and ideas of the

informants. Then the data classified based on the

problems, and then verified and analyzed using the

theory of literature and culture. Individual interview

can be continued by Focus Group Discussion which

may have various answers and comments, the

informants may give respons to the answers of other

people. The questions and answers may know like

snowball which is open and developed, everybudy

may get the chance to express their ideas and

thoughts.

Data to be used for descriptive analyses are

always in the from of long phrases words and even in

paragraphs which are collected from field research

and the study of library. Qualitative analyses can be

divided into three stages, they are reduction,

presentation and presenting data and then verification

and then drawing conclusion (Miles & Huberman

1984).

Then, data reduction is no separated from the

analyses, data reduction means transformating data,

selecting, giving the meaning, focusing and later

giving notes from the field. The next stage is

presenting data, put into good order and proper

meaning is made combined with theory, finally

conclusion can be drawn by explaining clearly the

selected data and proper theory is implemented. Now

the selected data is made in good order and have been

patterned, showing the plot, cause and reason and

proposition.

3 ANALYSIS

Andung language from Mandailing expose social

values and philosophy implemented in social life

which may guide people in their everyday activities.

Like tradition, social values are not written

regulation, it is implemented from generation to

generation to communicate and interact between each

other in society, it includes respect and tolerance

within the society.

The people and young generation are sugested to

respect and be grateful to the parents and family. The

young generation should keep the manners and

attitude and to be tolerance for the differences in

society, the young generation should not regard

themselves the only party that is right. Social values

also includes the practise of religion, steling and

robbing is forbidden, helping each other is suggested.

Social values can be functioned as a tool to guide

people to think and to act in doing the dayly activities

within the society. Good communication is also very

important, the parents should teach the young

generation how to be have and act within society.

Andung language also expose local wisdom such

as showing gratefulness, respect,helping each other,

showing honesty and being true among the society.

All the kids should learn all the values from the

parents and the society.

Andung language is always used by young

women who want to leave the familiy to go to other

place to get married, the women use beautiful and

polite words especially for the parents and older

people. By showing politness and respect, it is hoped

that the closeness and the happiness can be

maintained forever. The women and the family care

for each other, the women can express her sadness

and happiness to the family and try to solve the

problems together. Andung language provide the

ways to communicate well.

Social Norms and Local Wisdom Found in the Language of Andung in Mandailing Ethnic of South Tapanuli: Documentation and

Translation in English

1699

Andung for the mother

O inde niboru mu inde, kehe ma au da mangido

maaf au da

Dohot do mangido ijin ida, oppot adong lidung

naso lidung ida

Doppat jonjong ni naposo bulung I, Inde ni boru

muyu inde

Mandokkon lidung siajaron boile

Simangido muyu tusi mangidoku onda, anggo

simangidoku onda

Nahurangan pangarohia do i da inde niborumu

inde

Inde na borumu inde, tatap ligi bo inde

simangidoku onda, anggo simangidoku onda

sattokkin kidop nai noma ile dibagas parpidoan

ni ayatta ni boru nalkehe

Ma au da inde ni borumu inde

Oh my beloved mother, let me go to my

husband home

I asks you permission to go and forgive me for

all I have done

I am gratefull for all you have given to me

Oh my mother, here I stand in front of you

asking you for blessing

Forgive me my mother for all my faults for all

my weakness

Forgive me for all that I have told you

I am very grateful for all that you have taught

For all that you have guided me

Oh mother, i have you can let me go after all

we have been living together happyly with all

out family.

Now let me go. I want you to pray for me and

bless me

The quotation above shows how the young

woman loves her mother that’s why she cries so sadly

that she should leave her family to go to her new

home for getting married to a man in the near village.

The young woman hopes that her mother will always

pray for her happiness. Social values that can be

found in the above Andung among others are respect

for elder people, gratefulness for the parents.

Andung for brother

O ibotoku kang, kehe ma au da ibotoku kang

palambat marlidung

Parenjeng-enjengan, banir parkolip-kolipan

haruaya parsilaungan

O ibotoku kang, ibotoku on maida nasutarjauh

tarsarihon au da ibotku kang

Ibotku on maida nasojungada mandokkon

hata siruttus onda

Tusimangidoku onda ibotku kang, ibotku on

maida namamanjung

Marlambok pangarohai doi da tusi

mangidoku onda ibotku kang,

Kehe mau da ibotku kang

Oh my brother, I am leaving you to get

married to other places

Oh my brother, please pray for me

I am leaving for other place that I dont know

Oh my brother I hope you care for me, bless

me and help me

The quotation above shows how the young

woman love and respect her brother. She asks her

brother to permit her to go to other places to get

married. She asked her brother to care for her

although she is now quite far from the family. The

young woman asks her brother to be kind to her and

feeling close to her, defend her for whatever she is.

She also asks her brother to help when she faces

problems.

Andung for the Father

O ayah niboru mu ayah, kehe ma au da

Mangido maaf au da, dohot mangido ijin ida

Oppot adong lidung naso lidung i ayah, ayah

ni borumu ayah

O...ayah ni borumu ayah tatap ligi bo i le

borumu onda ayah ni borumu ayah

Namanglakkahon lakka matau bulung onda

tubagas parpidoan nihalak nadua

Tolu ida ayah ni borumu on ayah

Kehe ma au da ayah ni borumu ayah

Oh my father, this is your daughter

Forgive me father

Let me go and give me permission to go to

other place

To go to my husband home

To get married you should see me father

leaving you and the family

Let me go father

I should go now

I am grateful for all you have done to me

Oh my father let me go now

Please care and help me

ICOSTEERR 2018 - International Conference of Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental and Ramiﬁcation Researches

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4 CONCLUSION

From the analyses, it is found that Andung is very

important to be documented and preserved social

values and local wisdom social values like respect,

tolerance and helping people are among others which

may guide people lives to live peacefuly. Local

wisdom like honesty truthfulness and politeness are

the values in local wisdom that should be preserved

especially for the young generation. Andung

language is hope to avoid bad influence from other

countries especially in the global period, bad

influence may harm the lives of the people. The

efforts to interprete Andung into English language is

hoped that more people well get the understanding

and the advantages. By practising Andung, young

generation may have good manners and behaviour

and help politeness in their lives.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The writer would like to give highest appreciation for

Prof. Dr. Runtung Sitepu, SH, M.Hum as the rector of

University of North Sumatera (USU) who had given the

chance for the lecturers to follow TALENTA as a

research program in USU and providing the fund for this

research. I would also give my gratitude the head of

Research Institution in USU Prof. Dr. Erman Munir,

M.Sc who had tried hard to encourage the lecturers to

conduct a research provided in Talenta. Then would thank

all the officials in research institution who had helped all

the lecturers to accomplished the research by giving

information, the model and the form of research, that the

researchers needed

REFERENCES

Miles, MB & Huberman, A 1984, Qualitative data analysis

a sourcebook of new methods, Sage Publications,

London.

Social Norms and Local Wisdom Found in the Language of Andung in Mandailing Ethnic of South Tapanuli: Documentation and

Translation in English

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