Tourism, and the Search for Culture in Manggarai
This paper discusses how tourism, along with a number of other historical processes such as enculturation, and post-colonial nation building, have affected Manggaraians’ perception of their culture. In Manggarai, western Flores (Indonesia), people traditionally played a game with whips during the harvest season and during marriage rituals, where men display their skills and try not to be wounded by each other’s whips. This game has become an object of tourist attraction. For Manggaraians this game holds increasing importance as a means of promoting their culture, both for tourism, but also for national and regional identity construction. How the game is perceived in various contexts will be explored, particularly what different Manggaraian people think about playing this game for tourists, as opposed to playing it in a ritual context. Through the example of this whip contest, this paper will examine how the idea of “culture” is being constructed in Manggarai, as ’heritage’, as ’object’ and as ’information’, and what role tourism is playing in this construction.