LIVING LAW AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: Weaving Skills as a Marriage Requirement in Sade, West Nusa Tenggara

Abstract

Weaving skills as a marriage requirement in the Sade Muslim Society is one of the customary rules—living law—that remains to exist currently, although it is not stated according to Islamic law or state law in the place. Departing from that uniqueness, this study aims to explore the reasons behind that term. Data was collected through interviews and observation in the field. Inspired by Turner’s symbolic anthropological theory, this study shows that the enforcement of customary rules—the prohibition of marriage for girls who do not yet have weaving skills—is interpreted as a form of cultural preservation. It is an effort to strengthen the micro-economy of the society with the hands of Sade women, which later becomes beneficial for their position in the family after marriage. Furthermore, the meaning of this customary rule is to preserve the identity of the Sade society which features the maturity and independence of women before going married.