Family

The whole family unit lives in the same house, forming a small structure made up of up to 10 members. The life in common of the whole nucleus strengthens bonds and supports in needs. The family is the cornerstone of society it is not possible to marry members of different clans.

The organization of the family is based on the woman who is also engaged in strength work. Women are involved for example in building embankments in order to avoid flooding of villages in the rainy season. This construction involves the transport of stones from the river to the village, a journey that can take several kilometers.

After earthly life there is an eternal supernatural world, populated by the souls of ancestors and deities. A sort of immanent paradise, which has a close connection with everyday life. Thus in the central courtyard of the village of Praiji stands the sacrificial altar, a monolith carved with anthropomorphic motifs linked to the Marapu tradition.

Foreigners are prohibited from getting too close. Here too, close to the huts imposing stone tombs have been erected to pay homage to the deceased. Funerals are always sumptuous: it is a propitiatory rite for the dead whose spirit perpetually hovers over the life of the village.