Wanuwa and the Communalism System of Ancient Soppeng: A Manuscript-Based Study

Abstract

On the basis of lontara manuscript data, analyzed using a philological approach, this paper discusses the Soppeng kingdom in its ancient context. The study reveals an important thing about the origin of the society’s formation, which progressed from a simple to a more complex social unit. It shows that the Soppeng kingdom was established in 1261 and had already started with the development of wanuwa settlement units 100 years earlier. The ancient Soppeng wanuwa had the character of a homogeneous anang community, maintaining a solidarity system of communal life under leadership founded on local legal norms called pangadereng. Wanuwa, as the earliest social unit, had its own social authority led by a chief called the Matowa. The Matowa played an important role in strengthening the pangadereng system (normative system) in every wanuwa. Moreover, the establishment process of the Soppeng kingdom to become a complex unit, which was initiated by the appearance of Tomanurung, was part of the roles of the Matowa. Fundamentally, the oath of allegiance by the Matowa to be united under a larger Soppeng kingdom was a typical model in the establishment of Buginese Soppeng kingdoms. This pattern characterized the formation of the Buginese and Makassarese kingdoms in South Sulawesi.