Ulaumanua, the formless high deity
Mentawai · deity · Mentawai traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Ulaumanua (Ulau Manua, from ulau 'light' and manua 'sky') is the formless high deity of the Mentawai, conceived not as a person but as a supreme light of the heavens. It is held to possess the highest authority over both the spiritual and the physical realms and to sustain all life on earth, so that even natural death is regarded as its will. Standing above the named ruling spirits of sky, forest, sea, and the world below, Ulaumanua in modern Mentawai religious life is frequently identified by Christian and Muslim converts with the one God.
Domains
- supreme overarching authority
- life and natural death
Powers
- to sustain all life and hold authority over every realm
Relations
- ally: Taikamanua, ruling spirit of the skyAs the overarching high deity, Ulaumanua presides above the named ruling spirit of the sky and the other domain spirits.The Religious Cosmology of Indigenous Communities for Maintaining Ecological Balance in the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia. Millah: Journal of Religious Studies, Universitas Islam Indonesia, 2024. (secondary)
Sources
- Ulaumanua is the Mentawai formless high deity, a 'supreme light' holding the highest authority over the spiritual and physical realms and sustaining all life.: The Religious Cosmology of Indigenous Communities for Maintaining Ecological Balance in the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia. Millah: Journal of Religious Studies, Universitas Islam Indonesia, 2024. (secondary); Hanani, S. & Nelmaya. 'Ecological ethics in the theological teaching of Arat Sabulungan in Mentawai Island Indonesia.' Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences 43(1), 2022, pp. 102-107. DOI: 10.34044/j.kjss.2022.43.1.14. (secondary)