Inerie
Nage–Ngada · numen · Nage–Ngada traditional religion; continuing · numen
Inerie is the sharply conical volcano that overlooks Bajawa in the Ngadha highlands, its name compounded from ine, 'mother,' marking it as a female ancestral presence watching over the country below. Held sacred by the Ngadha, the mountain is addressed as a guardian and a mother of the land, and it anchors the wider central Flores pattern in which the great volcanoes are regarded as ancestral beings rather than mere peaks.
Domains
- mountain
- ancestral motherhood
Powers
- watches over the Ngadha country from above Bajawa
- is addressed as a mother of the land
Sources
- Susanne Schröter, 'Death Rituals of the Ngada in Central Flores, Indonesia,' Indonesia and the Malay World (2005)
- Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, 'Inierie' volcano record