Negotiating Tradition: The Role of the Uma in the Kinship Structure of the Mentawai People in Pasakiat Taileleu

This research aims to analyze the existence of uma in the community kinship system in Taileleu, describe the taileleu community's response to the existence of uma in culture for daily life, identify the effo rts of the younger generation to preserve uma in Mentawai culture. The method used in this research is qualitative. Informants in this study amounted to 20 people who were selected by porposive sampling. Data collection techniques are observation, interview and documentation study. The data validity test uses the source triangulation method. The results showed that the existence of uma in the kinship of the taileleu community can be seen from the spiritual function that each side of the uma has a spirit, 1. Orat, 2. bakkat katcaila, 3. Ngong, 4. Abu, 5. Baibajat, 6. Salipak, 7. Tuddukat. Social function 1. To gather in planning a traditional party, 2. As a place to live for some family members, especially the rimata or elders, 3. As a means of traditional parties. Uma as a place to store food such as taro, bananas, sago, and the results of hunted pigs and the results of traditional parties that are salted. In the taileleu community's response to the existence of uma in Mentawai culture for daily life, 1. Uma is still needed, 2. Uma needs to be preserved, 3. Local government attention is needed in preserving uma. Efforts to involve the younger generation to preserve uma in Mentawai culture, 1. Participate in repairing uma that have been deer.