Author: Hakim Miftakhul Huda (KKP)

Besides sasi, another interesting thing about the life of the people of Southwest Maluku is the kinship system.

The people who live in this region are predominantly Moluccan. Usually, one village consists of several clan groups, and some clans join with other clans to form clan groups called 'soa', these groups have a similar function to Rukun Tetangga (RT) or Rukun Warga (RW) commonly found in Java.

Soa in Southwest Maluku, it is not uncommon to have a kind of strata division where one soa has a higher position than the other soa . The difference in position, especially in terms of authority, is highest held by the village head - who acts as the head of government in a village - and the adat head.

The village head is directly elected by the community. Village head candidates who are nominated or running for office may come from all groups living in the village. However, there are some villages that require village head candidates to come from a certain soa or clan group. After the village head is elected, the inauguration process is also completed with a traditional ceremony from the village, which is accompanied by regional arts or dances.