"Mention one word about Kenawat Village?"
"Rebel"
"Right! other words? "
"Warrior"
"Right!"
This is the case if a dialogue occurs when asked about Kenawat Village. So that some expressions become kinayah; the term for its youth is associated with the GPK (Kenawat Youth Movement), and for the region, many people call it the Vietnamese village because it is a guerrilla area and is often burned as a result of rebellion.
"The rebel gene," I think, let alone the political situation in the country, even in one village or office, if there is Kenawat's blood hanging around there, it will certainly color the existing policies. Parents used to say, it was a character from birth.
One more cool thing about Kenawat people, they are not racist. "Where the heavens are upheld, there the earth is trodden on" becomes the principle. So that wherever they are looking for life and life, they can easily adapt.
It's not an exaggeration, if people understand, it really feels lucky that women are married to Kenawat people.
Kenawat Lut village is like a trap fish trap. The entrance door from Kampung Pedemun is narrow, after entering we know that the area is wide.
The philosophical geographical location of Kenawat Lut Village is the brain in the skull which is relatively small, but has a broad view. Figures such as Tengku Ilyas Leube, Tengku Baihaqi AK, Tengku Ibrahim Manteq (the first Gayo person to memorize Al-Qur'an) are witnesses to the history of this philosophy.
Many people do not think there is a village there. So that in the past the road was not paved and there was no cellphone signal. Even though the distance from the city of Takengon is less than 5 KM. It's not that the Kenawat's don't have influence, they just don't like to lick the ruler.
Kenawat Lut Village is the origin of the village from other Kenawat villages; Kenawat Delung, Kenawat Bener Kelifah, and others. The establishment of the village was all due to "impit ngenaki lues, nyanya ngenali temas” who were very eager to participate in the development of the country they live in.
It is not only the Kenawat people who are proud of the area of their birth and their parents. Almost everyone is proud of their village and the village of their parents.
Some people attach their name to their village; Bang Iwan Gayo, Bang Halidin Bewang, Bang Abu Bakar Gunung, Bang Hamdani Towa, Ahmadi Samar refinery and others. All the patching of regional names on his name is to form his identity.
Of course, it is not only Kenawat village in Gayo that has an identity that characterizes the community. Other villages must also have a word or two in describing the general situation of their village to raise the spirit of their people.
Mendale, Aceh Sumatra,Indonesia
Note: This article is a free translation of my writing which has already been posted on other social media and local newspapers.