SAGUER

Saguer

Saguer is a drink that comes from palm trees or in Manado's daily language it is called saguer or seho trees, while generally there are those who call it sugar palm trees. It’s obtained from Batifar, namely the activity of tapping or taking Saguer water from the seho tree. This drink had its heyday during the Java war in 1829. Initially, there was a customary law which stated that saguer was the drink of gods and ancestors, so it could not be traded, but in the 18th century this drink could be traded as an additional income for farmers (Switzy Sabandar. (2022, October 18). 

In an average day, each farmer in Tanggari Village, North Minahasa Regency sold around 50 bottles under normal conditions. Stored saguer can be sold in the form of Saguer vingear which is priced the same, though in some places it is sold at a higher price. So, you could say that saguer is an authentic North Sulawesi drink that is known by many people and is still in great demand (Kemdikbud, 2021).

According to Benny Mamoto, the North Sulawesi Cultural Institute that he leads has been contacted by the Upper Tombasian community to hold the Saguer Festival. In fact, they are ready to set a MURI (Museum Rekor Dunia-Indonesia) record of drinking saguer, in which 1,500 people participated (Christy, 2009). There are several things that can be done in maintaining and preserving the Saguer culture, one of them is, people who know the symbolic meaning and the culture of saguer, need to actively teach and encourage the next generation. Thus, the values of the culture can continue to be preserved (Vi, Saguer, Pergeserannya, & Masyarakat, n.d.). 

References‌

Zefanya, M. (2021, June 20). 5 Fakta Saguer, Arak khas Minahasa yang Manis dan Asam. Retrieved March 8, 2023, from IDN Times website: https://www.idntimes.com/food/dining-guide/marissa-zefanya/5-fakta-saguer-arak-khas-minahasa-bercita-rasa-manis-dan-asam-c1c2#:~:text=2.%20Tradisi%20minuman%20saguer&text=Tradisi%20ini%20biasanya%20diadakan%20saat,sebagai%20tambahan%20penghasilan%20para%20petani

Warisan Budaya Takbenda | Beranda. (2021). Retrieved January 18, 2023, from Kemdikbud.go.id website: https://warisanbudaya.kemdikbud.go.id/?newdetail&detailTetap=2679

christy. (2009, June 15). Festival Saguer Bakal Heboh. Retrieved January 18, 2023, from BeritaManado.com: Berita Terkini Manado, Sulawesi Utara website: https://beritamanado.com/festival-saguer-bakal-heboh/?amp=1

Vi, B., Saguer, M., Pergeserannya, D., & Masyarakat, D. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://repository.uksw.edu/bitstream/123456789/14712/6/T1_352011004_BAB%20VI.pdf