Jurnal Antropologi: Isu-Isu Sosial Budaya

Meaning of Land: Dynamic Certification of Customary Land Management in Nagari Sungai Kamuyang

Uzika Putri Fatasa — 2025-11-22

For the Minangkabau indigenous people, property in the form of customary land is an integrated and inseparable customary component. However, agrarian conflicts often erupt, including on customary land. This is the background for the birth of the Nagari Customary Land Management Certification policy by the Ministry of Agrarian Spatial Planning / National Land (ATR/BPN) Agency to provide legal certainty to Indigenous peoplesâ€”the Nagari Sungai Kamuyang Customary Land Certificate for an area of 371,095 m2. In the implementation, Bundo Kanduang and Farmer Groups decline this policy. Through ethnographic methods, the basic arguments of each party can be revealed through their interactions with customary land, such as in management cooperation, payment of land interest, and types of plants reviewed based on Nagari Sungai Kamuyang Regulation Number 1 of 2003. These three groups interpret land as property rights, and rejection is based on arguments that tend to be resistant, such as certainty in the certificate format, certainty of the subject, and sentiments on efforts to privatize Nagari Customary Land. In contrast to the Nagari Government and Badan Pengawas Ulayat, this certification is a reality because the Nagari Customary Land only authorizes the Right to use the Nagari Sungai Kamuyang Community.

Musical Heritage and Cultural Identity: Interpreting the Symbolic Meaning of Silotuang in Dayak Bidayuh Life

Iwan Ramadhan — 2025-11-13

This study aims to preserve and maintain the traditions and local wisdom values of the Dayak Bidayuh community in Jagoi Village through investigations conducted to enhance understanding of Indonesia's rich cultural diversity. This research addresses the lack of appreciation for the traditional musical instrument Silotuang, especially among the younger generation. In the face of rapid globalization, many traditions are at risk of extinction, making it crucial to document and analyze the values in the "Mighty of Silotuang" music performance, as well as its reflection in daily practices. Using an ethnographic approach, this research involves direct observation, particularly during the preparation process until the conclusion of the Silotuang music performance. In-depth interviews were conducted with community leaders, traditional musicians, and the local community around Jagoi Babang. The data collected, documented, and analyzed to reveal how local wisdom is embedded in rituals, symbols of traditional music, and daily practices. These findings aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Silotuang musical instrument and offer recommendations for maintenance traditional music in social cultural aspects. This study concludes that preserving local wisdom strengthens cultural identity and pride within the Dayak Bidayuh community in the Jagoi Babang. These findings highlight the importance of the contribution of the younger generation in understanding and appreciating living cultural heritage to address the urgency of intangible cultural heritage conservation.

An Ethnographic Study of Preservation Strategies of the Kun Traditional House in Sarmi, Papua

Anggia Riani Nurmaningtyas — 2025-11-13

This study presents an ethnographic exploration of the Kun House, the traditional dwelling of the Armati community in Sarmi Regency, Papua. The Kun Households have profound symbolic and spiritual significance, reflecting social relations and human–environment interactions within traditional settlements. However, modernization, through changes in livelihoods, the introduction of new materials, and the expansion of infrastructure, has transformed settlement patterns and diminished the socio-spatial role of the Kun House. Fieldwork conducted in Binyer Village, East Sarmi District, employed a qualitative approach grounded in architectural anthropology, combining interviews with community leaders, participant observation, spatial documentation, and archival analysis. The findings reveal community-based and policy-supported strategies for safeguarding the Kun House as part of sustainable settlement planning. This study highlights the importance of integrating cultural heritage values into contemporary development to preserve the Armati community’s identity amid socio-economic transitions.

People Pleaser Behavior within the Perspective of Sungkan: A Psycho-Anthropological Interpretation

Faiqal Dima Hanif — 2025-11-16

Respect is highly valued in Javanese culture, particularly in social interactions. Children in Javanese culture are taught how to show respect to others, which in Javanese culture consists of three inseparable components, namely sungkan, wedi, and isin. This study identified a case of sungkan behavior in a college student in Yogyakarta, accompanied by a hint of another behavioral concept, namely, people-pleasing. People-pleasing behavior can be viewed from multiple perspectives, one of which is the sungkan culture, a cultural norm rooted in respect, modesty, and avoidance of conflict. This cultural framework provides valuable insight into the dynamics of people-pleasing behavior. This study aims to explore and interpret how people pleaser behave within the context of Javanese culture, specifically examining the extent to which the concept of habitus is internalized in such behavior, using a case study approach. The study explores key themes, including the habitus of people-pleasing behavior, symbolic capital and power within the Javanese family, the individual's attitudes toward family dynamics, awareness from others of people-pleasing behavior, and its psychological and social impacts. This study contributes to the integration of psychology and anthropology by demonstrating that behavior is an expression of symbolic structures in people-pleasing behavior within the concept of sungkan in the Javanese context.

Ruwat Desa and Ritual Resilience Amid Agrarian Transformation: An Ethnographic Study in Wunut Village

Clarissa Ayu Fitri Ramadhani — 2025-11-16

Ruwat Desa, a Javanese agricultural ritual, persists in Wunut Village, Sidoarjo, despite losing 66% of farmland to industrial conversion (1985-2024). This pattern appears across Java's industrializing regions, where villages lost 45-65% of agricultural land, yet ritual participation declined only 15-20%. How does an agricultural ritual persist when its material foundations vanish? Existing frameworks fail: Geertzian involution explains cultural maintenance through agricultural intensification, not cultural intensification when land disappears. This study applies Bourdieu's practice theory to reveal capital substitution, communities strategically replace declining economic capital with enhanced cultural and symbolic capital. Three-year ethnographic research (2022-2024) with 10 informants demonstrates three mechanisms: funding shifted from 85% farmer contributions (pre-1990s) to 60% non-farmer sources (post-2000s); communities preserve core elements (sacred site, wayang performance) while adapting peripherals (gunungan contents, organization); generational habitus transformed from cosmological conviction to pragmatic observance to heritage valorization. Cultural sustainability operates through strategic capital restructuring rather than material continuity, advancing beyond predictions of cultural decline and offering insights for agrarian-industrial transitions across Indonesia and the Global South.

Gendered Power in Green Economy Practices in Aceh, Indonesia

Vellayati Hajad — 2025-11-16

Climate change and environmental degradation have led Indonesia to implement green economy policies to harmonise economic growth with ecological sustainability and social justice. However, gender mainstreaming remains peripheral within these policy frameworks, especially in regions like Aceh, where Islamic-patriarchal values strongly influence governance and public participation. This study explores how cultural values shape gender dimensions in green economy initiatives in Aceh Province. Using Mary Douglas’ Cultural Theory, extended by Michael Thompson and Steve Rayner, the research analyses how distinct cultural orientations—hierarchical, individualist, egalitarian, and fatalist—affect gender inclusion in environmental policy-making. A qualitative case study approach was employed, drawing on purposive interviews with women activists, government officials, civil society leaders, academics, customary figures, and women involved in agriculture and green entrepreneurship. Thematic analysis, supported by NVivo 12 Plus, was used to uncover dominant cultural narratives, structural barriers, and forms of resistance in gender and environmental governance. Findings indicate that hierarchical cultural norms, reinforced by religious and customary structures, limit women’s roles to supportive rather than strategic functions in policy processes. Nonetheless, egalitarian ideas and transnational feminist movements create space for women’s agency through environmental activism and entrepreneurship. The study underscores the need for gender-responsive and culturally rooted strategies to support a just green transition in Indonesia

A Phenomenological Study of Child Neglect in a Family Entangled in Loan Sharks' Debt in Ngajum Village, Malang Regency

Devira Rahmawati — 2025-12-01

Child neglect in families caught up in loan shark debt is an increasingly worrying social phenomenon in Ngajum Village, Malang District. Economic pressure due to loan shark debt not only disrupts the financial stability of the family, but also has an impact on neglecting the physical and psychological needs of children. This study aims to understand parents' subjective experiences of child neglect due to the pressure of loan shark debt. This research employs a qualitative approach, utilizing Edmund Husserl's phenomenological method through in-depth interviews and participatory observation of selected informants. The results show that the burden of debt causes family dysfunction, with the main focus of parents on debt repayment, so that the needs of children are neglected. Children experience emotional uncertainty, minimal communication with parents, physical and psychological abuse, and limited fulfillment of basic needs. Furthermore, this study reveals that the experience of neglect committed by parents due to loan sharks' debts contributes to social stigmatization, internal justification for neglect, and emotional disconnection between parents and children. These findings highlight the importance of enhancing financial literacy in families to prevent its impact on child neglect. This research contributes to broadening the understanding of the impact of loan shark debt on family dynamics from a phenomenological perspective and encourages the birth of social interventions that are more empathetic and contextual.

Hutan Nagari and the Negotiations of Indigenous-State Relations in Minangkabau

Tamrin tamrin — 2025-11-16

Forest management in Indonesia often presents a tension between state-driven conservation objectives and the socio-economic interests of indigenous communities. This study explores how the Hutan Nagari (village forest) scheme serves as a conflict resolution mechanism between indigenous communities and the state, with a focus on Sungai Buluah in West Sumatra. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, field observations, and document analysis involving community members, the Village Forest Management Institution (LPHN), and the provincial forestry agency. The findings reveal a dual pattern of conflict: prior to 2019, vertical and macro-level disputes predominated, rooted in top-down state forestry policies that marginalized local customary rights. Following the implementation of the Hutan Nagari scheme, conflicts shifted to a horizontal and micro-level, involving intra-community negotiations over resource access. Conflict resolution strategies evolved accordingly, from institutional strengthening and enhanced community participation to more nuanced approaches, including problem-solving, yielding, and inaction. These strategies align with sustainable development goals, integrating economic welfare and conservation objectives. This research contributes to the discourse on community-based forest management by highlighting the adaptive nature of conflict resolution mechanisms in pluralistic indigenous settings

Asmat Indigenous Participation in Development through Participatory Mapping:

Hendrikus Hada — 2025-11-22

This study describes the process of participation of the indigenous people of the Asmat group of Pomar Sirau in participatory mapping and analyzes their participation rate based on the Arnstein Degree of Participation. Using a qualitative approach with a case study method, data was collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observations, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and document studies. The results of the study show that community participation takes place through several stages, starting from community awareness of threats to customary lands, community initiatives in voicing problems, to active involvement in mapping customary territories. Based on the Arnstein Degree of Participation, community participation is at the level of "Citizen Power," where they have full control over the mapping and decision-making process related to indigenous territories. This study confirms that participatory mapping is an important instrument in the protection of customary rights and cultural identity of indigenous peoples. It is hoped that there will be policy support, community capacity building, collaboration with various parties, and knowledge regeneration to ensure the protection and sustainability of the rights and culture of the indigenous people of Asmat.

Negotiating Merariq: Cultural Continuity and State Efforts to Prevent Child Marriage in East Lombok

Joli Apriansyah — 2025-12-01

This study examines the role of the East Lombok government and Muhammadiyah in addressing child marriage within the Sasak community, with particular attention to the culturally embedded practice of Merariq. Conducted over two months of fieldwork between January and February 2025, the research employed a qualitative design that combined document analysis, participatory observation, and in-depth interviews with ten local community members, two religious leaders, and five government officials. Data were analyzed using an iterative coding process beginning with open coding to identify emergent patterns, followed by focused coding aligned with Bourdieu’s framework supplemented by theoretical triangulation to enhance analytical rigor. The findings indicate that although legal frameworks have been formally implemented, their effectiveness is hindered by entrenched cultural norms, economic pressures, and the coexistence of overlapping legal systems. In contrast, Muhammadiyah’s initiatives, particularly its reinterpretation of Islamic values and its community-based family-strengthening programs, have demonstrated greater cultural resonance and have offered practical alternatives to early marriage. These insights underscore the necessity for culturally sensitive and multi-institutional approaches that effectively integrate statutory enforcement, religious authority, and community engagement. The study contributes to broader discussions on child marriage prevention by illustrating how tradition, law, and religion interact within pluralistic societies, and by providing actionable pathways for local institutions to reduce child marriage while honoring cultural heritage.

Challenging Inequality in Ecotourism Governance: A Local Perspective from Ciletuh Geopark

Ilham Adrian — 2025-11-13

This article examines how power and inequality are reproduced and contested in ecotourism governance from the perspective of local communities in the Ciletuh–Palabuhanratu UNESCO Global Geopark (CPUGG), Indonesia. Using a qualitative ethnographic approach that combines participatory observation, indepth interviews, and document analysis, the study explores how local actors experience exclusion in decision-making, benefit distribution, and cultural representation. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s concept of governmentality and Stuart Hall’s theory of representation, the research demonstrates that governance operates not only through formal institutions but also through symbolic and everyday practices that shape inclusion and control. Furthermore, by integrating Arturo Escobar’s post-development critique and James C. Scott’s notion of everyday resistance, the analysis reveals how communities mobilize social capital, kinship, and cultural values to negotiate power and reclaim agency within global tourism structures. The findings show that while state authorities and private investors dominate ecotourism planning and benefits, local communities respond through micro-level self-organization, such as cooperative homestay networks, boat-sharing systems, and cultural performance groups, that embody governmentality from below. This study contributes to the political anthropology of tourism by showing how everyday resistance redefines local agency in the context of global ecotourism governance. It advances an understanding of ecotourism governance not merely as policy management but as a field of struggle over meaning, identity, and justice, highlighting the need for inclusive deliberation, recognition of local knowledge, and equitable distribution of benefits in sustainable tourism governance.

Realizing the Right to a Healthy Environment through Customary Forest Conservation: A Local Wisdom Approach

Muhammad Muslim Hidayatulloh — 2025-12-01

This study examines how local wisdom-based conservation in the Wonosadi Customary Forest contributes to the fulfilment of the constitutional right to a good and healthy environment in Indonesia. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis conducted between February and June 2025. Fifteen informants were purposively selected, including traditional leaders, members of the forest management group, residents, and village officials. Data were analyzed thematically through coding, categorization, and interpretation, supported by methodological and source triangulation. The findings demonstrate that local values, such as pamali (customary prohibitions), rituals, and customary institutions, form a participatory governance system that effectively regulates forest use and maintains ecological balance. Conservation practices have improved vegetation cover, air quality, and spring water availability while reducing ecological risks such as floods and landslides. These efforts also support community welfare through agroforestry and the sustainable use of non-timber forest products. Overall, the model contributes to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 6, 13, 14, and 15, demonstrating that conservation rooted in local wisdom can serve as an effective and adaptive strategy for sustainable resource management. However, its long-term success depends on strong social institutions, intergenerational knowledge transmission, and cultural cohesion.

From Biological to Cultural Perspectives: Reframing Primate Conservation through Ethnoprimatology in Indonesia — A Literature Review

Tresno — 2025-11-12

Conservation in Indonesia has focused on biological indicators such as population decline and habitat loss, often overlooking the cultural dimensions that shape human–primate relationships. This study aims to integrate biological and cultural perspectives by applying an ethnoprimatological approach to reframe primate conservation. A qualitative literature review of publications from 2000 to 2025 was conducted using Google Scholar with the keywords “ethnoprimatology” and “human–primate interaction”. Thirty-four studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed thematically within a multispecies ethnography framework. The findings reveal diverse cultural meanings attributed to primates across Indonesia: in Bali, Sulawesi, and Sumatra, primates are simultaneously revered as sacred beings and perceived as agricultural pests; in Kalimantan, Jambi, and Mentawai, they are hunted for subsistence or ritual offerings; and in West Sumatra and Java, they are domesticated and trained for labor or performance, reflecting economic integration. These cultural interpretations shape community attitudes more strongly than biological conservation status. The study concludes that effective primate conservation requires incorporating cultural taxonomies to develop strategies that are both culturally grounded and ecologically sustainable.

The Meaning of Living Harmony with Komodo Dragons in the Perspective of the Indigenous People of Ata Modo: A Phenomenological Study

Arif Hidayat — 2025-11-12

This research aims to explore the meaning of harmonious living with Komodo dragons from the perspective of the Ata Modo indigenous community in Rinca Island, East Nusa Tenggara. Komodo dragons are not only protected endangered animals, but also creatures that are culturally integrated into the spiritual and cosmological values of the local community. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, this study explores the lived experiences, oral narratives, and values contained in the interaction between humans and Komodo dragons. The results show that the harmony of living with Komodo dragons is understood as a form of spiritual sustainability, ecological balance, and an expression of respect for ancestors and nature. These findings enrich the intercultural perspective in cultural ecology studies and provide a reflective basis for community-based conservation policy development. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with traditional leaders, senior citizens and local conservationists. References were obtained from relevant national and international literature. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding conservation not only ecologically but also through cultural and phenomenological dimensions.

Fragmented But Not Fractured: Implications For the Resilience Profile of Incarcerated Youth in Indonesia

William Maxey — 2025-11-16

As part of a larger action research cycle, this study reflected on the resilience of incarcerated male youths (N=74, aged 14-20) in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Using the “CYRM-R Plus Spirituality and Religiosity” measure, four subscales—Interpersonal, Caregiver, Spirituality, and Religiosity—were assessed using quantitative comparative analysis to create a resilience profile. The population was compared to a national normative sample of Indonesian males (N=3,496) within a similar age range. While Interpersonal and Caregiver support scores were comparable to the normative data, the item-level analysis revealed strong caregiver practical support but emotional distance and limited peer connection within the incarcerated youth, despite high behavioral adaptability. In contrast, Spirituality and Religiosity emerged as significant strengths of the population, with notably higher scores and large effect sizes when compared to the national sample, particularly in religious practice and beliefs about divine purpose. These findings demonstrate remarkable inner resources within incarcerated youth, which underscore the value of resilience-informed, spiritually sensitive, and family-engaged transition planning. Incorporating youth voice, culturally sensitive programs, and holistic approaches to reentry programs would strengthen the existing resilience of incarcerated youth.

Border City as Subject Matter: Ethnographic Reflections from a Maritime Borderland in Indonesia

Afrida Afrida — 2025-12-01

This study examines Tanjungbalai, a border city on the eastern coast of Sumatra, as an active producer of border practices rather than a passive periphery of the Indonesian state. Using long-term ethnographic fieldwork involving participant observation, in-depth interviews, and documentary analysis, the research reveals how residents negotiate and reinterpret state boundaries in their everyday lives. The findings show that the city’s spatial orientation is fundamentally maritime: informal ports (tangkahan) function as the true centers of mobility and trade, embodying deliberate strategies of spatial illegibility that resist state surveillance. The informal economies of undocumented motorcycles and used clothing further demonstrate how activities deemed illegal by the state become locally licit within a moral economy shaped by survival and limited formal opportunities. Dense transnational kinship networks linking Indonesia and Malaysia act as critical urban infrastructure, circulating capital, labor, and protection across the strait. At the same time, the region’s porosity has enabled the rise of large-scale narcotics trafficking and digital fraud, positioning the city within broader criminal geographies. Overall, the study argues that Tanjungbalai is a dynamic social laboratory where legality, mobility, and identity are continuously contested and remade.