Cultural Resilience and Syncretism: The Towani Tolotang Community's Journey in Indonesia's Religious Landscape

Tasrifin Tahara; Andi Batara  Al Isra; Surahmat  Tiro

doi:10.29333/ejecs/1863

Authors

Tasrifin Tahara Department of Anthropology, Hasanuddin University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2026-5474
Andi Batara Al Isra https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3591-204X
Surahmat Tiro https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9614-0953

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1863

Keywords:

Towani Tolotang, Indigenous faith, religious diversity, cultural preservation, traditional leaders, syncretism

Abstract

The Towani Tolotang community, nestled in the Sindenreng Rappang Regency of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of indigenous faith and culture. This research, spanning three months from March to June 2023, delves into the community's unique religious practices, challenges, and resilience, shedding light on Indonesia's complex landscape of religious diversity. The Towani Tolotang community's unwavering commitment to their ancestral beliefs, despite being classified under the umbrella of Hinduism by the Indonesian government, exemplifies the resilience of indigenous traditions. Their syncretic belief system, interweaving animism, Hindu rituals, and historical adaptations set them apart within a predominantly Muslim society. Traditional leaders safeguarding their rituals and traditions are critical to cultural preservation. The community's resilience lies in its adaptability, secrecy maintenance, and strategies for transmitting religious knowledge across generations. Challenges persist, with discriminatory policies and interactions with the majority Muslim society. However, the Towani Tolotang community's unwavering commitment to its unique identity serves as an inspiring example of cultural preservation. This research offers valuable insights for scholars, policymakers, and advocates of religious diversity. It unravels the complexities of indigenous faith and its adaptation in a changing world, providing lessons in understanding, tolerance, and cultural heritage preservation. The Towani Tolotang community's story stands as a profound example of how traditions endure, evolve, and flourish amid the currents of history.

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Author Biographies

Tasrifin Tahara, Department of Anthropology, Hasanuddin University

Tasrifin Tahara is a lecturer in the field of social-cultural anthropology at Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, Indonesia. E-mail: tasrifin@unhas.ac.id. His field of interest is in culture and power, politics and ethnicity, conflicts, maritime studies, and other social issues. He graduated from Antrhopology Department, Hasanuddin University (1998) before continuing his master program in the Anthropology Hasanuddin University (2002) and pursuing his Doctoral Program in Anthropology, the University of Indonesia (2011).

Andi Batara Al Isra

Andi Batara Al Isra completed his bachelor degree in Anthropology, Hasanuddin University and master degree at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, with the same major. His interest is in the field of anthropology of religion, migration, community development, and ethnic-group relationship. While his undergraduate thesis is about Islamic organisations in Indonesia, his master thesis deals with the issues of Christianity and migration in Aotearoa (New Zealand).

Apart from writing journal articles and research reports, Batara also writes short stories and poetry. His short story was translated into English by Dalang Publishing, a California-based publisher. His published solo book is a collection of ethnographic poems “Di Seberang Gelombang” (2019). Currently, he is actively involved in the Anthropology department of Hasanuddin University as a lecturer and the Antropos Indonesia Foundation as a researcher.

With his colleagues and friends, he is now working on the research about 12 years of Rumata’ ArtSpace in Makassar, the Ethnography of Massenrempulu People, the dynamics of culture in North Kalimantan, and cultural development in several regions in eastern part of Indonesia, including Sulawesi and Papua.

Surahmat Tiro

Surahmat Tiro is a graduate student of Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Hasanuddin University. In 2018, he completed his undergraduate studies at Alauddin Makassar State Islamic University, Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Islamic Business. He works as a Socio-Cultural researcher at Cita Tanah Mahardika in 2023.

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