Sasak Muslims and Interreligious Harmony Ethnographic Study of The Perang Topat Festival in Lombok - Indonesia
Sasak Muslims and Interreligious Harmony Ethnographic Study of The Perang Topat Festival in Lombok - Indonesia
Sasak Muslims and Interreligious Harmony Ethnographic Study of The Perang Topat Festival in Lombok - Indonesia
Introduction
Contemporary research in peacebuilding and conflict resolution
pays considerable attention to practices of the consolidation of peace
in society including religious communities.1 Harmonious relation
1 See Oliver Ramsbotham, Tom Woodhouse and Hugh Mial, Contemporary Conflict
Resolution. The Prevention, Management and Transformation of Deadly Conflicts (Cambridge:
Polity Press, 2006), p. 10.
2 Many scholars have started to publish their work, especially on the tradition of peace
among the Muslim community. See, for example, Ralph H. Salmi, Cesar Adib Majul,
George Kilpatrick Tanham, Islam and Conflict Resolution: Theories and Practices (Lanham:
University Press of America, 1998); Abdul Aziz Said, Nathan C. Funk, Ayse S.
Kadayifci, Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam: Precept and Practice (Lanham: University
Press of America, 2001); Mohammed Abu Nimer, Non Violence and Peace Building in
Islam: Theory and Practice (Florida: University Press of Florida, 2003).
3Ashutosh Varshney, Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India (New
Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2002), p. 11. See also Suprapto, Semerbak
Dupa di Pulau Seribu Masjid (Jakarta: Prenada Kencana, 2013), p. 41.
4See Suprapto, “Taqālīd ‘Ḥarb’ Topat: Ramz al-‘Alāqah al-Silmīyah bayn al-Jamā ‘āt al-
Mukhtalifah ‘Ariqīyā wa-Dīnīyā fī Jazīrat Lombok,” Studia Islamika 18, no. 3 (2014); I
Wayan Wirata, “Inter-cultural Communication between Local Hindu and Islamic
Community in Perang Topat Ceremony in Lingsar Temple, Narmada District,
Lombok,” History 5, no. 13 (2015): pp. 7-10; Erni Budiwanti, “Balinese Minority
Versus Sasak Majority: Managing Ethno-Religious Diversity and Disputes in Western
Lombok,” Heritage of Nusantara: International Journal of Religious Literature and Heritage 3,
no. 2 (2015), pp. 233-250.
of perang topat is that humans have to fight against their evil desires and
be grateful for all blessings from One Almighty God.
In an ethnographic study, analyzing and interpreting symbolic
meanings of a tradition are essential to understanding a culture of
society more deeply. Humans are makers of meanings.5 Almost all
people’ words, attitudes, and behaviors are related to various symbols.
This fact has encouraged anthropologists like Geertz6 and Turner7 to
focus their studies on finding meanings of religious and cultural
symbols.8
In this article, the perang topat ceremony in Lingsar and its symbolic
meanings are analyzed. The analysis includes the history of Kemalik
and Lingsar Temple as well as the meanings of the water fountain and
various utensils used in the perang topat festival. Traditional Muslim
leaders have constructed and presented symbolic meanings of perang
topat to public to substantiate it as a tradition that conforms to Islamic
theology. Besides, they have provided a rational explanation of perang
topat to build a harmonious relation among diverse religious commu-
nities. In other words, such efforts made by the traditional Muslim
leaders play a significant role in preserving perang topat as a perennial
cultural heritage, educating Sasak Muslims in Lombok, and maintaining
harmony with Hindus. Harmony between two different ethno-religious
groups, Balinese-Hindus and Sasak-Muslims, is evident in this feast. 9
5 Max Weber calls humans as “meaning makers”. This concept is fundamental because
it associated with the creation of humans to understand the natural environment and
social order. For further explanation see, Fiona Bowie, The Anthropology of Religion: an
Introduction (Massachusetts: Blackwell Publisher, 2001), p. 38.
6Clifford Geertz, Local Knowledge: Further Essays in Interpretative Anthropology (New York:
Basic Books, 1983), p. 119. For comparison and critique of Geertz's thesis, see
Bambang Pranowo, Memahami Islam Jawa (Jakarta: Pustaka Alvabet, 2011).
7 Turner, as cited by Irwan Abdullah, calls it as a “processual symbolic”, which is a
study of how symbols mobilize social action and through the process of how the
symbols acquire and give meaning to the community and the person. Irwan Abdullah,
Simbol, Makna dan Pandangan Hidup Jawa: Analisis Gunungan pada Upacara Grebeg
(Yogyakarta: Balai Kajian Sejarah dan Nilai Tradisional, 2002), p. 13.
8The main paradigm in understanding culture is interpretative symbolic paradigm. The
approach is a hermeneutic approach. This paradigm has been developed by a number
of scholars such as Ludwig Witgestein, Hans-Georg Gadamaer, Martin Heideger, Paul
Ricoeur, and Jurgen Habermas. See Ahmad Fedyani Saifuddin, Antropologi Kontemporer:
Suatu Pengantar Kritis Mengenai Paradigma (Jakarta: Kencana, 2006), pp. 296-300.
9 David D. Harnish, Bridges to The Ancestors: Music, Myth, and Cultural Politics at an
Indonesian Festival (Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 2006), p. 5; David D. Harnish,
17Hindus regard this temple (Pura Ulon) as a place of worshiping to a number of gods
(dewa), particularly Dewa Gunung Rinjani and Dewa Gunung Agung. See Edy
Sdyawati, et al., “Integrasi antar Etnik Berbeda Agama Melalui Upacara Agama, Kajian
Tentang Hubungan antar Etnik Bali dan Etnik Sasak Melalui Upacara Perang Topat di
Pura Lingsar Lombok Barat” (n.p: 1998), p. 78.
18 The custodian of Kemalik is hereditarily assigned to a family of Datu Sumilir’s
descendants. The first Kemalik custodian was Nuralam and then transmitted to his son
and descendants. The followings are the custodians of Kemalik consecutively: 1).
Nuraalam, 2). Nurtalam, 3). Indrawan, 4). Amak Lingsari, 5). Nurawan, 6). Syamsiyah,
7). Sanusi, 8). Rahmat Asmin, and 9). Suparman Taufiq. When Indrawan was in charge
of the third custodian of Kemalik, Gaduh Temple and Ulon Temple were built next to
Kemalik.
19In the local folklore, it is stated that the original name of Datu Milir or Sumilir is
Haji Abdul Malik or Wali Raden Mas Kertajagat, an Islamic preacher from Java.
20 For the explanation about pedandas and tuan gurus in dealing with conflict, see
Suprapto, “The Theology of Tolerance in Hindu and Islam: Maintaining Social
Integration in Lombok-Indonesia,” Ulumuna 19, no. 2 (2016): pp. 329-352. See also
Suprapto, “Religious Leaders and Peacebuilding: The Role of Tuan Guru and Pedanda
in Conflict Resolution in Lombok–Indonesia,” Al-Jami'ah: Journal of Islamic Studies 53,
no. 1 (2015), pp. 225-250.
21http://antaramataram.com/berita/?rubrik=8&id=13707 accessed on September 15,
2015.
Interview with Lalu Lukman, a Muslim participant from Gerung, West Lombok on
24
Lingsar and Lombok live in harmony and peace. Some tensions and
conflicts happening in recent years in Lombok27 have not changed
their orientation toward harmony and peace in Lingsar. The
communities’ relation has been established towards integration and
harmony instead of conflict. The people in Lingsar have provided
assistance to each other and done reciprocal invitations and visits when
a member of the community holds a feast (begawe). They also usually
deliver food to each other. When a member of the community passes
away, the other people come to his or her funeral. Such activities have
existed as living traditions in the daily life of Balinese-Hindus and
Sasak-Muslims.
The living traditions described above are the norms of remarkable
reciprocity among members of the communities. According to
Putnam,28 the reciprocity norms are one element of social capital in
addition to other two elements: interpersonal trust and civic
engagement. The existence of those three elements of social capital
proves to have persevered solidarity and cohesiveness of society in
Lingsar.
Interpersonal trust among members of a community leads to
awareness of providing assistance to each other. Helping a neighbor,
who is having a feast (begawe/rowah), is a common tradition in Lingsar
society. In several events such as having a newborn baby, wedding,
funeral, and other religious festivals such as maulid nabi (the Prophet
Muhammad’s birthday) and isra wa al-mi’raj (the Prophet Muhammad’s
journey to the heavens), a community member usually prepares a lot of
food and invites his or her neighbors, friends, and relatives to enjoy
the feast. They sit with their legs crossed in a circle and enjoy the
prepared meals together (begibung/megibung). In a begibung, all people sit
27 Over the last 10 years, several conflicts occurred in Lombok, in which most of them
occured outside the Lingsar village, such as the conflict among villagers of Karang
Genteng and Petemon and Karang Jasi and Karang Tapen, social unrest on January 17,
2000, and the attacks and expulsion of Salafi groups and the Ahmadiyah. See
Khamami Zada, et al., Prakarsa Perdamaian: Pengalaman dari Berbagai Konflik Sosial
(Jakarta: Penerbit Lakpesdam NU, 2008), pp. 89-95; Fawaizul Umam, “Menolak
Kekerasan, Menenggang Keragaman: Refleksi atas Kasus Kekerasan terhadap
Ahmadiyah,” Jurnal Tasamuh Vol 4, No. 1 (December 2006): pp. 25–38. See also
Suprapto, Semerbak Dupa di Pulau Seribu Masjid: Kontestasi, Integrasi dan Resolusi Konflik
Hindu-Islam (Jakarta: Prenada Kencana, 2013).
28Robert D. Putnam, Making Democracy Work. Civic Tradition in Modern Italy (Princeton:
Princenton University Press, 1993), p. 167.
same interest of its members. For instance, within krama banjar, there
are krama banjar subak (an association of farmers and peasants), krama
banjar merariq (an association of young people for wedding
preparation), krama banjar mate (an association for helping a funeral),
krama banjar haji (an association for helping a member of community
who is going to perform a pilgrimage), and krama pura (an organization
for maintaining a Hindu temple). 31
Those living traditions in the society of Lingsar and all areas in
Lombok built on mutual trust, reciprocity norms, and networks
(pekraman) have been perpetuated up to now. They have been
maintained through daily social interactions and annual cultural events
such as perang topat. However, a further question arises about whether
or not traditions like perang topat can be preserved along with today
changes and advances. What are challenges in culture preservation?
How do local elites develop the tradition?
31 David D Harnish, Bridges to The Ancestors: Music, Myth, and Cultural Politics at an
Indonesian Festival (Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 2006), p. 97.
Conclusion
On the basis of above analysis, it can be summed up that the perang
topat tradition appears to remain preserved by both communities from
34For more details on this, see “Dukung MTQ di NTB, Warga Tionghoa Sumbang
Lampion dan Pecalang Bantu Amankan Lokasi” in http://regional.kompas.-
com/read/2016/07/31/08523941/. See also “Anshor, Pramuka, sampai Pecalang Siap
Sukseskan MTQN Mataram” in https://www.kemenag.go.id/berita/384802/anshor-
pramuka-sampai-pecalang-siap-sukseskan-mtqn-mataram accessed on August 3, 2016.
References
Electronic Sources
http://antaramataram.com/berita/?rubrik=8&id=13707
http://lombokbaratkab.go.id/.
http://regional.kompas.com/read/2016/07/31/08523941/
http://regional.kompas.com/read/2016/07/31/08523941/.
https://www.kemenag.go.id/berita/384802/anshor-pramuka-sampai-
pecalang-siap-sukseskan-mtqn-mataram