Cultural Transformations Into Tourist Attraction
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Journal of Indonesian Tourism and doi: 10.21776/ub.jitode.2020.008.01.03 Development Studies E-ISSN : 2338-1647 http://jitode.ub.ac.id Cultural Transformations into Tourist Attraction Arief Faizal Rachman1*, Y.C. Tekol² 1Department of Tour and Travel, Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata Trisakti, South Jakarta, Indonesia 2Bawah Reserve, Anambas, Riau Kepulauan Province, 29791, Indonesia Abstract Marine-based culture performed social construction where local belief dominated and influenced daily basis culture. Selamatan Laut ritual was a sacred event where collecting spiritual power led by shamans. The focus of the research was to examine the cultural transformation of the ritual into a tourist attraction. In-depth interviews with seven members of the local community and a visitor enabled the researchers to explore the ritual practice. Analysis of the data revealed that the ritual was also scheduled cultural event calendar as a tourist attraction. The event attracted more tourists to grab income for locals and the region itself.There were physics and function cultural transformation at the ritual ceremony. The physical transformation included the establishment of tourist facilities.Meanwhile, functional transformation included the relation between actors in the community.Both physical and functional transformation relation created new social structures in the community. Local government dominantly played as an agent of change at the site. Local’s community perceived the transformation of the event created new tourist attraction in Manggar, where scheduled events were being as a consensus between stakeholders. Keywords: cultural tourism, ritual, tourist attraction, transformation. INTRODUCTION community morale to think openly by preserving One of the cultures in Manggar, Bangka the traditional culture of the Village. Belitung is a ritual in the form of selamatan laut, Cultures were also constructed by three main which commonly referred to as sea salvation. The types of religion, based on very different beliefs, ritual was an adaptation of the customary rituals traditions, and codes of behavior [1]. Selamatan of sea tribes or Sawang tribes, called Buang Jong. laut ritual was a part of a culture where the Dispose of Jong comes from two syllables, Buang element of belief dominantly influenced. There means to throw away, and Jong means boat. In was a significant willingness of communication other words, Buang Jong or the selamatan laut between humans and God, especially while bad ritual means to float Jong's (boat) into the sea, luck, calamity, and disaster happened to the the small boat was in the form of a frame, which human being. contains offerings. In general, the purpose of this The social construction of the ritual was ritual was to refuse reinforcements or distress, related to local stakeholders, fishermen family express gratitude for the fortune given by God (as a victim), shaman of sea and shaman of Almighty, and ask for safety for the fishermen village, communities, and local authorities. On and their families. Therefore, in fulfilling their the ritual as a part of a culture, a social daily duties as fishermen, they won't get any construction where people communicate to the interference, so that they get results lots of fish invisible creature, named Antu Laot (the ghost of catch. This event was held once a year around the sea). By using Bonnemaison’s work of four the coast in East Belitung Regency. pillars of culture, included; knowledge, Days before the selamatan laut ritual began, technique, belief, and space, [2] argued the the fisherman community made a contribution to culture is not always something traditional (in support this ritual. Then, seeing the persistence wine tourism); it is because of human activities of the fishing community, the local government on a landscape of wine plantation. also contributed to the budget. The benefits that Another researcher [3] after his work in can be gleaned from the ritual were mutual care Mojokuto, Java Island, named this kind of ritual for fellow fishermen, mutual cooperation culture, as a Slamatan. Furthermore [3] classified the inviting people to maintain their relationship invisible creature (ghost) those live surrounding with the surrounding environment, encouraging human as amemedi (frightening spirit), lelembut (possessing spirit), tujul (familiar spirit), demits (place spirit), and danjangs (guardian spirit). * Corespondence Address: When the ritual was held, there were offerings in Arief Faizal Rachman form of flowers, black chicken, foods, and small Email : [email protected] Address : Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata Trisakti, Jl. IKPN-Tanah house or vehicle as a symbol of residence of the Kusir-Bintaro, South Jakarta, 12330, Indonesia spirits. Meanwhile, the ritual in Manggar used [14] J. Ind. Tour. Dev. Std., Vol.8, No.1, January 2020 Cultural Transformation into Tourist Attraction (Rachman, et al.) boat replica in small size (jong) to worship not a given, it was dynamics aspect at any time the AntuLaut (the ghost of the sea). The jong also and places. The culture had strong dynamics by was fulfilled by offerings such as flowers, foods, people who have a variety of characters. and others. Furthermore, development needs period time of Ritual in eastern culture (Bali case) mostly process, tools, and equipment (technology) and had a deeply religious purpose, in the occasion of acceptance of people (culture). purification ceremony, the passage for the The cultural landscape was also part of innocent, duty-bound and vulnerable adult, and tourism destination where people and land have goals to purify and provide a human being into their own characteristic [8] and land use for wine appropriate spiritual power to exist peacefully, agritourism [2]. The landscape of people in productively, and healthfully in a dangerous Manggar where the ritual held was a coastal world [4]. Rituals were also part of daily life for area, so the local community at the destination Balinese people, with the philosophy way of mostly a marine-based community. Another life Tri Hita Karana (The three causes in achieving region of a cultural landscape that was well being and prosperity for humanity). The recognized as a world heritage is Subak in Bali, three elements are united with each other, but at which became a famous tourist attraction. present, global tourism influenced to purity and However, it was still threatened by the authenticity of Balinese culture. transformation of land use for the tourism Coastal and beach-based communities had business. strong relation with sea weather and the number Social valuing on local culture on a of fishing. Lack of fishing and incident of the community contested when there were fisherman (even to the death) caused by bad interactions between people (host and guest) weather will be symbolized by locals as bad luck and tourism spatial itself. The phenomenon of or anger of ghosts of the sea (Antu Laot). tourism revealed physical, mental, and spiritual Different cultural geography expressed people’s attachments which appropriate to the daily basis identity at the destination, such as dances, of locals. Furthermore, a past time data on a traditional songs, and other performance [1], and community was called a tradition, cultural also the selling of destination [5]. The study of identities (present) and cultural aspiration geography included human geography that was (future) [9]. Other value related tourist specifically related to local communities’ identity attractions were value in education, culture, and and daily life, called culture. The local culture was pride where locals will examine themselves, not only on cultural performance, but it especially when it applied in the tourism produced believes. industry, called tourist attraction value. Cultural tourism focused on tourism There was a transformation when cultural experiences and specific forms of cultural and tourism met face to face into a cultural tourism, and sites to be visited by tourists could tourism product [7]. Transformation at tourist be buildings and daily life of people at the destination directed to physical and functional destination [6]. The traveler or tourists will transformation, where physical transformation experience a different space and interaction revealed development of facilities and compared at daily activities at home. Experiences infrastructure. included time arrangement, highlight of Meanwhile, functional transformation visitation, and memories that will be taken at included local people empowerment and home, even souvenirs as a sign of visitation. In capacity building. The social transformation also travel experiences in a scared ritual in a included the shape of the artifacts because there community, tourist will perceive a locally respect were no boundaries between social and technical and even as a part of tradition for locals agents. Researchers assumed the actor-network Reversely, it is something irrational for the visitor theory will explain materially and discursively, who came from modern education. the enactment of heterogeneous relations that Cultural tourism was also called as ethnic create all kinds of agents, including objects, tourism, while these ethnic representations were subjects, human beings, machines, animals, the important elements for cultural development nature, ideas, organizations, inequalities, scale [7]. The two most important components in and sizes, and geographical arrangements [10]. developing tourist destinations are nature and The research problems