Simbolisme Ritual dan Legitimasi Kepemimpinan Adat: Kajian Etnografi Tradisi Munirin Reje Masyarakat Gayo Aceh Timur, Indonesia
Ritual Symbolism and Traditional Leadership Legitimacy: An Ethnographic Study on the Munirin Reje Tradition of the Gayo Community in East Aceh, Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37680/adabiya.v21i1.7603Keywords:
East Aceh, Ethno-Government, Gayo Community, Leadership Legitimacy, Munirin Reje, Symbolic MeaningAbstract
This study explores Munirin Reje, a sacred purification and inauguration ritual practiced by the minority Gayo ethnic community in Simpang Jernih, East Aceh, Indonesia. The tradition plays a pivotal role in legitimizing customary leadership (Reje) and reinforcing social cohesion within the framework of local ethno-governance. Employing a qualitative micro-ethnographic approach, data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, including with customary elders, and artifact analysis. The findings indicate that the ritual serves as a multidimensional instrument of political legitimacy and moral accountability. The symbolic use of water and peusijuek acts as a spiritual cleansing that elevates the Reje's moral authority. Importantly, the study highlights a crucial gendered mechanism of check-and-balance: the Bines dance performed by women serves as a platform for bottom-up social control, conveying constructive political criticism and advice through oral poetry prior to the leader's inauguration. Furthermore, genealogical knowledge transmission (Muyang–Datu–Awan–Ama) ensures the historical continuity of indigenous governance. The paper concludes that Munirin Reje is not merely a static ceremony, but a dynamic system of indigenous political ethics. To ensure its sustainability, the study recommends embedding its cultural values into inter-generational active participation and supporting its practice through local village development funds
References
Afriansyah, A., & Sukmayadi, T. (2022). Nilai Kearifan Lokal Tradisi Sedekah Laut dalam Meningkatkan Semangat Gotong Royong Masyarakat Pesisir Pantai Pelabuhan Ratu. Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu-Ilmu Sosial, 3(1), 38–54. https://doi.org/10.23917/sosial.v3i1.549
Anam, C. (2017). Tradisi Sambatan dan Nyadran di Dusun Suruhan. Sabda, 12(1), 77–84.
Arniti, N. K., Yuliani, I., Irawan, B., Hidayat, H., & Zahidah, A. (2022). Public Administration from a Local Wisdom Perspective. International Journal of Demos, 4(4), 1345–1361. https://doi.org/10.37950/ijd.v4i4.382
Bowen, J. R. (2003). Islam, Law, and Equality in Indonesia: An Anthropology of Public Reasoning. Cambridge University Press.
BPS Kabupaten Aceh Timur. (2024). Kecamatan Simpang Jernih dalam Angka 2024. Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Aceh Timur.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (Ed. ke-5). SAGE Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (Ed. ke-4). SAGE Publications.
Digdoyo, E. (2015). Ilmu Sosial dan Budaya Dasar. Ghalia Indonesia.
Durkheim, E. (2018). The Division of Labor in Society. Dalam Social Stratification (hlm. 217–222). Routledge.
El Darman, A. A. (2025). The Role of Customary Institutions in Supporting Local Governance in West Sumatra. Jurnal Administrasi Publik dan Pemerintahan, 4(2), 221–228. https://doi.org/10.55850/simbol.v4i2.242
Faridayani. (2017). Tradisi Munirin Reje Di Masyarakat Gayo Lukup Serbejadi Kabupaten Aceh Timur [Skripsi, Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry]. Repository UIN Ar-Raniry.
Geertz, C. (1992). Tafsir Kebudayaan. Kanisius.
Haba, J. (2021). Kearifan Lokal dalam Tata Kelola Pemerintahan Masyarakat Adat di Indonesia. Jurnal Masyarakat dan Budaya, 23(2), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.14203/jmb.v23i2.2021
Hidayah, N., Pratama, R., & Siregar, M. (2023). Transformasi Tradisi Lokal dalam Kehidupan Masyarakat Modern. Jurnal Kebudayaan dan Masyarakat, 15(1), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.24815/jkm.v15i1.2023
Hidayat, M., Nugroho, A., & Sari, D. (2023). Tradisi dan Pewarisan Nilai Sosial dalam Kehidupan Masyarakat Lokal. Jurnal Sosial Humaniora, 14(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.31289/jsh.v14i1.2023
Hurgronje, C. S. (1903). Het Gajoland en Zijne Bewoners. Landsdrukkerij.
Jamhir. (2017). Nilai-Nilai Adat Gayo Bersandarkan Hukum Islam Sebagai Pedoman Dalam Menyelesaikan Kasus Hukum Pada Masyarakat Gayo. Jurnal Justisia: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, Perundang-Undangan dan Pranata Sosial, 2(1), 45–58.
Koentjaraningrat. (2009). Pengantar Ilmu Antropologi. Rineka Cipta.
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2016). Designing Qualitative Research (Ed. ke-6). SAGE Publications.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook (Ed. ke-2). SAGE Publications.
Mirna, L., Gadeng, A. N., Azis, D., Ruliani, & Kamza, M. (2025). Tradisi Ritual Rajah Seumapa (Balek Kunyet) Sebagai Pengobatan Tradisional Pada Masyarakat Ie Buboh Kecamatan Meukek Kabupaten Aceh Selatan. Journal of Demography, Ethnography and Social Transformation, 5(2), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.30631/y99a7y63
Muhaimin. (2017). Tradisi. PT. Logos Wacana Ilmu.
Njatrijani, R. (2018). Kearifan Lokal dan Kedudukannya dalam Hukum Nasional. Gema Keadilan, 5(1), 16–34. https://doi.org/10.14710/gk.2018.3580
Nurmansyah, G., Rodliyah, N., & Hapsari, R. A. (2019). Pengantar Antropologi. CV. Anugrah Utama Raharja.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods: Integrating Theory and Practice (Ed. ke-4). SAGE Publications.
Prasetyo, A., & Nugroho, D. (2023). Local Wisdom and Community-Based Governance in Indonesian Traditional Societies. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Politik, 27(1), 44–56. https://doi.org/10.22146/jsp.2023.78901
Putra, R., & Wahyuni, S. (2021). Perubahan Sosial dan Dinamika Budaya Masyarakat Lokal di Era Modernisasi. Jurnal Sosial Humaniora, 13(1), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.31289/jsh.v13i1.2021
Rahman, F., & Putri, N. (2021). Peran Tradisi dalam Mempertahankan Identitas dan Nilai Budaya Masyarakat. Jurnal Kebudayaan Nusantara, 6(2), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.24815/jkn.v6i2.2021
Ramli, Gadeng, A. N., Azis, D., Yusuf, Y. Q., & Razali. (2024). The Role of Oral Traditions in Internalizing Smong Wisdom: Perspectives from the Simeulue Community. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 14(2), 229–239. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v14i2.74903
Ranger, T. O., & Hobsbawm, E. J. (1983). The Invention of Tradition. Cambridge University Press.
Rusli, H., Mukhlis, M., Samad, I. A., & Nuthihar, R. (2022). Hikayat Pocut Muhammad: Konsep Pemerintahan Berbasis Kearifan Lokal. Indonesian Language Education and Literature, 8(1), 112–125. https://doi.org/10.24235/ileal.v8i1.11411
Sugiyono. (2019). Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, dan R&D. Alfabeta.
Sulaiman, M., Fitriani, R., & Akmal, T. (2022). Peran Kearifan Lokal dalam Penguatan Tata Kelola Pemerintahan Desa. Jurnal Administrasi Publik, 18(3), 201–214. https://doi.org/10.31289/jap.v18i3.2022
Sulaiman, M., Hasanah, N., & Rizky, A. (2023). Dinamika Kebudayaan dan Transformasi Sosial dalam Kehidupan Masyarakat Tradisional. Jurnal Antropologi Indonesia, 44(2), 120–132. https://doi.org/10.7454/jai.v44i2.2023
Suprayitno, E., Rois, S., Harmanto, B., & Iman, N. (2018). Representasi Falsafah Jawa dalam Cerita Rakyat “Terjadinya Terowongan Air Mangge”. Madah: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra, 9(2), 185–198. https://doi.org/10.26499/madah.v9i2.813
Sutrisno, A., & Putri, D. (2021). Pelestarian Tradisi dan Identitas Budaya pada Masyarakat Lokal Indonesia. Jurnal Sosial Budaya, 18(2), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.24014/jsb.v18i2.2021
Van Schie, G. (2008). Hubungan Manusia dengan Misteri Segala Misteri: Rahasia di Balik Kehidupan (W. David, Ed.). Fidei Press.
Wagnalls, F., & Funk, P. (1984). Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary. New American Library.
Weber, M. (1978). Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology. University of California Press.
Wiediharto, A., Sukmaningrum, A., & Lestari, P. (2020). Kepemimpinan Tradisional dan Legitimasi Sosial Masyarakat Adat. Pustaka Pelajar.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods (Ed. ke-6). SAGE Publications.
Yusuf, L. D., Hidayat, F. N., & Mudhee, K. H. (2025). Internalization of National Character Values through Islamic Religious Education. International Journal of Applied Educational Research (IJAER), 3(3), 191–198. https://doi.org/10.59890/ijaer.v3i3.63
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ahmad Nubli Gadeng, Daska Azis, Ruliani, Ramli
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The author(s) retain/s the copyright and grant/s Al-Adabiya: Jurnal Kebudayaan dan Keagamaan the first publication rights licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) which allows others to access (search, read, download and quote), share (copy and redistribute the material in any media or format) and adapt (mix, modify and develop) works for legitimate purposes, even commercially, with recognition of the authorship of the work and its initial publication in this journal.
