Transformation of the Kaerunsaha Kampanaha Ritual Tradition in Agricultural Land Clearing in Kontumere Village, Kabawo District, Muna

Abstrak

This study aims to describe the background and purpose of the Kaerunsaha Kampanaha ritual tradition, explain its implementation process, and analyze its functions among the community of Kontumere Village, Kabawo District, Muna Regency, during 2014–2024. This study employed a historical method with a qualitative descriptive approach, supported by anthropological and ethnographic perspectives, through the stages of heuristics, verification, and historiography. Data were collected through library research, observation, interviews, and document study involving eight key informants. The results show that Kaerunsaha Kampanaha is performed based on the community's belief in unseen forest-dwelling spirits whose permission must be sought before land clearing. Its implementation consists of a preparatory stage (determining an auspicious day and preparing ritual materials) and an execution stage (placing offerings and checking for signs of permission). The tradition serves four main functions: spiritual-belief, ecological-conservation, cultural-educational, and economic. These findings reinforce the understanding that land-clearing rituals among indigenous communities constitute both an ecological knowledge system and a social-control mechanism that maintains balance between humans and nature

Kata kunci

• Muna:
• Transformation
• kaerunsaha kampanaha ritual