Ways to Preserve Nation’s Culture – The era of globalization can lead to changes in the lifestyle of a more modern society. As a result, people tend to choose a new culture that is considered more practical than the local culture. One of the factors causing local culture to be forgotten today is the lack of the next generation who have an interest in learning and inheriting their own culture.
According to Maliowski, a higher and active culture will influence a lower and passive culture through cultural contact. Malinowski’s theory is very visible in the shift in our cultural values that lean toward the West. The era of information globalization has become a very powerful force in influencing the human mindset. To overcome this, awareness of the importance of local culture is needed as national identity.
It is an obligation for every layer of society to maintain it, that is, it is hoped that the younger generation will continue to try to inherit the local culture and will become a force for the existence of the local culture itself, even though it is being buffeted by globalization. How to preserve the culture of the Indonesian nation can be done in two ways. namely culture experience and culture knowledge .
Definition of Culture
Etymologically, the word culture or culture comes from the Latin, namely Colere which means to process or work on. The word culture in English can also be interpreted as culture in Indonesian and means culture.
Apart from etymology, several experts also expressed their opinions regarding the notion of culture. The following are the opinions of experts regarding the notion of culture.
1. E.B. Taylor
According to Taylor, culture is a complex thing that includes several things in it such as belief, art, law, morals, customs and abilities that can be acquired by humans as part of the community group.
Whatever is acquired by humans as members of society, in this case it is called abilities and habits, that is culture. Likewise knowledge, belief, art, morality, law, and custom, all of these enter into the notion of culture.
2. Selo Seomardjan and Sulaeman Sumardi
According to Selo and Soelaeman, culture is all the works, feelings and creations of society.
3. Ki Hadjar Dewantara
According to Ki Hajar Dewantara, culture is the fruit of the human mind that arises because of natural products and the nature of society. Culture, according to Ki Hajar Dewantara, is also a form of glory for a society that is able to overcome difficulties and become the beginning of the emergence of order in society.
4. Koentjaraningrat
Culture is the whole of the behavior of creatures like humans and the results that can be obtained by these creatures through various learning processes and systematically arranged in social life. There are three forms of culture, according to Koentjaraningrat, namely form as a complex of ideas, concepts and human thoughts; exist as a complex of activities; and exist as objects.
5. Parsudi Suparlan
Culture is defined as human knowledge as a characteristic of social beings that can be used to understand and interpret various things in the environment, thereby creating an experience. According to Parsudi Suparlan, culture is also a basis and reference for someone to behave.
6. Harjoso
Harjoso defines culture in seven important points, as follows.
- The culture that is owned by each is different from other regions.
- Culture has existed since time immemorial, and is maintained by being taught from generation to generation to the next generation.
- Culture has several components in it which consist of sociological, biological, and psychological human existence in various regions.
- Culture can be referred to as culture through certain ways and conditions.
- Culture has several biological aspects in it.
- Culture is dynamic.
- Besides being dynamic, culture is also relative and varies from one society to another.
That is the understanding of culture from the six experts. From the understanding of culture according to the six experts, it can be concluded that culture is a behavior possessed by humans as a characteristic of being a social being that can be used as a reference in behaving.
Types of Culture
Culture is divided into several types according to its nature, form, and scope of distribution. The following is an explanation of the types of culture.
1. Types of Culture Based on Their Nature
a. Subjective Culture
Subjective culture is a factor of values, feelings, and idealism which, when summed up, can be called an inner factor that exists in that culture.
b. Objective Culture
Objective culture is an external factor that comes from a culture and takes the form of techniques, social institutions, teaching, sound arts, fine arts, literary arts to ceremonies that use language.
2. Types of Culture Based on Its Form
a. Material Culture
This material culture refers to all human creations that are real and concrete, including findings produced by archaeological excavations such as weapons, jewelery to bowls made of clay. Material culture also includes other items apart from archaeological finds, such as airplanes, clothes, televisions, skyscrapers, sports stadiums to washing machines.
b. Immaterial Culture
This type of immaterial culture is an abstract creation and is passed down by its predecessors to the next generation. Examples include songs, traditional dances, fairy tales, and folklore.
3. Types of Culture Based on the Scope of Distribution
a. Regional Culture
Culture can be in the form of ways of behaving, patterns of thought to ways of acting from members of community groups who have that culture. Regional culture can be limited by the area’s administrative area or demographics. The demographic area becomes a local cultural boundary, but along with the development of the cultural area boundaries this area becomes unlimited as a result of the uneven distribution of the population.
b. Local Culture
Local culture depends on spatial aspects. This can be seen through the spaces in urban areas that are present as the local urban culture, or certain areas in urban areas that are influenced by the culture brought by migrants.
In local culture, there is also a dominant culture that develops, namely the original local culture in the city or area. Koentjaraningrat argues that local culture is related to groups of people who are bound by their awareness and identity of the original cultural unity in their place. In this case what is referred to as local culture is language as its trademark.
c. National Culture
National culture is the culture of the accumulation of cultures present in the regions. There are various forms of national culture and it can be seen in general if you pay close attention, that is, it can be seen that there is a large distribution that occurs between cultures in one area and another. However, it is this cultural diversity that makes a nation have its own identity.
In national culture, there are several distributions. Here’s an explanation.
- Traditional house, is a house that has its own characteristics and is generally found in each region. Each region has a traditional house with different characteristics and different meanings.
- The traditional ceremony is a tradition that is carried out from generation to generation in an orderly and orderly manner according to the customs of the local community. In the form of a series of activities as a form of expression of gratitude for something, in accordance with the public belief system. Traditional ceremonies have universal values, are sacred, have sacred religious values and are carried out from generation to generation.
- Dances, each region has different traditional dances and will only be danced in special ceremonies or commemorations. An example of dance as the spread of national culture is the Ranup Lampuan dance in Aceh.
- Songs, Indonesia has many regional songs in their respective regional languages. Each regional song has its own meaning and message. Apart from that, every nation also has a national anthem which serves to increase the unity of the country.
- Music, traditional music is generally in the form of instruments using special musical instruments in the area. Examples include angklung in West Java or gamelan in Central Java.
- Traditional clothing, as well as the spread of other national cultures. Traditional clothing also has characteristics in areas that have traditional clothing and is only worn in special ceremonies. Traditional clothing is also influenced by religious factors in each area. Examples include kebaya in Java, ulos in North Sumatra, ulee balang in Aceh, cual cloth in Bangka Belitung.
Efforts in Preserving Indonesian Culture
Preservation as an activity or that is carried out continuously, directed and integrated in order to realize certain goals that reflect the existence of something that is permanent and eternal, dynamic, flexible and selective. Cultural preservation is an effort to maintain the values of cultural arts, traditional values by developing manifestations that are dynamic, flexible and selective, as well as adapting to situations and conditions that are always changing and developing.
Widjaja (1986) defines preservation as an activity or activity that is carried out continuously, directed and integrated in order to achieve certain goals that reflect the existence of something that is fixed and eternal, dynamic, flexible and selective.
How to preserve the culture of the Indonesian nation can be done in various ways. There are two ways that the community, especially as the younger generation, can do to support cultural preservation and help protect local culture, namely:
1. Culture Experience
Culture experience is cultural preservation that is carried out by going directly into cultural experience. For example, if the culture is in the form of a dance, people are encouraged to learn and practice in mastering the dance and it can be performed every year at certain events or held festivals. Thus, local culture can always be preserved.
2. Culture Knowledge
Culture knowledge is cultural preservation which is carried out by creating an information center about culture that can be functionalized in many forms. The aim is for education or for the benefit of developing the culture itself and regional tourism potential.
Thus, the younger generation can enrich their knowledge of their own culture. Apart from being preserved in these two forms, local culture can also be preserved by getting to know the culture itself. Thus, at least it can be anticipated cultural piracy carried out by other countries.
The problem that often occurs in society is that sometimes they don’t feel proud of their own product or culture. We are more proud of imported cultures that are not in accordance with the identity of the nation as Easterners. Local culture is starting to disappear with time because people, especially the younger generation, lack the awareness to preserve it.
As a result, we can only speak up when other countries are successful and famous for their culture that they take secretly. Therefore, the government’s role in preserving national culture is very important. However, the government has a very big role in efforts to preserve local culture in the country.
The government must implement policies that lead to efforts to preserve national culture. One government policy that deserves support is the appearance of regional cultures in every national activity, for example dances, folk songs, sarong performances, and so on.
More concretely, recently President Joko Widodo has required all of his staff to wear nationally important activities, such as the Indonesian Independence Day on August 17, every year wearing their respective traditional clothes based on their region of origin. This needs to be appreciated because it is one way to preserve the culture of the Indonesian nation.
All of this is done as an effort to introduce local culture to the younger generation that what is displayed is a legacy from their ancestors, not from a neighboring country. Likewise efforts through formal education channels.
Communities must understand and know the various kinds of culture they have. The government can also focus more attention on local cultural content education. Apart from the things mentioned above, there are still ways to preserve other local national cultures, namely:
- Improving the quality of human resources in advancing local culture.
- Encouraging the community to maximize the potential of local culture along with its empowerment and preservation.
- Trying to revive the spirit of tolerance, kinship, hospitality and high solidarity.
- Always maintain Indonesian culture so that it does not become extinct.
- Ensuring that the community is able to manage local cultural diversity.
Indonesian culture is a culture that only exists and is owned by the Indonesian nation itself. Each regional culture has its own characteristics. The Indonesian nation also has a very rich and diverse local culture. Therefore, as the next generation, we are obliged to protect it because the existence and resilience of local culture is in the younger generation, and not to be lulled or swayed by foreign cultures. This is because not all foreign cultures conform to the personality of the Indonesian nation, and many foreign cultures even have a negative impact.
As an archipelagic country, it must be difficult to maintain unity among the people. However, this can be minimized if we have the care and awareness to protect, study and preserve, so that the local culture which is very rich in Indonesia remains intact and does not become extinct, let alone being hijacked or stolen by other countries because culture is the identity of a nation and country.
So, that’s a brief explanation of how to preserve Indonesian culture. Local culture is an asset of the Indonesian nation that must get the main attention in the current era of globalization. National culture is an important part of the Indonesian state which can be developed and managed as well as possible. This is important so that it can function more broadly, not just the heritage or customs of the Indonesian people which are celebrated or carried out at the commemoration of the Youth Pledge or Heroes’ Day.
The following are recommendations for books from sinaumedia that Sinaumed’s can read to learn about Indonesian culture so they can fully understand it. Happy reading.
Find other interesting things at www.sinaumedia.com. sinaumedia as #FriendsWithoutLimits will always present interesting articles and recommendations for the best books for Sinaumed’s.
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