Articles

Living with Nature: Ritual Asyeik as a Traditional Ecological Knowledge System among the Kerinci People, Indonesia

Authors

  1. Lembaga Riset dan Kajian Kebudayaan Kerinci Galanggeng Mudea 🇮🇩
Received
July 20, 2026
Accepted
July 31, 2026
Published
July 31, 2026
https://doi.org/10.25077/bulant.v1.n1.p01-09.2026

Abstract

Rituals are not merely religious practices but also cultural mechanisms through which Indigenous communities construct, transmit, and preserve ecological knowledge. Among the Kerinci people of Sumatra, Indonesia, the Asyeikritual has long been recognized as an important cultural tradition; however, its role as a Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) system has received limited scholarly attention. This study aims to examine how the Asyeik ritual represents ecological knowledge, facilitates its intergenerational transmission, and contributes to environmental conservation and disaster mitigation. Employing an ethnographic approach, data were collected through participant observation and in-depth interviews with ritual specialists (guriu or salih balian) across several customary communities in Kerinci between 2024 and 2026. The findings demonstrate that ritual materials—including diverse plant species, animals, water, and other natural elements—are selected based on ecological characteristics rather than solely ritual requirements. These species function as ecological indicators reflecting the health of forests, rivers, wetlands, springs, and other environmental landscapes while simultaneously embodying symbolic meanings that regulate human-environment relationships. Furthermore, myths and ritual symbols surrounding sacred ecological spaces operate as cultural institutions that discourage environmental exploitation and reinforce collective responsibilities toward ecosystem conservation. Consequently, the Asyeik ritual serves not only as a spiritual practice but also as a mechanism for transmitting ecological knowledge, strengthening community resilience, and sustaining socio-ecological balance. This study contributes to anthropological discussions by demonstrating that ritual functions as an institution for preserving Traditional Ecological Knowledge, thereby extending interpretive approaches to ritual toward broader debates on human-environment relations, Indigenous knowledge, and biocultural conservation.

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