The Meaning and Cultural Value of the Empty Horse Phenomenon in Cianjur Regency

Muhammad Alfan, Yogi Supriyadi

Abstract


The Empty Horse tradition in Cianjur Regency of West Java of Indonesia holds an anthropological allure that symbolizes the courage, resilience, and aspirations of the local community in navigating historical social and political challenges. However, modernization has led to the diminishing recognition of its profound values, especially among younger generations. This study aims to explore the symbolism embedded in the Empty Horse tradition and its connection to the cultural identity of the Cianjur community, as well as strategies for its preservation through education and modern media. Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, the research collected data through in-depth interviews, field observations, and literature reviews. Analysis was conducted using Lévi-Strauss' structuralism perspective to uncover the symbolic meanings and values inherent in this tradition. The findings reveal that the Empty Horse tradition is not only a symbol of diplomacy and wisdom in Cianjur’s history but also an essential tool for strengthening social cohesion and local identity. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of concrete measures such as documentation, cultural education, and the promotion of this tradition at both local and global levels. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of local cultural heritage and highlights opportunities to integrate it into the global cultural framework.

Keywords


anthropology; cultural identity; cultural preservation; local wisdom; structuralism.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abdurrahman, A. (2020). Pusaka dan Tradisi: Warisan Budaya Sumedang. Penerbitan Masyarakat Pencinta Sejarah Indonesia.

Aditya, I., & Deni, I. F. (2024). Analisis Semiotika Roland Barthes Pesan Dakwah Habib Husein Ja’far Al Hadar Dalam Youtube Has Creative. Ideas: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial, Dan Budaya, 10(3), 549–558.

Adrian, A., & Junanah, J. (2023). The Implications of Rahmatan Lil’Alamin in the Islamic Economics Context: A Study at an Islamic University in Indonesia. Borneo International Journal of Islamic Studies (BIJIS), 12–30.

Alzahra, S., & Safitri, D. (2024). Peran Tradisi Wetonan dalam Menjaga Identitas Budaya Masyarakat Adat Jawa. Mutiara: Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin Indonesia, 2(2), 92–101.

Ardhianti, M., Prawoto, E. C., Pujiastuti, R., & Risaldi, A. (2023). Semiotika Kritis Pendekatan dalam Teks Kejahatan Siber. CV Pena Persada.

Astraguna, I. W. (2022). Komunikasi Estetik Dalam Pementasan Tari Topeng Sidhakarya Pada Praktik Keagamaan Masyarakat Hindu Bali. Sadharananikarana: Jurnal Ilmiah Komunikasi Hindu, 4(1), 633–651.

Bankoff, G., & Swart, S. (2011). Breeds of Empire: The’Invention’of the Horse in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa 1500-1950. NIAS Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The force of law: Toward a sociology of the juridical field. Hastings LJ, 38, 805.

Brand, U., Görg, C., & Wissen, M. (2020). Overcoming neoliberal globalization: Social-ecological transformation from a Polanyian perspective and beyond. Globalizations, 17(1), 161–176.

Christian, S. A. (2017). Identitas Budaya Orang Tionghoa Indonesia. Jurnal Cakrawala Mandarin, 1(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.36279/apsmi.v1i1.11

Dalimunthe, D. S. (2023). Transformasi Pendidikan Agama Islam: Memperkuat Nilai-nilai Spiritual, Etika, dan Pemahaman Keislaman dalam Konteks Modern. Al-Murabbi Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 1(1), 75–96.

Darong, H. C., Jem, Y. H., & Niman, E. M. (2021). Character building: The insertion of local culture values in teaching and learning. JHSS (Journal of Humanities and Social Studies), 5(3), 252–260.

Dede, B., Agus, S., Luthfi, H., Ahmad, M., Mawi, K. A., Choerul, F. Y., & Ahmad, Y. (2022). Islamisasi Jateng Bagian Barat-Selatan. Litbangdiklat press.

Durkheim, E. (2018). The division of labor in society. In Social stratification (pp. 217–222). Routledge.

Durkheim, E. (2023). The division of labour in society. In Social Theory Re-Wired (pp. 15–34). Routledge.

Effendy, B. (2004). Islam dan Sinkretisme Budaya Lokal di Sunda. Jurnal Sosial Budaya Islam, 3(1), 15–28.

Eliade, M. (1991). Images and symbols: Studies in religious symbolism (Vol. 538). Princeton University Press.

Endraswara, S. (2013). Mistik Kejawen: Sinkretisme, Simbolisme, dan Sufisme dalam Budaya Spiritual Jawa. Narasi.

Fadhilah, S. A., Isbandi, F. S., Salsabila, F. L., Aidilia, Z., & Ashari, S. D. (2024). The Role of Digital Technology in the Preservation and Resilience of Local Culture in the Era of Globalization. International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Studies, 4(4), 385–391.

Fatharani, R. F., Ridho, M., & Hafidz, M. I. (2023). Sejarah Toleransi Agama dalam Peradaban Islam di Era Globalisasi. Religion : Jurnal Agama, Sosial, Dan Budaya, 2(4), 1073–1084. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55606/religion.v1i4.530

Geertz, C. (2022). The Impact of the Concept of Culture on the Concept of Man. In Man in adaptation (pp. 19–32). Routledge.

Halbwachs, M. (2020). On collective memory. University of Chicago press.

Hardiman, F. B. (2015). Seni memahami, Hermeneutik dari Schleiermacher sampai Derrida. PT Kanisius.

Haris, A. (2024). Sejarah Perjuangan Umat Islam Indonesia Studi Historis Perjuangan Umat Islam Di Pulau Jawa. Perkumpulan Rumah Cemerlang Indonesia.

Hasan, M., Fadilah, I., & Misbah, M. (2023). Internalization of Islamic Educational Values in The Ngapati Tradition in Gondang Village Karangreja District, Purbalingga District. Jurnal Kependidikan, 11(2), 169–184.

Hasanah, L. U., & Andari, N. (2021). Tradisi lisan sebagai media pembelajaran nilai sosial dan budaya masyarakat. Jurnal Ilmiah FONEMA: Jurnal Edukasi Bahasa Dan Sastra Indonesia, 4(1), 48–66.

Hénaff, M. (2017). Claude Lévi-Strauss. Tempus Perrin.

Jati, I. M. (2022). Nilai-nilai Kearifan Lokal Tradisi Nyadran Sebagai Sumber Belajar IPS. Journal Pendidikan Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial, 14(2), 246–258.

Lévi-Strauss, C. (2014). Anthropologie structurale II. Plon.

Mortier, K., Brown, I. C., & Aramburo, C. M. (2021). Cultural brokers in special education. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 46(1), 3–17.

Muharam, R. L., & Fajar, D. A. (2020). Cianjur dari masa ke masa. Jurusan Manajemen Dakwah Fakultas Dakwah dan Komunikasi UIN Sunan Gunung ….

Mujtahidin, M., & Oktarianto, M. L. (2022). Metode Penelitian Pendidikan Dasar: Kajian Perspektif Filsafat Ilmu. Terampil: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Pembelajaran Dasar, 9(1), 95–106.

Mundiasari, K. (2022). Pola Hubungan Antar Manusia Sebagai Insan Pendidikan. Aktualita: Jurnal Penelitian Sosial Keagamaan, 12(II).

Mutaqin, A. (2013). Spiritualitas Agama Lokal (Studi Ajaran Sunda Wiwitan Aliran Madrais Di Cigugur Kuningan Jawabarat). Al-Adyan: Jurnal Studi Lintas Agama, 8(1), 89–102.

Nardiati, S., Isnaeni, M., Widodo, S. T., Hardaniwati, M., Susilawati, D., Winarti, S., Endardi, J., & Zalmansyah, A. (2023). Cultural and philosophical meaning of Javanese traditional houses: A case study in Yogyakarta and Surakarta, Indonesia. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 9(2), 1–10.

Rahman, A., Sari, N. M. W., Fitriani, M. S., Sattar, Z. A., Irwanto, A. P. N., Indriana, N. L., Haryanto, E., Amane, A. P. O., Ahmadin, & Alaslan, A. (2022). Metode penelitian ilmu sosial (1st ed.). Widina Bhakti Persada.

Rahman, M. T. (2011). Glosari Teori Sosial. Ibnu Sina Press.

Rahmansyah, W., Qadri, R. A., Sakti, R. R. A., & Ikhsan, S. (2020). Pemetaan Permasalahan Penyaluran Bantuan Sosial Untuk Penanganan Covid-19 Di Indonesia. Jurnal Pajak Dan Keuangan Negara (PKN), 2(1), 90–102. https://doi.org/10.31092/jpkn.v2i1.995

Riasnugrahani, M., & Analya, P. (2023). Buku Ajar: Metode Penelitian Kualitatif. Ideas Publishing.

Rukmana, U. (2011). Dampak Kebijakan Kolonial Belanda terhadap Struktur Sosial di Sumedang. Majalah Sejarah Indonesia, 6(2), 78–89.

Sahid, N. (2016). Semiotika untuk teater, tari, wayang purwa dan film. Gigih Pustaka Mandiri.

Sarbaitinil, S., Rudagi, R., Rahmat, I., Elfemi, N., & Isnaini, I. (2023). Expressing philosophical discourse in pencak silat as a pillar of character education and strengthening social ties in society. Journal of Pragmatics and Discourse Research, 3(2), 150–162.

Seedat, N., & Roopchund, R. (2024). The role of the Muslim Student Association at a South African university campus in promoting a sense of belonging, community service and a student-centred environment: Rôle de l’association des étudiants musulmans d’un campus universitaire sud-africain da. Journal of Student Affairs in Africa, 12(1), 159–179.

Seff, S., Susanti, D. O., & Nawwawi, M. (2022). Exploring The Diversity of Local Traditions of Indonesian Society in The Islamic Law Perpective. Multicultural Education, 8(01), 59–69.

Siddiq, M. M., Ramadhannia, V., Putro, S. W., Halim, S. F., Amalya, R., Ayu, D. R., Arsya, M., Nugroho, B. A. S., & Nurcahyani, A. (2024). Globalisasi dan Identitas Politik: Pengujian terhadap Konsep Nasionalisme pada Mahasiswa Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik Universitas Negeri Semarang. Jurnal Mediasi, 3(2), 224–235.

Sutisna, M., Pradana, P., Supinah, D., Susanti, E., & Sanwani, I. (2024). Nilai-Nilai Kearifan Lokal Masyarakat Kampung Adat Dukuh Garut Dalam Perspektif Budaya Hidup Selaras Dengan Alam. Jurnal Citizenship Virtues, 4(1), 674–684.

Tamayo Gomez, C. (2022). Social solidarity as a dimension of transitional justice: the case of Cartography and Identification of Mass Graves in post-conflict Colombia. The International Journal of Human Rights, 26(1), 50–73.

Telaumbanua, P. D. I., Siburian, Y. A., & Lubis, E. H. (2025). Transformasi Spiritualitas dan Implikasi Teologis dalam Gerakan Kharismatik: Fenomena dan Dampaknya. Anugerah: Jurnal Pendidikan Kristiani Dan Kateketik Katolik, 2(1), 11–21.

Thohir, A. (2013). Sumedang Puseur Budaya Sunda: Kajian Sejarah Lokal. Galuh Nurani.

Turner, V. (1987). Betwixt and between: The liminal period in rites of passage. Betwixt and between: Patterns of Masculine and Feminine Initiation, 3–19.

Wangi, N. R. A. C. (2024). Tradisi Lisan sebagai Lentera Pemikiran Kritis dalam Pendidikan Modern. Linguistik, Dan Sastra, 4(1), 385–398.

Yani, F. (2013). Keris sebagai Simbol Kekuasaan dalam Tradisi Islam di Jawa". Jurnal Sejarah, 2(2), 75–90.

Yusuf Perdana, Y. P., & Rinaldo, A. P. (2022). Sejarah Pergerakan Nasional Indonesia. Penerbit Lakeisha.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.15575/hanifiya.v8i1.44100

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Alfan, Yogi Supriyadi

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License..

___

View MyStat View MyStat

Hanifiya: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama is Indexed By: