Social Valves in the Melemang Tradition on the Shores of the Keruh River

Abstract

Malemang is a tradition observed by the community along the banks of the Keruh River in South Sumatra, Indonesia. It is a portrait of a traditional Indonesian
community that still maintains its traditions and customs for everyday life. The Malemang tradition is an ancestral tradition full of local wisdom values that are
important for managing emotional relationships and are oriented towards respecting the traditions of past ancestors. Still, behind this tradition is an important
instrument, a social valve, for the sustainability of the community around the coast of the Keruh River. This study takes the form of constructing a social valve by
using the Malemang traditional procession as an example of social practice characterized by high social cohesion. The method used is qualitative with a
phenomenological approach oriented to reveal the substance of the events that occur with the ability of informant interpretation. Data were collected through
interviews with 20 informants using purposive sampling, in which researchers deliberately selected participants based on predetermined criteria. For data analysis,
the author used six stages: category collection, direct interpretation, pattern formation, searching for equivalence between categories, developing naturalistic
generalizations, and utilizing QDA Miner software as a transcript-processing tool. The study results show that the Malemang tradition can serve as a social valve
through participatory, solidarity-based, and integrative content, thereby helping maintain its continued existence. Malemang is a reflection of the complexity of
interactions among symbolic values, family structures, local beliefs, religious practices, traditional ceremonies, and community structures, so that the Malemang
tradition can become a cultural heritage that not only maintains cultural identity but also strengthens society amid the dynamics of modernization and globalization.