Relasi Sando, Adat, dan Kepercayaan Lokal dalam Kehidupan Sosial Masyarakat Mandar

Abstract

Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh keberadaan praktik sando sebagai bagian dari pengetahuan dan kebudayaan masyarakat Mandar yang tetap berlangsung di tengah perubahan sosial dan perkembangan kehidupan keagamaan. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis kehadiran dan penyesuaian nilai-nilai Islam dalam praktik sando dan kepercayaan lokal, hubungan sando dengan masyarakat dalam pemenuhan kebutuhan sosial, spiritual, dan praktis, serta makna simbolik ritual yang dilakukan oleh sando. Penelitian menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan sejarah dan sosiologi di Kabupaten Polewali Mandar. Data diperoleh melalui observasi, wawancara, dokumentasi, dan penelusuran sumber tertulis dengan melibatkan sando, pemangku adat, tokoh agama, budayawan, dan masyarakat terkait. Data dianalisis melalui reduksi, penyajian, verifikasi, dan penarikan kesimpulan serta diperiksa melalui triangulasi sumber dan teknik. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa unsur Islam hadir berdampingan dengan praktik lokal melalui doa, lafaz keislaman, dan ayat Al-Qur’an. Relasi sando dan masyarakat dibangun atas kepercayaan, pengalaman kolektif, penghormatan, dan legitimasi sosial. Ritual sando mengandung makna keselamatan, perlindungan, keseimbangan, dan rasa syukur serta menjadi media pewarisan nilai dan identitas budaya Mandar.

This study is motivated by the continued existence of sando practices as part of the knowledge and cultural heritage of the Mandar community amid social change and the development of religious life. This study aims to analyze the presence and adaptation of Islamic values within sando practices and local beliefs, the relationship between sando and the community in fulfilling social, spiritual, and practical needs, and the symbolic meanings of rituals performed by sando. The study employed a qualitative method using historical and sociological approaches in Polewali Mandar Regency. Data were collected through observation, interviews, documentation, and examination of written sources involving sando practitioners, customary leaders, religious figures, cultural practitioners, and relevant community members. Data were analyzed through data reduction, presentation, verification, and conclusion drawing, with credibility examined through source and technique triangulation. The findings indicate that Islamic elements coexist with local practices through prayers, Islamic expressions, and Qur’anic verses. The relationship between sando and the community is established through trust, collective experience, respect, and social recognition. Sando rituals convey meanings of safety, protection, balance, and gratitude, while also serving as a means of transmitting Mandar values, local knowledge, and cultural identity.