SACRED MYTHS IN THE INDIGENOUS CEREKANG COMMUNITY: LOCAL WISDOM STRATEGIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

This article reveals the sacred myths within the Cerekang customary community, which are formulated as the conception of the ‘prohibition’ and ‘necessity’ for a person or community to do something in certain places. The myths of protecting something, apart from being local normative systems, function as the wisdom of the community regarding how to care for the natural environment from various potential damages. The traditional mythical heritage of the ancestors is still preserved in the Cerekang Customary Community. This paper will use a descriptive-qualitative method to reveal traditional myths in the Cerekang customary community by applying direct observation to the Cerekang Customary Community, Malili District, East Luwu Regency. Data was obtained through observation and interviews with the local community. It was then analyzed by relating it to literature, especially the literary text I La Galigo volume 1 (ms NBG 188), which is associated with the figure of Batara Guru, the main character. The study results show that the sacred myth centers on Pengsimaoni Hill, which is related to the toponymy of the place where Bataraguru arrived from botillangi (the upper world). The Cerekang Indigenous People are a Bugis ethnic community or local population with a myth related to the story of Bataraguru in the ancient tale I La Galigo. The myth that the Cerekang Indigenous Community maintains has become a normative conception that essentially protects ten natural toponyms within the Cerekang Customary Area in East Luwu. The ten toponyms are: 1) Bukit Pengsimaoni; 2) Padang Ennungnge; 3) Beroe; 4) Bulu Mangkulili; 5) Tomba; 6) Ujung Tanaѐ; 7) Kasosoe; 8) Lengkong; 9) Aggattungeng Ancѐ'ѐ; and 10) Turungeng Appancangengengѐ. All of these toponyms are areas that are related to the story of Batara Guru in I La Galigo, who is believed to be the ancestor of the Cerekang Indigenous Community. The ten toponyms in the Cerekang natural area make Pengsimaoni Hill the center of toponymy as well as a center for nature conservation. Myths in the Cerekang indigenous community serve to regulate the mind and then become rules about what is ‘allowed’ and what is ‘not allowed’ to be done. The myths that live in the minds of the Cerekang Indigenous community are related to the principles of the life of the local community so that they become the pattern of behavior of each individual towards the customary forest environment. Through living and believed myths, it ultimately gave birth to the function of ‘guardian of nature,’ which is encapsulated in the form of local norms in the form of language ‘prohibitions and obligations to do something’ for the Cerekang Indigenous People. Local myths are essential in respecting their traditions, protecting the environment, fostering solidarity, and rejecting a greedy lifestyle.