Indonesian heritage-based communication as a reservoir for communication theory: from cultural cases to a relational model

This article reinterprets Indonesian heritage-based communication as a reservoir for communication theory. Responding to debates on de-westernization, epistemic pluralism, and social identity, we examine selected Indonesian cultural practices not only as heritage objects but also as communicative systems. The article develops a conceptual induction from five cases: Ulos Batak Toba, Balinese Wayang Kulit, Umma Kalada in Sumba, Tenun Troso in Jepara, and a Tengger offering ritual. The five categories function as analytical entry points into an integrated relational model of heritage-based communication, rather than as a fixed classificatory catalogue. The model identifies four shared dimensions: mediated relationality, temporal continuity, cosmological and ecological embeddedness, and identity positioning. The article also clarifies the hybrid character of the cases, which combine intangible practice with material forms, bodies, spaces, and ritual performance. The article does not present Indonesian heritage as exceptional; instead, it positions these cases as situated theoretical resources that can speak back to dominant communication theories.