Surface and deep structures in Ngikis heritage conservation

This article explores the Ngikis Traditional Ceremony at the Karangkamulyan Heritage Site, Indonesia, as a mechanism of community-based heritage conservation through the analytical lens of Claude Lévi-Strauss’s Structural Anthropology. Employing a qualitative research design based on Constructivist Grounded Theory and ethnographic fieldwork conducted between August 2024 and February 2025, the study reconstructs both the surface structure and deep structure of the Ngikis ceremony. The surface structure encompasses the empirically observable dimensions of the ritual, including temporal organization, spatial configuration, actor roles, material objects, ritual actions, processual sequences, and social interactions. The deep structure refers to the underlying cultural principles (boundary formation, purification, transcendental mediation, ecological reciprocity, historical memory activation, and collective responsibility) that organize these observable elements into a coherent cultural system. The findings demonstrate that Ngikis functions not merely as a symbolic or religious expression but as a cultural institution through which archaeological heritage, collective memory, ecological ethics, and social solidarity are continuously reproduced across generations. The study contributes a novel theoretical framework integrating Structural Anthropology, Living Heritage Theory, Ritual Materiality, and Community-Based Heritage Conservation, offering a comprehensive explanation of how recurring ritual practices sustain both tangible and intangible heritage while reinforcing the cultural resilience of local communities.