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Between the sacred and the market: the cultural politics of Mangngaro ritual tourism in Indonesia
Basir M.
Asian Anthropology
Q2Abstract
This article explores the transformation of Mangngaro, a post-burial ritual of the Nosu people in Mamasa, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, as it shifts from a sacred rite rooted in the Aluk Tomatua cosmology into a commodified cultural performance promoted for tourism. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2023 and 2024, the study examines how the ritual has been reinterpreted amid Christian influences, state-led heritage agendas, and economic aspirations. Findings reveal three key dynamics: (1) the ritual’s restructuring into staged and sanitized spectacles tailored for public consumption; (2) the erosion of cosmological knowledge, especially among younger generations, who increasingly frame the ritual as a familial rather than spiritual act; and (3) the strategic roles of local actors—including elders, diaspora returnees, and government officials—in negotiating between spiritual integrity and economic pragmatism. Rather than viewing this shift as a cultural loss, the article argues that Mangngaro exemplifies a hybrid ritual space where authenticity is continuously renegotiated. The study highlights broader tensions in postcolonial Southeast Asia, where sacred traditions are reframed as cultural assets, raising critical questions about religious hybridity, cultural sovereignty, and the paradox of visibility in neoliberal heritage regimes.