Social Construction about Religious Life Concord of the Halaika
Traditional Belief Adherents
A
Phenomenological Study in Boti Village of KiE Sub District South Central Timo
r
Regency of East Nusa Tenggara Province
Semuel Daniel Heka Marthinus Benu, R. B. Soemanto and Y. Slamet
Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Indonesia
Keywords: Social Construction, Halaika Traditional Belief, Life Concord.
Abstract: This qualitative research with phenomenological approach aims to find out social construction about
Religious Life Concord of the Halaika traditional belief Adherents in Boti Village of KiE Sub District of
Middle South Timor Regency of East Nusa Tenggara Province. The subject of research as the adherents of
Halaika traditional belief selected using purposive sampling. The data was collected through observation,
in-depth interview, and documentation, and then analyzed using Social Construction theory. The result of
research showed that Halaika traditional belief contains Lais Manekat tenet meaning loving each other as
the form of their affection expressed in maintaining deed and action in order not to harm others. The
externalization of such the tenet was conducted by family, formal education institution, and religious
institution. Then, there was community objectification conducted by villagers repeatedly as the Boti
people’s habit and culture internalized in daily life.
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Indonesian people are a plural society even some
people calls it dual society. Indonesians are a plural
nation consisting of various Ethnics, Religions,
Races and Intergroup as well as languages. This
plurality is established in one Indonesian nation
bond as a whole and sovereign nation unity. In
addition to base on social-cultural background, same
geography and history, Indonesian nation unity
builds on shared ideology and life philosophy in
nation and state as well. The plurality of Indonesian
society is natural and the cultural resource of it,
other states have rarely in the world, and it has been
existing since our ancestor time and each ethnic
have distinctive custom becoming its identity. It is
reflected holistically on the Pancasila (five
principles) becoming Indonesian state foundation.
Meanwhile, shared unity, ideology, life philosophy
of Indonesian nation explicitly included in the state
symbol with slogan “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika meaning
unity in diversity, should be appreciated positively,
as it is the God’s blessing (Sujanto, 2007).
Religious life concord is not only respecting,
appreciating, building and developing and giving
guidance and direction for the development of
nation’s life, but should also be embodied into a
variety of collective activities, corresponding to the
government’s policy in building life in nation and
state, based on Pancasila and 1945 Constitution. If
all of these are not maintained well, conflict will
occur between Race, Religion, Race and Inter-group
(SARA) like conflict in Ambon Maluku (Islam vs.
Christian) on January 19, 1999, riot in Poso,
Sulawesi Tengah (Islam vs. Christian), on December
25-29, 1998, Conflict in Tolikora Papua (Islam vs.
Christian) on July 17, 2015. Meanwhile in Boti,
there are adherents of Halaika traditional belief,
Christen and Catholic religions living adjacently in
peace and concord. It encourages the author to study
how the social construction of halaika traditional
belief adherents in religious life concord in Boti
Village.
Andung (2007) states that Halaika adherents are
the minorities who live in one out of 4 hamlets
existing (hamlet A). Viewed from its number, the
adherents of traditional belief (aliran kepercayaan)
276
Benu, S., Soemanto, R. and Slamet, Y.
Social Construction about Religious Life Concord of the Halaika Traditional Belief Adherents - A Phenomenological Study in Boti Village of KiE Sub District South Central Timor Regency of
East Nusa Tenggara Province.
In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education (ICSE 2017) - Volume 2, pages 276-281
ISBN: 978-989-758-316-2
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

are only 12.54% of total populations. Despite its
minority, Halaika adherents can accommodate those
differences thereby creating mutual life concord.
They always uphold tolerance values thereby
avoided from social conflict. Halaika adherents can
build commonality, appreciate each other, help each
other, and are tolerant so that there is no domination
and minority occurring.
1.2 Problem Statement
Considering the background elaborated above, the
author is interested in studying the Halaika
traditional belief adherent community living
harmoniously amid communities with different
religions. It is interesting as social environment
interacts with each other, as a community’s
environment is occupied with a group of
communities with different religion and original
traditional belief, and understands what elements
should be constructed to create a good relationship
and to realize a tolerant society. The adherents of
Halaika traditional belief in Boti village is a social
community, who still have ancestor origin
hereditarily, has strong value system or rule and
have Halaika traditional belief implemented by its
adherent until today.
Previous study on theology in on Boti ethnic
showed that theologically, Boti ethnic believes in
two Masters of Universe: the Master of Eternal
World or Uis Neno and the Master of Secular World
or Uis Pah (Peters, 1998). The result of research on
the syncretism of belief and religious values shows
that the adaptation process conducted by Boti
villagers occurs more in Christians than in Halaika
traditional belief adherents who still hold on their
cultural values tightly (Nope, 2002). It has been
constructed since a long time ago; the conception of
halaika values has an implication to social reality in
the adherents of Halaika belief adherents, Christians
or native people and newcomers so that the life
concord among religious communities is created.
From the background aforementioned, the author
can formulate the main problem in this research:
“How is the concept or Tenet of Halaika traditional
belief about Religious Life Concord in Boti Village,
Kie Sub District of South Middle Timor of East
Nusa Tenggara province?
2 MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
2.1 Social Construction
Social construction has broad definition in social
science. It is usually connected to social effect in
individual life experience. Basic assumption of
reality is social construction. Social construction of
reality became popular after it was introduced by
Berger and Thomas (1999), they represent social
construction through action and interaction, in which
individual continuously creates a reality shared and
experienced together subjectively.
Social construction has some powers: firstly,
central role of language provides concrete
mechanism, in which culture affects individual’s
thought and conduct. Secondly, social construction
can represent complexity in one single culture. It
does not assume uniformity. Thirdly, it is consistent
with community and time (Sosilo, 2012).
Samuel (2012) states that social construction
departs from community established as objective
reality because of many individuals externalizing
themselves or expressing their own subjectivity
through their activity. So, basically, social
construction is the establishment of mind-set
departing from an action and social interaction
ending up in an individual’s perspective on what the
public thinks of.
Patternger (2007) suggests that sociology-based
social construction contains two important elements:
power and knowledge. Basic assumption of its
approach lies in the community with diverse power,
either material or ideational facilitating and all at
once energizing the agent and the structure becomes
a social process arena. Knowledge on and respond to
social phenomena existing in the society are the key.
Social construction, according to Ngangi (2011),
is an assumption that all values, ideology, and
institution are man-made. Social construction is a
statement of belief and a view that the content of
consciousness and the way of interacting with others
are taught by culture and society.
Social Construction, according to Waters (1994),
is human beings construct social reality in which
subjective processes can become objectified. Social
construction is the concept representing how social
reality is established and interpreted subjectively by
the members of society. Social construction
represents the process in which action and
interaction, creates continuously the shared reality
experienced factual-objectively meaningful-
subjectively.
Social Construction about Religious Life Concord of the Halaika Traditional Belief Adherents - A Phenomenological Study in Boti Village
of KiE Sub District South Central Timor Regency of East Nusa Tenggara Province
277

Considering some arguments above, it can be
concluded that social construction is the
establishment of individual’s mind-set departing
from an action and social interaction ending up in an
individual’s perspective on what the public thinks of
generally and experienced subjectively, created as
social reality.
So, it can be said that social construction is a
concept explaining that social structure abides not
only outside but also inside human beings or
objectified in their subjective consciousness. Social
construction shows that (socio-cultural, social order,
religion) in human consciousness is something not
acceptable mechanically but interpreted by human
beings as a rational creature into subjective
meanings.
2.2 Religious Life Concord
The attempt of achieving such concord needs time
process and dialogue, being opened to each other,
accepting and appreciating each other, and loving
each other. Meanwhile, the religious community
concord is the relationship between fellow religious
communities based on tolerance, understanding each
other, respecting each other, appreciating each other
in the equality of religion tenet implementation and
cooperation in living within society and state. The
basic guideline of religious life concord of religious
community life concord building project guides the
religious community life corresponding to and
harmoniously with Pancasila and 1945 Constitution,
to make every religion adherent, either individually
or as members of society and citizen, in addition to
complying with and implementing their religion
tenets, simultaneously implementing, conceiving,
and applying Pancasila.
From the elaboration above, it can be seen that
establishing religious life concord and developing
religious life, not only respecting and appreciating,
building and developing and giving guidance and
direction for the better development of nation life,
corresponding to government policy in building life
in nation and state based on Pancasila and 1945
Constitution. It is the objective of religious life in
living within society in which individual can live
adjacently in concord and peace.
The term life concord is often equated with
tolerance, understanding each other, appreciating
each other, respecting each other, and harmony in
inter-human relation. Concord contains recognition
of difference and appreciation to each other. In
social science, the term concord is a part or included
into social integration (Budiyono, 1985).
The concept of concord is the reference to
minimize the conflict cracking the principles of
harmony in the plural community life. Furthermore,
religious community concord in Indonesia involves
three dimensions: internal religious community
concord, inter-religious community concord, and
concord between religious communities and
government. This three dimensions becomes the
focus of government’s and every religious
community’s attention, to build tolerance, concord
and harmony. In bringing the trilogy of concord into
reality, regulation and legislation are published, and
dialogue is intensified to solve the problems related
to religious community relation (Sardy, 1981).
Life concord is a social unity of individuals the
members of which respect and appreciate each other
in certain environment so that concord and peace is
created within society (Sardy, 1981).
Life concord is the collective need in living
within society; living within society, individuals
cannot avoid difference. The existing difference is
not hindrance for living in concord and adjacently in
fraternity and unity frames. The awareness of
religious life concord should be dynamic, humanistic
and democratic, in order to be transformed into the
lower class of society or the next generation, so that
concord cannot only be felt or enjoyed by the rich or
those living in the present but also transferred to the
next generation. It is because religion cannot stand
alone and be considered as solving all problems. The
definition of religious community concord,
according to Mukti, is a condition in which all
religious community groups can perform and
undertake their own religious obligation collectively
without reducing their own basic rights and live as
the good religion adherents in peace and concord. It
is manifested into three concords: internal religious
community concord, inter-religious community
concord, and concord between religious
communities and government (Mukti, 2009).
From the argument above, it can be concluded
that the religious community life is a social
condition of individuals or members respecting each
other, appreciating each other, and living in peace
and harmony based on tolerance and cooperation in
their society environment, either internally or
externally to achieve collective welfare in society,
both physically and spiritually.
2.3 Traditional Belief
Paul Radin in his work entitled Primitive Religion:
Its Nature and Origin, cited in Haryanto (2015)
ICSE 2017 - 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education
278

stated that in every culture, the difference of
individual’s religion belief degree is dependent on
the extent to which his/her service is to profundity.
Furthermore, he said that religion is an object of
study getting much attention from social scholars
particularly sociology, anthropology, psychology,
economy, history and politic (Haryanto, 2015).
Dradjat said that the term traditional religion is
used only to explain human religion in the first
stage that progressed later through polytheism
toward monotheism. Furthermore, Van der Leuw in
Daradjat stated that traditional religion is a certain
structure of human character or a certain way of
looking for way out to get human closer to World
and God, and a certain view on everything in life in
surrounding environment in human mentality
(Daradjat,1996).
Considering the elaboration above, traditional
religion is divided into three:
 Dynamism derived from Greek word Duramos.
In English it is dynamic, and kekuatan or
khasiat in Indonesian. Thus, dynamism is a
human belief or understanding on the objects
surrounding having strength or supernatural
power;
 Animism stated derives from the Greek Word
Anima (Anemae) stemming from Avepos
meaning spirit or soul or tenet about spirit
reality. Thus, animism is the veneration to the
dead spirits. Furthermore, it can be said that
animism emphasizes on veneration to spiritual
creature, the object of which cannot be seen
using human’s eye, but can be felt by human
beings to get them closer to World and God
(Daradjat, 1996);
 Belief in the Supreme God.
Primitive or traditional ethnic recognizes that
there are many believes in invisible powers
venerated such as the power of object, plant, and the
power of nature and even the power existing inside
human (Daradjat, 1996).
Furthermore, Tylor and Fraser assume that the
oldest form of primitive human religion is the belief
in magic and invisible power, because of human’s
limited mind. However, after it could be proved that
the magic science was not successful, they change
and no longer believe in the invisible creatures
behind the nature that are more powerful than
human beings (Daradjat, 1996).
In Pyramids of Sacrifice, Berger and Thomas
(1999) states that human being is the creature
projecting the meaning on to universe. Human
beings name the object, label value to those objects,
and create broad definition (semiotic system)
constituting the guidelines absolutely needed in life.
Furthermore, Berger and Thomas (1999) states that
the need for meaning has cognitive and normative
dimensions. In other words, human being should
find out what is actually and what should be. He
informs the members of society where they are and
direct them to what they should do in certain
position (Dwi and Rachmad, 2008).
Considering some argument above, it can be
concluded that traditional belief is human religion in
the first stage that progressed later through
polytheism toward monotheism, then projecting the
meaning on to universe, and human beings name the
object, label value to those objects, and create broad
definition (semiotic system) constituting the
guidelines absolutely needed in life.
3 THEORETICAL FOUNDATION
Social construction theory is used to see the social
phenomenon in the field, because social construction
is the continuation of phenomenological approach
formerly is the philosophical theory constructed by
Hegel, Husserl and then continued by Schutz. Then,
through Weber, phenomenology became a reliable
social theory to be used as social analysis. In
understanding and studying social construction the
adherents of Halaika traditional belief creates
collective life concord, Peter L Berger and Thomas
Luckmann’s construction theory is used. Berger and
Thomas (1999) said that there are three important
moments that should be understood simultaneously.
They are: externalization, objectification, and
internalization.
Those three moments are interrelated and
conceived as dialectic process. Each of those
moments is compatible to an essential
characterization in social world. Through
externalization, community is man-made; through
objectification, community becomes sui generis
reality that is unique; and through internalization,
human being is a product of community. There is a
process of pulling out (externalization) so that it is as
if outside (objectification), and furthermore, there is
a process of redrawing in (internalization) so that
what is outside is as if inside the self (Manuaba,
2010).
The relationship between human beings and
social creature is a dialectic one. Human and its
social world interact with each other, and the
product, as social world, instead affects human being
as its producer. Externalization, objectification, and
internalization are a moment of a dialectic process
Social Construction about Religious Life Concord of the Halaika Traditional Belief Adherents - A Phenomenological Study in Boti Village
of KiE Sub District South Central Timor Regency of East Nusa Tenggara Province
279

running continuously. Society is a human product,
man is an objective reality; and man is a social
product. If in this process one moment is ignored, it
will result in distortion. Bergerian theory of social
construction society sees it from those three
moments (Berger and Thomas, 1999).
Figure 1: Framework Chart.
4 METHODS
Creswell in Sugiyono (2015) states that qualitative
research is the qualitative method that can be used to
learn, to open, and to understand what occurs behind
every phenomenon occurring in society life.
Therefore, the method used was qualitative research
method with phenomenological approach aiming to
find out the social construction about the religious
life concord of Halaika traditional belief’s adherents
as the meaning of social reality.
This research focused on the adherent
community of Halaika traditional belief regarding
how the view or tenet of halaika traditional belief
adherents creates collective life concord as the result
of social construction that human being living in
certain social environment, conducting interaction
process simultaneously with its environment.
Society lives in objective and subjective reality
dimension constructed through externalization,
objectification and internalization moments. Those
three moments always experience dialectical process
in the society.
The sample was taken using maximum variation
sampling with purposive sampling technique
representing the main theme cutting the big
agreement between varying participants. This
sampling technique attempts to achieve the accurate
representation of total informant, a maximum
variation sample can be used as the representative of
random sample (Patton, 2002). Twenty-five
informants were employed in this research; initial
was used to keep the informants’ confidentiality.
Techniques of collecting data used were observation,
in-depth interview, and documentation. Data
validation was carried out using source triangulation
by comparing and cross-checking the degree of
freedom or information obtained through different
times and instrument in qualitative research, and
then analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s analysis
model.
5 DISCUSSION
Boti village is a remote village located in Kie Sub
District, South Middle Timor of East Nusa
Tenggara. It is about 177 km from Kupang that can
be reached in 3 (three) hours riding, with 2,199
populations: 1,063 males and 1,136 females.
In this village there are 236 Halaika traditional
belief adherents (114 males and 122 females), led by
a tribal chief. They believe in two Masters: firstly,
the Master of Eternal World or Uis Neno, who are
respected and worshipped by Boti Ethnic, as it is He
who assume, maintain, and raise human being and
everything contained in it, and secondly the Master
of Secular World or Uis Pah, respected and
worshipped by Boti Ethnic as He supervises and
protects human being and everything on the earth
and determines whether human gets into heaven or
hell.
View or tenets of halaika traditional belief
contains 2 (two) basic values of view/tenet and 5
(five) prohibitions that should be complied with in
daily life:
 Manek es nok es (loving each other);
 Mum’tau ma mus’man neu ho ena nok’ho ama
(respect your parents);
 Kaisa,m saksi mam bot, beo (Never become
counterfeit or liar witness);
 Kaisa,m mubak’ (Never stealing);
 Kaisa,m mu’bae lalu (Never gambling);
 Kaisa,m maka paisa (Never making sexual
intercourse out of marriage);
 Kaisa,m ma lol a’ ma oet’ (Never killing).
(Result of interview with HB, on November 2,
2016).
In understanding and studying social
construction, the adherents of Halaika traditional
belief creates collective life concord, a Social
Construction theory is used. Berge and Luckmann
said that there are three important moments that
should be understood simultaneously. They are:
externalization, objectification, and internalization.
ICSE 2017 - 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education
280

Halaika traditional belief contains Lais Manekat
tenet meaning loving each other as the form of their
affection expressed in maintaining deed and action
in order not to harm others. The externalization of
such the tenet was conducted by family, formal
education institution, and religious institution. Then,
there was community objectification conducted by
villagers repeatedly as the Boti people’s habit and
culture internalized in daily life.
 Externalization process. Externalization is a
devotion of human selfness to the world
continuously in either his physical or mental
activities. This process occurs among the
adherents of halaika traditional belief in Boti
village, constituting a cultural imperative that
has run in daily life. Externalization is an
anthropological imperative, in which the
existence of human being unlikely occurs in a
closed environment. His existence should
continuously devote his selfness to activities.
This anthropological imperative stems from
human’s unstable biological properties to deal
with his environment;
 Objectification process. It means that society
is human product, stemming from
externalization phenomenon. Human product
including his own world and then the world
outside himself reveals products as the activity
outside himself. It is conducted by every
individual in intercourse, for example
agreeing with others’ opinion with word Ahoit
(Yes, Master), it is the cultural product
deriving from human consciousness, but
product cannot be reabsorbed suddenly into
consciousness. Culture outside human
subjectivity becomes a distinctive world.
World produced by human beings obtains
objective reality property;
 Internalization process. Internalization is an
individual’s direct understanding or
interpretation on objective event as the
expression of meaning. In daily life of Halaika
traditional belief adherent community,
internalization process runs from family,
education institution and other custom
institutions, in which individual identifies
him/herself with a variety of social institutions
or social organizations with which individuals
are affiliated. Internalization is the
reabsorption of reality by human beings and
retransformation of objective world’s
structures into subjective consciousness’
structures.
6 CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATION
The conclusion of research is that its view or tenet
says that in life human has two Masters of Universe
that should be obeyed: the Master of Eternal World
or Uis Neno and the Master of Secular World or Uis
Pah. The manifestation of halaika values in their life
ca be seen in a slogan Lais Manekat (loving each
other between fellow human beings), constituting
their form of affection expressed by maintaining
deed and action in order not to harm others’ heart or
feeling implemented in daily life.
From the conclusion above, academic
community recommends as follows. Indonesian
people is a plural society with diverse cultural
tradition, Ethnic, Religion, Race, and Groups having
their own belief with distinctive peculiarity that
should be preserved as Indonesian riches, so that
further research should be conducted to find out its
characteristics in maintaining collective life concord
for the sake of achieving a safe and peaceful
Indonesian society.
REFERENCES
Berger, P. L., Thomas, L., 1999. Tafsir Sosial atas
Kenyataan: Risalah tentang Sosiologi Pengetahuan,
LP3ES. Jakarta.
Budiyono, A. P., 1983. Membina Kerukunan Hidup Umat
Seiman, I. Kanisius.
Creswell, J. W., 1994. Research Design: Qualitative &
quantitativee approach, Sage. Thousand Oaks,
London, New Delhi.
Daradjat, Z., 1996. Perbandingan Agama I, Bumi Aksara.
Jakarta.
Dwi, S., Rachmad, K., 2008. 20 Tokoh Sosiologi Modern,
Penerbit Ar-ruzz Media. Jogjakarta.
Departemen Agama, 1997. Bingkai Teologi Kerukunan
Hidup Umat Beragama Di Indonesia, Badan
Penelitian dan Pengembangan Agama Proyek
Peningkatan Kerukunan Umat Beragama Di
Indonesia. Jakarta
Haryanto, S., 2015. Sosiologi Agama, Dari Klasik Hingga
Modern, Arruzz Media. Jogjakarta.
Manuaba, I. B. P., 2010. Teori Konstruksi Sosial. Jurnal
Masyarakat Kebudayaan dan Politik. 21, 3:221-230.
Moleong, L. J., 2004. Metodologi Penelitian Kualitatif,
Remaja Rosdakarya. Bandung.
Sardy. M., 1981. Agama Multidimensi (Kerukunan Hidup
Dan integritas Nasional Jilid.I), Alumni. Bandung.
Sugiyono, 2015. Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif dan
Kualitatif dan R&B, Alfabeta. Bandung.
Waters, M., 1994. Modern Sociological Theory, SAGE
Publication. London.
Social Construction about Religious Life Concord of the Halaika Traditional Belief Adherents - A Phenomenological Study in Boti Village
of KiE Sub District South Central Timor Regency of East Nusa Tenggara Province
281