Local Wisdom in Supporting Sustainable Tourism

in the Mandeh Region, Pesisir Selatan, West Sumatra

Siti Fatimah

,Dewi Ramadhan

and Retnaningtyas Susanti

Faculty of Social Science, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia

Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality,Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia

Keywords: Local Wisdom, Mandeh Community, Sustainable Tourism.

Abstract: Local wisdom is one part of efforts to manage sustainable tourism. Almost every region has local wisdom

preserved to maintain its potential. Sustainable tourism is a new concept commonly used by managers to

balance economic aspects with the environmental and social aspects of society. One form of local wisdom in

managing tourism is in the form of tradition. The Mandeh community has a tradition of managing the

environment that has existed since time immemorial, but in the present time the tradition has begun to fade.

Communities tend to exploit the environment to obtain economic benefits from the tourism sector, without

considering the environmental and social sustainability of their communities. This research was conducted

using qualitative data collection methods, data sources derived from interviews with community leaders and

stakeholders related to tourism management. The fading of the tradition of preserving local wisdom can be

overcome by re-raising the role of community leaders in managing tourism. Local wisdom in protecting the

environment is re-appointed as a priority in the community, so that its sustainability is measurable and benefits

the community.

1 INTRODUCTION

Tourism is an activity that has been carried out by the

community since ancient times, through various

forms of activities. The community travels to explore

various places around where they live to go abroad to

find new experiences or just gain new knowledge.

Different environments are one of the factors driving

people to travel. This is the background of the

development of tourism in various regions. The

development of tourism is supported by the growth of

people's welfare, demands for self-activation, and

most prominent is the ease of transportation.

Tourism today is far more than just developing

products. Tourism is more about quality, what tourists

can do and the experience they can have. What is then

done is the promotion of tourism is to facilitate the

needs of tourists who come from various cultural

backgrounds. From the perspective of historians,

tourism is the study of factors that play a role in

achieving certain goals. These factors lead to the

development of tourism in the order of time. One

example when tourists visit Borobudur Temple in

Central Java, historians can see the factors that bring

tourists to visit. From an economic perspective,

tourism is the main source of foreign exchange

income, private and corporate income earners, job

creation and contributors to government revenue.

Tourism is a dominant global activity that even

exceeds the trade in oilandmanufactured goods.

Economists study the influence of the tourism

industry on theeconomy.

At present, tourism is becoming more and more

developed due to higher community incomes,

increased leisure time and lower travel costs. The

tourism industry is showing very high growth and

includes physical elements such as transportation

systems - air, railroad, road, water and space;

hospitality services - accommodation, food and

drinks, tours, souvenirs; and related services such as

banking, insurance and safety, and security. Tourism

also consists of non-physical (intangible) elements

including: rest and relaxation, culture, escape,

adventure, new and differentexperiences.

Increasing tourism is starting to lead to special

interests, which are not consumed by all tourists. One

of them is tourism activities related to historical sites

from the past. Special interest tourism is in contrast to

mass tourism that has the opportunity to damage the

Fatimah, S., Ramadhan, D. and Susanti, R.

Local Wisdom in Supporting Sustainable Tourism in the Mandeh Region, Pesisir Selatan, West Sumatra.

DOI: 10.5220/0010021203410346

In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social and Political Development (ICOSOP 3 2019) - Social Engineering Governance for the People, Technology and Infrastructure in

Revolution Industry 4.0, pages 341-346

ISBN: 978-989-758-472-5

341

environment, special interest tourism can help

managers maintain and preserve their environment.

1.1 Sustainable Tourism

The term sustainability is used to describe the effects

of tourism on the environment and life that surrounds

it. Tourism is vulnerable to environmental damage

and negative impacts on people's lives and the

economy. Tourism should be planned in such a way

that it benefits the community and optimizes the

expectations of tourists as well as preserving the

environment. Tourism emerged as a global

phenomenon in 1960 and developed into the potential

to produce economic development for each party

involved. Tourism provides income, creates

employment and brings economic benefits to the

region and becomes an alternative source of the

economy. The problem that then develops is a

decrease in environmental awareness, social and

cultural impacts due to tourism. Tourism presents

opportunities to develop entrepreneurship and help

diversify other sectors. Community participation in

tourism development can result in increased

employment and growth in complementary products.

These benefits can then be maximized through

partnerships at the destination level, for example

hotels and tour operators in collaboration with local

communities, local governments and other involved

institutions. Tourism can help reduce poverty and add

experience for domestic and international tourists

through community involvement.

At the same time tourism managers must

understand that tourism development must pay

attention to the impact of its sustainability.

Sustainability is a popular trend in life today,

however, there is confusion about its meaning in

tourism, does sustainable development apply to

tourism? The purpose of this article is to express the

need for sustainable development in tourism due to

limited resources and significant environmental

concerns. Ethnographic and descriptive methods are

applied in this paper.

The principles of sustainable development in

tourism are relatively rarely applied. This is due to the

fact that tourism businesses in economic calculations

do not include (or are included in certain limits) the

social costs and costs associated with environmental

protection. Things that need to be done in the tourism

industry such as reducing costs (energy savings in

hotels, recycling), are often overlooked (Sharpley and

Telfer,2008).

The principles of sustainability are the best way to

preserve tourism destinations from social, cultural and

environmental degradation. However, it takes more

quality people, human resources who understand the

environment. The sure thing is that reputation as a

sustainable industry will add value to tourism

companies and strengthen their market position.

Tourists are beginning to be sensitive to

sustainability, especially in terms of the environment.

The principles of sustainable development need to

continue to be applied, but this process requires a

large investment, but can be profitable in a long-term

perspective.

Local wisdom in sustainable tourism is basically

based on community participation. This will bring

benefits to tourists and the local community. Tourists

can learn about local culture and can also generate

tourism revenue for the community at the same time.

Community participation is one of the many key

factors that contribute to the success of community-

based tourism in local wisdom (Raktida, et al., 2017).

1.2 Local Wisdom

Local wisdom means a harmonious relationship

between humans, nature and the environment that is

built in an area that is also influenced by culture.

Today's local wisdom is reinforced, especially in an

environment built as a result of human culture. Local

wisdom related to the environment in the current era

of globalization has a big challenge. Culture and local

wisdom need to be re-appointed because nature,

humans, and the environment have a close

relationship. Past stories show that nature is not

understood by humans, the traditional community

which then collects a system of knowledge which is

then usedtomanage nature. Knowledge systems that

are oriented to specific natural languages are called

local wisdom (Antaryama, 2009).

Local wisdom is positive human behavior that is

connected with nature and the surrounding

environment. Local wisdom functions as the

preservation of meaningful traditions and values, for

the survival and welfare of the community by

maintaining existing culture (Permana, et al., 2011).

Local wisdom is cultural values as well as knowledge

and experience, being an identity in a group of people

that is used by the community itself in interacting

between other people and between humans and nature

(Mitchell et al., 2003).

Local wisdom has a community knowledge

system based on the use of the community's own

resources such as integrating economic, social, and

cultural values in life. Then there is cooperation,

diverse ownership of resources, but there is always a

shared ownership system, depending on local

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knowledge and experience of the community

(Ayatrohaedi, 1986).

Local wisdom has cultural values in saving the

environment and caring more. Several studies have

proven like existing studies that traditional

knowledge of Aboriginal tribes can preserve the

environment in Canada. Then the traditional local

wisdom of Mount Salak, Anak Dalam Tribe in Jambi

Province, Timor Community of Timor Island has a

belief in protecting and preserving the

environmentMost local wisdom has traditional

knowledge in increasing environmental knowledge

(Surtikanti, 2017).

Building designs from other countries are quickly

imitated to produce architecture that is not rooted in

local culture (Kusliansjah, et al., 2013), one of which

is to fulfill tourism needs. The globalization process

causes cultural homogeneity (Zarzar, 2008; Berry,

2008). The dominance of Western culture has an

impact on local culture, this results in loss of cultural

diversity (Sartini, 2004; Bhawuk, 2008).

The concept of local wisdom in environmental

management is explained by Berkes (1993) with the

terminology of traditional ecological knowledge.

This term means the collection of knowledge,

practices, and beliefs that develop through an adaptive

process (adjustment) which is passed down from

generation to generation through culture, related to

the relationship between living things (including

humans) and the surrounding environment.

Traditional ecological knowledge is owned

collectively and can be conveyed in the form of

stories, songs, cultural values, beliefs, rituals,

customary laws, local languages, and the use of

natural resources. Ellen, Parker & Bicker (2005) call

it local knowledge (local wisdom), which consists of:

1) knowledge related to the place, and a set of

experiences, and developed by the local community;

2) knowledge acquired through mimicry, imitation,

andexperimentation;daily practical knowledge gained

from trialand error;empirical knowledge that is not

theoretical; 5) comprehensive and integrated

knowledge in the fields of tradition and culture. Social

expressions such as kinship, family structure, social

roles, social networks, status, identity, and

institutions are part of local wisdom. Rapoport (2005)

asserts that cultural embodiments in the built

environment can form an organization of space and

time, goals and communication, systems of activity

and regulation, cultural landscapes and fixed, semi-

permanent and non-permanentlandscapes.

Local wisdom is one part of people's trust.

Danandjaja, 1984) classifies people's trust into four

groups namely; (1) superstitions or beliefs around the

circle of human life, (2) superstitions or beliefs about

the supernatural, (3) superstitions or beliefs about the

universe or the world, and (4) other types of

superstitions.Superstitions or beliefs around the circle

of human life aredivided into seven categories,

namely (1) birth, infancy, and childhood, (2) human

body and folk medicine, (3) home and household

work, (4) eyes livelihoods and social relations, (5)

travel and transportation, (6) love, courtship, and

marriage, and (7) death and funeral customs. Beliefs

about the creation of the universe are divided into four

sub-categories, namely (1) cosmic phenomena

(natural phenomena), (2) weather, (3) animals and

livestock, (4) fishing and hunting, (5) plants and

agriculture.

2 METHOD

This research was conducted with qualitative data

collection methods sourced from interviews, field

observations, and secondary data from various parties

who have information related to the research theme.

The research process begins by collecting primary

and secondary data, classifying findings data, and

making reports. The tools used in this study were

interview guides, recorders, and cameras to obtain

documentation.

The informants in this study consisted of several

people representing sources of information related to

tourism and local wisdom of Mandeh. The informant

criteria used in the study are based on the information

provided, including: key information and supporting

information. The main information was obtained from

community leaders who are members of Kerapatan

Adat Nagari, guardian nagari, and the community.

Supporting information was obtained from the

tourism office,tourists, and tourism stakeholders.

The study was conducted in Nagari Mandeh, Koto

XI Tarusan Subdistrict, Pesisir Selatan District, West

Sumatra Province. Nagari Mandeh is divided into 2

parts, which are directly adjacent to the beach (coastal

area) and directly adjacent to the hill (mainland). The

distance from the Provincial Capital (Padang City) is

around 60 km and can be taken for approximately 1-

1.5 hours by two- wheeled transportation mode to the

tourist bus.

Population in the Mandeh area is still relatively

low when compared to other nagari in Koto XI

Tarusan subdistrict, one of the underlying factors is

the location which is still isolated. The main

livelihoods of the community are fishermen and

farmers, but after the opening of the main road of

Local Wisdom in Supporting Sustainable Tourism in the Mandeh Region, Pesisir Selatan, West Sumatra

343

Mandeh-Padang the community's livelihoods have

become tourism service providers.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The principle of sustainable development stipulates

that the level of development does not exceed the

carrying capacity of the region. Government policies

can be made to ensure compliance with these limits

through appropriate planning instruments, guidelines

and supporting regulations and their enforcement.

Efforts will be made to diversify tourism products in

a way that complements the main stream of tourism

culture. The development of sustainable tourism aims

to protect tourists from temporary products. Special

forms of tourism development such as ecotourism,

adventure tourism, or heritage tourism are

alternatives to the development of sustainable

tourism.

3.1 Local Wisdom of the Mandeh

Community

Local wisdom can be defined as local cultural roperty,

whichcontains a life policy; view of life (way of life)

that accommodates policy (wisdom) and life wisdom.

Indonesia as an archipelago has a local wisdom that

does not only apply locally to a particular ethnicity or

culture, but can be said to cross across cultures or

ethnicities that shape national cultural values. For

example, almost every local culture in the archipelago

knows local wisdom that teaches mutual tolerance,

work ethics, and so on. In general, ethics and moral

values contained in local wisdom taught from

generation to generation, passed down from

generation to generation through oral literature

(among other things in the form of maxims and

maxim, folklore), and manuscripts.

Globalization is happening today only causing

new lifestyle trends that are not rooted in tradition.

One tradition in the form of art still survives until now

and is still maintained by the community because it

has a high philosophical value. For example, shadow

puppets in Java that have survived to the present day,

are even recognized as world cultural wealth because

at best they are aesthetic (ethical) values that give birth

to public wisdom. Local wisdom in today's society has

actually been adapted in accordance with the interests

of the perpetrators, but the core value is maintained.

Not a few young people who have forgotten even do

not know the local wisdom in their environment.

The local wisdom of the Mandeh community in

the field of environment is very closely related to the

belief that nature takambang becomes a teacher

(nature is developed into a teacher), that nature is the

main key to learning for humans. Nature is a real

teacher, meaning that humans need to respect nature,

and at the same time understand the signs. Phrases

such as "cawang di langik tando ka paneh, gabak di

ulo tando ka hujan" which means that the bright

nature of nature is a sign of the coming of heat, and

the black clouds upstream are a sign of rain coming.

Natural phenomena that occur everywhere and show

a habit that has a different meaning for the people of

Mandeh. Through local wisdom seeing these natural

phenomena, fishing communities can predict their

activities, prepare themselves when going to sail or

farm.

The Mandeh community understands that nature

teaches humans to be wise and wise in acting related

to the environment. One example is the expression

"karuah aie di muaro, dijaniahkan ka ulu" meaning,

when the water in the estuary is cloudy, it needs to be

clear upstream. That is, when there is a problem, the

community needs to introspect, look back at the origin

of the problem, so that an effective solution is

obtained. Other expressions related to the

environment are "Hati-hati nan di ateh, nan di bawah

kok maimpok, hati-hati di daratan, galodo kok datang

dari lauik" means caution at the top, below can be fall,

beware on the mainland, galodo (flash flood) could

have come from the sea (tsunami). West Sumatra has

experienced an earthquake and tsunami, both

disasters are still threatening and can come back, so

people need to be aware of every possibility.

3.2 The Role of Mandeh's Local

Wisdom in Achieving Sustainable

Tourism

The development of an area as a tourist attraction

provides economic benefits that are felt directly or

indirectly by the local community. The development

of tourism areas needs to involve the participation of

local communities. The readiness of the community

to receive a strong commitment to activities and

tourism will create interaction between the local

community as a host and tourists as guests so as to

foster mutual respect and further benefit from

beneficial forms to maintain a sustainable culture.

The development of tourism areas requires a

strong spirit and motivation from the community in

maintaining the character of the natural physical

environment typical of rural areas and the cultural life

that lives and grows in the local community. The

development of Mandeh as a tourist area provides

socio-economic benefits for the community and

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surrounding areas by opening employment

opportunities, and even making the community

economically independent. Local people maintain

resources in their area such as socio-cultural resources

and cultural heritage resources. One effort to preserve

it is that the local community must be actively involved

in identifying assets that will be used in all forms of

tourism development. Public participation is a real

and positive contribution to society towards the

preparation of development planning and

implementation in the regions. The community

contributes in identifying regional development

programs according to local needs, potentials and

desires of community groups.

The principles of sustainable tourism must

underlie tourism development. Local wisdom that

develops in the community is not just a culture that is

considered primitive by the wider community

(Farhan, 2016). Local wisdom also has the power to

maintain the balance of nature and manage natural

resources and the environment wisely. Exploring and

understanding local wisdom in order to know how to

manage and conserve natural resources and the

environment. This understanding is important to be

the basis of wise management of natural resources and

the environment. Excavation of the noble cultural

wealth of the nation needs to be done to criticize its

existence related to the inevitability of the existence

of cultural change.

Understanding natural language, human and

architecture as a way to explore the potential of

indigenous knowledge and as a form of local wisdom

that has been proven to be able to maintain a balanced

life in a harmonious, long- lasting and sustainable

way. As a concept with various forms of spatial

implementation, the local wisdom of a community

will continue to grow in public awareness. This

affects the public's perception as a subject to protect

their environment which acts as an object. The

environment has unique characteristics that can be

understood by the local community. Finally, this

uniqueness is translated into natural language that can

be understood by humans to be maintained because

humans communicate.

4 CONCLUSION

Local wisdom in today's society has actually been

adapted according to the interests of the actors, but

its core value is maintained. Not a few young people

who have forgotten even do not know the local

wisdom in their environment. The local wisdom of the

Mandeh community in the field of environment is

very closely related to the belief that nature

takambang becomes a teacher (nature is developed

into a teacher), that nature is the main key to learning

for humans. The principles of sustainable tourism

must underlie the development of rural tourism.

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