Makna Ekologis Totem Buaya dalam Ritual Uis Oe: Kajian Sosiologi Ritual Agama

Abstract

The Uis Oe ritual in Linamnutu Village, South Amanuban Disteict, South Central Timor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, is a tradition that continues to be preserved by the community despite the fact that most of its members are Christians. The crocodile is understood as a symbol of Uis Oe (God of Water), associated with the sustainability of water sources, agriculture, and and the community’s social life. This study aims to analyze the ecological meaning of the crocodile totem in the Uis Oe ritual and to explain its role in shaping social solidarity and the cultural identity of the community. This tudy employs a qualitative method with an etnographic approach. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and documentation involving tradition leaders, community leaders, government representatives, and pastors in Linamnutu Village. The data were then analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model through the prespectives of Emile Durkheim’s theory of Totemism and Randall Collins’s interaction Ritual Chains theory. The findings show that the crocodile totem is not understood as an object of worship, but rather as a sacred symbol of Uis Oe that shapes the community’s collective consciousness to protect dams, irrigation channels, and the surrounding environment. The Uis Oe ritual also strengthens social solidarity through the involvement of various community leaders, produces a sustainable cultural identity, and fosters an ecological ethic based on local wisdom. This study demonstrates that local rituals function as social mechanism that integrate religious, social, cultural, and ecological dimensions into the community’s everyday life.

Keywords: Crocodile totem, Uis Oe Ritual, ecological meaning, social solidarity, sociology of religious ritual.