Discourse on Gayo through Historical Narration: Linge Kingdom, Loyang Mendale, and Loyang Ujung Karang

Abstract

The construction of an understanding of Gayo is greatly influenced by how the discourse on Gayo is produced. Discourse about Gayo can only be traced through historical texts that document various narrations about Gayo. This study aims to describe how the historical discourse contained in the text is used as legitimacy in building constructions about Gayo. To analyze the various narratives about Gayo in the text, this research uses qualitative research methods with the DHA (Discourse Historical Approach). Through DHA, the construction of an understanding of Gayo in the present which was built based on historical discourse found the context. The results of this study indicate that: (1) the texts about Gayo which are grouped into three sets “Linge Kingdom Texts 1”, “Linge Kingdom Texts 2”, and “Loyang Mendale and Loyang Ujung Karang Texts” are narratively contradictory to each other; (2) the three sets of texts become a discourse that legitimizes its narrative based on historical events; (3) The “Text of the Kingdom of Linge 1” becomes the understanding of the dominant group in reproducing the understanding of the dichotomy between the Acehnese as the dominant group and the Gayo tribe as a minority through discursive practices.