Savukh Rangin Ritual: A Study of Social Semiotics

Abstract

Savukh Rangin is one of the oral traditions that is still alive and survived by Key community. It is performed to invoke God's Blessing, others, and the ancestors so that a baby could adapt to social environment where he/she was born. The ritual conducted is intended to keep the baby away from various kinds of illnesses or disturbance of natural surroundings. This study aims to reveal the meanings of verbal signs, nonverbal, manifest and latent in the ritual. The disclosure of meanings of verbal and nonverbal signs in Savukh Rangin ritual applied theory of social semiotics by Peirce (1975), which emphasizes on the signs of icons, indexes, symbols, and a means manifest and latent meaning according to Berger (2010). The analytical method used is descriptive qualitative analysis. The data collecting techniques used include interview, participatory, and observation techniques. The research results shows that the use of verbal and nonverbal signs referring to the lexical, significance, referential, associative, manifest, and latent meanings. The meanings are mediated systematically by all participants in the ritual. More dominant meanings in the ritual refer to the associative and referential meanings.