The Aqiqah and Circumcision in the Bajo Tribe Tradition : An Overview of Cultural Acculturation

Abstract

This study analyzed the rituals of aqiqah and circumcision, along with the inclusion of Islam in the Bajo tribe life. The research used a qualitative approach with a case study and ethnographic methods. Informants, as primary data sources, were selected by purposive sampling and snowball techniques. The researchers collected data through observation, interviews, focused group discussions, and document reviews. The researchers then analyzed the data by grouping, making a sequence, and abbreviating the data so that it was easy to read. The results stated that long before embracing Islam, the Bajo tribe had a tradition that was upheld by the people. After adopting Islam as a new religion for them, the practice of old traditions that have been passed down since their ancestors retained it. Then there is the acculturation of Islamic values in the Bajo culture. Aqiqah and circumcision, which are Islamic orders, are accepted and practiced by the Bajo by utilizing the ritual traditions they used to do before Islam. Values of worship of the spirit along with its main ingredients such as betel leaves, turmeric, areca nut, etcetera are maintained in the practice of aqiqah and circumcision by adopting the recitation of remembrance sourced from the al Qur’an.