Abstract:
Tigers have become part of the lives of Sumatran people. As part of the living system, tigers also have an impact on society. These impacts include the relationship between humans and nature, spirituality and culture. Through an ethnographic perspective, this article explains the ways in which people in West Sumatra relate to tigers and the social life that is influenced by the results of the relationship. This research also uses a non-human agency perspective, which sees tigers as agents that change human life. This article is based on WWF’s Program since 2019, field research was conducted in West Sumatra. Every two months went to the field and interviewed with local people. Based on the results of the research, it is known that for the people of West Sumatra, tigers are relatives (kinship) who are respected by being called Datuk, Inyiak, and Orang Tua. These terms are socially used by the community to refer to tribal chiefs and old people. Tigers also impact social, cultural and religious life in West Sumatra. There is tiger martial arts, tiger “ilmu”, spirit, and so on. People also have rules when in the forest to respect the existence of tigers. Knowledge about tigers is passed down from generation to generation.
Mangunjaya, F. M., Royyani, M. F., Widodo, F. A., & Zulham, M. Tiger and Spirituality in West Sumatera: Conservation Context.
