THE MAINTENANCE OF KONJO LANGUAGE THROUGH MANTRAS AS TRADITIONAL MEDICINE OF “AMMATOA” INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY

Abstract

One of the indigenous communities that very strongly maintain traditions and preserve their local language
in South Sulawesi Province is “Ammatoa” indigenous community. They still use traditional practices as
the main medical system. Local knowledge of the community made the Konjo language famous as a spoken
language in traditional medical practices called "mantras". The mantras are assumed to be an excellent aid
for healing and maintaining the Konjo language. Social and Cultural dynamics, however, cause the mantras
to experience development due to inter-ethnic contact and Islamic influence in traditional medicine. This
also impacts the variation of language use in the mantras. Therefore, the interpretive phenomenology and
in-depth interviews with a total of 6 informants were used to collect the data. It aims to examine the types
of language used in healing mantras of “Ammatoa” indigenous community, to identify types of diseases
which used Konjo language in the mantras, and to explore the healing mantras inheritance process. The
data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The information gathered can be used to derive the following
conclusions: 1. Besides using the Konjo language, the healing mantra incorporates Arabic (Holy Qur’an),
Makassarese, Buginese and Bahasa (Indonesian language), 2. Healing mantras in the Konjo language are
used to cure all diseases including natural, magic, religion related diseases, 3. The healing mantra
inheritance process has been done in several ways. First, the healing mantra inheritance process is done by
passing on the healer’s knowledge to his child or other members of the family through daily
communications. Second, the healing mantra successor is also chosen through inspiration that comes to the
healer through dreams. It can be concluded that mantras in the traditional medicine of Ammatoa indigenous
community can be used as one strategy of Konjo language maintenance. However, less interest of the
younger generation to inherit the mantras and the erosion of traditional practices pose a significant threat
to the continued use of Konjo language in mantras as a form of traditional medicine.