LOCAL HERITAGE AS LIVING TEXT: INTEGRATING TORAJA WOODCARVING AND THE MINAHASAN MANGUNI MYTH INTO CULTURAL LITERACY EDUCATION IN INDONESIAN SCHOOLS

Abstract

Indonesia's cultural heritage offers immense potential as a pedagogical resource; however, formal schooling often reduces local traditions to mere superficial familiarity rather than fostering a deep, interpretive understanding. Drawing upon two symbolic traditions, Torajan woodcarving in South Sulawesi and the Manguni myth of the Minahasa people in North Sulawesi, this study proposes an integrative ethnopedagogical model to strengthen cultural literacy within the teaching of Indonesian language, literature, and the arts. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design complemented by semiotic and ethnopedagogical analyses, the study pursues three objectives: (1) mapping the gap between students' familiarity with and their interpretation of visual and narrative heritage; (2) analyzing the semiotic, linguistic, and ethnopedagogical values ​​embedded in Torajan carvings and the Manguni myth; and (3) developing and validating a critical-contextual learning model aligned with the Kurikulum Merdeka (Independent Curriculum) and the Profil Pelajar Pancasila (Pancasila Student Profile). Quantitative data will be collected from approximately 300 upper-primary and high school students using culture-based literacy instruments and analyzed via cluster and comparative statistics, while qualitative data will be gathered through interviews with teachers, traditional leaders, and artisans; classroom observations; and document analysis. The study anticipates that students will demonstrate strong superficial familiarity but struggle to grasp symbolic, ritual, and ecological meanings, noting that exposure within family and community settings significantly shapes their interpretive beliefs. The expected contribution is a cross-regional learning framework that transforms local symbols into "living texts" through critical listening, multimodal reading, and productive writing and design tasks, thereby fostering ecological awareness, critical reasoning, and an appreciation for global diversity. By integrating tangible and intangible heritage into a single pedagogical model, this study offers a scalable cultural heritage education strategy that bridges modernization with deeply rooted cultural sustainability, while providing empirical evidence for curriculum developers, teacher education programs, and cultural policy stakeholders.