Mang gariang : A paradigm of religious-cultural resilience

Abstract

This article investigates mang gariang, an indigenous moral philosophy of Ilawe Hamlet, Alor Island, Indonesia, as a locally grounded framework for sustaining social cohesion in a religiously plural society. While existing scholarship often explains interreligious harmony through institutional mechanisms or formal peacebuilding initiatives, this article highlights the role of indigenous ethical systems embedded in kinship, spirituality, and collective memory. Using a qualitative approach, the research draws on in-depth interviews with purposively selected participants from Ilawe and six neighbouring hamlets in Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, with data analysed thematically. The findings demonstrate that mang gariang functions as a living socio-cultural system constituted by four interconnected principles: esah uu karang (love and compassion), fui so tohamou (ancestral blood ties), asala ahol (self-awareness), and uur fed lahtal (divine presence and guidance). These principles underpin everyday practices of Muslim – Christian cooperation, reciprocal responsibility, and shared belonging across religious boundaries. Theoretically, this article contributes to debates on social solidarity by extending Durkheim’s vinculum sociale through an indigenous perspective, showing how communal bonds are actively produced through ritual memory, oral tradition, and embodied cultural practices. Mang gariang offers an alternative Indigenous model of resilience and peaceful coexistence amid rising religious polarisation and intolerance.