Lego-Lego: An Attempt to Cultivate and Nurture Plurality
and Multiculture in the Alor Tradition
Sastri Sunarti
1
, Atisah
2
, Suryami
3
, Winci Firdaus
4
Centre for Language Development and Language Preservation, Development and Cultivation
Agency, Ministry of Education and Culture, the Republic of Indonesia
1-4
{sastri.sunarti@gmail.com
1
, atisah2014@gmail.com
2
, mimisuryami@yahoo.co.id
3
,
wincifirdaus@yahoo.com
4
}
Abstract. Indonesia is a country which has a characteristic of cultural diversity.
In Indonesia, the facts of plurality can be identified in around 650 local
languages, 700 ethnic groups, and five religions. According to the facts, we can
declare that Indonesia is a home for plurality. Today the plurality is challenged
by exclusivism and primordialism. Recently, in Indonesia, several bombs blasted,
and some people have been killed, and others are injured by the bomb. The unity
among the people like Moslem and Christian is threatened un-united. This paper
tries to offer a model of plurality, taking as an example, the oral tradition of The
lego-lego performance which has been successfully cultivated and nurtured by
the Alor people in Alor-Pantar island, East Nusa Tenggara. Alor-Painter has 18
local languages, 24 ethnic groups, and three major religions, which is a
miniature of diversity in Indonesia. The lyrics of the lego-lego performance
express the concepts of run kakang airing ‘brotherhood,' and "toramiti tominuku"
or "Haki-Haki tifang left Narang" ‘unity in diversity.' Both concepts have been
inherited through one of the traditions that are the “lego-lego” dance. This paper
tries to show the experience to gain a mutual understanding of how to nurture
diversity and reveal the inclusive identity of Alor in Indonesia.
Keywords: Plurality and Diversity, cultivating and nurturing, Lego-lego Dance
1. Introduction
Lately, research about plurality and multiculture have become important issue in Indonesia.
The plural country like Indonesia is facing the problems of radicalism and terorism today, like
the threats of fundamentalism, primordialism, exlusivism and mono-culture in spite of
plurality. Suryadinata [1] said that with a population of approximately 206 million and more
than 1000 ethnic and subethnic groups, Indonesia is undoubtedly one of the most ethnically
and culturally diverse countries in the world. Suryadinata’s statement is then supported by
Azyumardi Azra[1], who is said stated that the substantive multicultural world view is not a
new matter in Indonesia. As a nation that declared independence more than half a century ago,
Indonesia actually owns and is composed of a large number of ethnic groups, cultures,
religions, etc., so it can be called a multicultural society.
WESTECH 2018, December 08, Medan, Indonesia
Copyright © 2019 EAI
DOI 10.4108/eai.8-12-2018.2283970