AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE MINORITY MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN MINAHASA: CULTURAL ADAPTATION AND SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN A CHRISTIAN-MAJORITY SETTING

Muhammad Kamil Jafar (IAIN Manado)
Taufani Taufani (IAIN Manado)
Ramli Semmawi (IAIN Manado)
Natalia Olivia Kusuma Dewi Lahamendu (IAKN Manado)

Aqlam: Journal of Islam and Plurality
Vol 11, No 1 (2026)

Studies on interfaith relations in Indonesia are often trapped in a simplistic dichotomy between potential sectarian conflict and the romanticism of normative tolerance. This ethnographic study aims to analyze the lived experiences, cultural adaptation mechanisms, and dynamics of peaceful coexistence within a minority Muslim community amidst a Christian-majority population in Minahasa, North Sulawesi. Employing a qualitative approach with a holistic ethnographic design, data were gathered through participant observation (a four-month living-in period), in-depth interviews, and documentary analysis across two strategic sites: the inland historical enclave of Kampung Jawa Tondano (Jaton) and the coastal region of Minahasa (Kema). Data were analyzed iteratively using Clifford Geertz’s symbolic anthropology framework (webs of significance) and Pierre Bourdieu’s cultural sociology (habitus, field, and capital). The findings reveal that: (1) The integration of the Islamic community in Minahasa did not stem from political expansion, but through peaceful acculturation including intermarriage, the creolization of the Javanese Tondano language, and the inculturation of life-cycle rituals without compromising doctrinal orthodoxy; (2) The philosophy of Si Tou Timou Tumou Tou and the doctrine of Torang Samua Basudara transform majority-minority dynamics into cultural fictive kinship, operationalized through the traditional Mapalus institution as an everyday habitus of tolerance (lived tolerance), such as cross-guarding protocols during religious holidays and halal culinary management (orang dapur); and (3) The minority Muslim community actively converts its cultural and symbolic capital (historical legitimacy as national hero descendants) into trust-based social capital and functional interdependence within economic arenas. This study concludes that sustainable peace is not dictated by top-down regulations, but is nurtured through cultural dispositions actively practiced in daily social routines.Keywords: Ethnography, Minority Muslim, Minahasa, Habitus of Tolerance, Mapalus, Torang Samua Basudara.Abstrak:  Kajian hubungan antarumat beragama di Indonesia sering kali terjebak dalam dikotomi simplistis antara potensi konflik sektarian atau romantisme toleransi normatif. Penelitian etnografis ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis lived experience, mekanisme adaptasi budaya, serta dinamika koeksistensi damai komunitas Muslim minoritas di tengah masyarakat mayoritas Kristen di Minahasa, Sulawesi Utara. Menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain etnografi holistik, data dikumpulkan melalui observasi partisipatif (living-in selama empat bulan), wawancara mendalam, dan studi dokumentasi di dua lokasi strategis: enklave historis pedalaman Kampung Jawa Tondano (Jaton) dan kawasan pesisir Minahasa (Kema). Analisis data dilakukan secara iteratif menggunakan kerangka antropologi simbolik Clifford Geertz (webs of significance) dan sosiologi budaya Pierre Bourdieu (habitus, field, dan capital). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) Integrasi komunitas Islam di Minahasa tidak terbentuk melalui ekspansi politik, melainkan melalui akulturasi damai termasuk pernikahan silang, kreolisasi bahasa Jawa Tondano, dan inkulturasi ritus daur hidup tanpa mengorbankan ortodoksi akidah; (2) Falsafah Si Tou Timou Tumou Tou dan doktrin Torang Samua Basudara mentransformasikan relasi mayoritas-minoritas menjadi kekerabatan kultural (fictive kinship), yang dioperasionalkan melalui pranata Mapalus sebagai habitus toleransi sehari-hari (lived tolerance), seperti tradisi pengamanan silang tempat ibadah dan sensitivitas tata kelola kuliner halal (orang dapur); serta (3) Komunitas Muslim minoritas secara aktif mengonversi modal kultural dan simbolik (legitimitasi sejarah pejuang bangsa) menjadi modal sosial berbasis kepercayaan (trust) dan ketergantungan fungsional di arena ekonomi. Studi ini menyimpulkan bahwa perdamaian yang berkelanjutan tidak didikte oleh regulasi top-down, melainkan dirawat melalui disposisi kultural yang dihidupi dalam rutinitas harian masyarakat.Kata Kunci: Etnografi, Muslim Minoritas, Minahasa, Habitus Toleransi, Mapalus, Torang Samua Basudara.