Ritual Communication and the Transmission of Local Knowledge in the Methik Pari Tradition: An Asiacentric Reading of Javanese Society

Abstract

Communication studies often read local rituals through theories developed from Western experience. This article examines the methik pari tradition in Krakal Village, Wlingi District, Blitar Regency, as ritual communication sustained through the transmission of local knowledge. The study applies a non-positivistic qualitative approach. Primary data come from an in-depth interview with one elder and ritual specialist selected through purposive sampling. Secondary data come from journal articles, government documents, and local media. The analysis draws on Carey’s ritual view of communication and Miike’s Asiacentricity through four stages: data reduction, historical mapping, interpretation, and source triangulation. The findings show three points. First, ritual knowledge is transmitted orally through the family and direct practice. Second, the addressees of ritual communication are layered, including ancestors, Mbok Sri and Joko Sedono, the earth, and God. Third, agricultural modernization changes the rhythm of farming work but does not erase the ritual. The main challenge lies in the regeneration of ritual specialists. The article concludes that change in practice does not equal loss of meaning, and that Javanese experience can serve as a source of knowledge about communication.