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The Bugis community is one of the main ethnic groups in the eastern coast of Sabah namely Tawau, which has been dominantly settled down by the Bugis after the migration from their homeland, the South Sulawesi (Celebes). The Bugis became Muslims since the beginning of the seventeenth century and accepted the Islamic teaching as an essential part of their culture. Nevertheless, until this day, much of their pre-Islamic heritage remains alive and well preserved. This is because, similar to other ethnic groups found in the Malay cluster, the Bugis still believes and practices some of their ancestry traditions. Most of the Bugis face confusion in differentiating between the true Islamic teachings from their traditional culture. This particular phenomenon is referred to as ?Islamic-syncretism?, which is the interest of this research. The phenomenon of Islamic-syncretism in the Bugis traditions can be traced in some of their practices that are mostly apparent in funeral feast, wedding ceremony, Quranic recitation, circumcision and other cultural practices. Since Tawau has been the focal area of the study, the discussion also involves a comparison to see whether those phenomena are similar to their relatives in South Sulawesi. |
Jointly organized by IIAS the Netherlands and The State Institute of Islamic Studies, Makassar