The Creativity of Society Making Ritual Becomes Show Art: Transformation of Ratok Bawak Meaning on Minangkabau Society, Indonesia

Using qualitative method and hermeneutical approach, this research examines the ratok bawak bewailing tradition of Minangkabau cultural ethnicity in Bukik Limbuku region, Payakumbuh town, Sumatra, Indonesia. This region uses the Indonesian language, Minangkabau tradition and follows the matrilineal system. They are led by a headman, administration is done according to custom and ratok bawak is used especially when burying a region headman. However, Hans-Georg Gadamer’s transformation theory found in his book titled Truth and Method (German: Wahrheit und Methode, first edition in 1960) has transformed this ritual into an art capable of influencing its original meaning. Data were collected by observation, interview, documentation, and reconstruction, and were analyzed by interpretative and qualitative descriptive analysis. Results show that though the ratok bawak had expounded the meaning of sadness, solidarity, education, politeness, prestige and discord, the transformed ratok bawak illustrates the meaning of aesthetics, education (norm, tradition, and social), imagination, expressive creativity, creation and appreciation.