Social Transformation and Reconfiguration of Saibatin Traditional Authority in Wayharu, West Coast, Lampung

This study examines how the traditional authority of Saibatin was reconfigured in Pekon Wayharu, West Coast, Lampung. The report discusses gaps in studies that describe customary succession or ritual continuity but rarely explains how populations reassess leaders when hereditary legitimacy no longer guarantees effective social performance. Using a qualitative case study design with a historical approach, the study utilizes oral histories, observations, documentation, focused discussions, and unstructured interviews with indigenous leaders, indigenous officials, and community members. Historical sources are critiqued, matched, and arranged chronologically before thematic interpretation through Weber's traditional authority and Parsons' AGIL model. The findings show a shift from status-based respect to performance-based and participatory legitimacy. Residents continue to appreciate Saibatin's institution as a guardian of culture, but question leaders who are perceived as distant, weak in communication, or entangled in formal village offices. Adaptation occurs through the demands of responsive communication; achievement of goals through joint decision-making; integration through meditation and collective rituals; and latency through intergenerational cultural transmission. This transformation is not the loss of customs or simple modernization, but rather the renegotiation of historical authority in which genealogical status must be combined with accountability, participation, and cultural competence.