Ritual Governance and Kinship Restoration: Lamaholot Customary Reconciliation after the 2026 Bele–Lewonara Land Conflict

Customary land conflicts on Adonara Island in Indonesia can disrupt relationships among groups that understand themselves as kin. The Lamaholot concept of kenetun captures this rupture, which cannot be addressed through a cessation of violence alone. This article examines ritual governance and kinship reaffirmation in the reconciliation following the 2026 Bele–Lewonara conflict. Using interpretive qualitative document analysis, the study compares scholarly accounts of mela sare and hodi limat with seven reports and releases concerning the conflict and the ceremony held on 10 August 2026. John Paul Lederach's relational approach supplies the theoretical framework, with attention to truth, mercy, justice, and peace. Four analytical categories emerge from the customary repertoire: reciprocal giving and receiving, mixing palm wine and drinking together, sharing meals, and joining hands or dancing collectively. These actions primarily express renewed acceptance and the aspiration to peaceful association, while questions of truth and justice require additional procedures. The August ceremony retained a customary oath, Bau Lolon, and invocation before Rera Wulan Tana Ekan, while incorporating a written peace record, governmental witnesses, and a church venue. Customary elders continued to perform the recognised ritual acts. The findings indicate that reconciliation publicly reaffirms pre-existing kinship rather than necessarily creating new bonds. Documentary limitations prevent conclusions about lasting peace, unresolved land boundaries, or the complete performance of traditional actions during the ceremony. The study contributes an institutionally differentiated account of customary reconciliation.