Erosions of Traditional Wisdom: Kuwaikrik, Globalization, and the Church’s Response in Masa-Bano Community of Jayapura-Papua

Erosion has a destructive impact that significantly affects sustainability. The local wisdom of Kuwaikrik from the Masa and Bano tribes, preserved since ancient times by the Ondoafi (highest leader) of the Tabi community in Jayapura-Papua, is experiencing erosion due to globalization and anthropocentric thinking. The aim of this research is to explore the erosion of Kuwaikrik’s local wisdom values caused by globalization within the Masa-Bano indigenous community in Yakotim, and the church’s response to these changes. The methodology employed is descriptive qualitative, utilizing data collection techniques such as observation and structured interviews with Ondoafi and church leaders in Yakotim Village, Namblong District, Jayapura Regency. Data analysis follows the Miles and Huberman technique, which includes data collection, reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that Kuwaikrik’s local wisdom, which encompasses three pillars of preservation—self (Eni yau kenow), others (Ko ngan de bu), and nature (Kunare tmbari-tmbari kwo)—is undergoing degradation, particularly in the pillar of nature preservation. This is attributed to the influence of globalization and anthropocentric attitudes, resulting in modern rationalism that includes greed and a shift in the position of the cosmos from subject to object. The church’s response to this phenomenon is to provide education that nature is undergoing universal reconciliation for improvement, emphasizing its need to be regarded and respected as a subject. The follow-up to this education involves advocating for conservative services to restore the integrity of nature.