From Pasang Ri Kajang to Ammatoa Perennial Pedagogy: A Phenomenological Reconstruction And Dialogue With Islamic Education

Abstract

This study aims to reconstruct the meaning of perennial pedagogy within the Pasang ri Kajang oral tradition of the Ammatoa indigenous community and to analyze the process of value transmission regarding character formation and socio-ecological sustainability. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was employed to uncover the lived experiences, practices, and meanings embodied in Pasang ri Kajang. Data were gathered through interviews, observation, and documentation, then analyzed via phenomenological reduction, identification of meaning units, thematic clustering, interpretation of experiential essences, and theoretical dialogue with concepts of perennialism, Islamic Religious Education, character education, and indigenous pedagogy. The findings reveal eight fundamental values: kamase-masea (simplicity/humility), hard work, sufficiency, self-control, existential awareness, spirituality, social ethics, and ecological responsibility. These values are transmitted by the Ammatoa leader, parents, elders, customary figures, and the community through mechanisms such as oral instruction, role modeling, participation, rituals, habituation, and social correction. This process shapes lived experiences that foster the internalization of values into habits, dispositions, and character, as well as socio-ecological order and intergenerational sustainability. The study’s novelty lies in the reconstruction of Ammatoa Perennial Pedagogy conceptualizing Pasang as a living pedagogical system that transforms fundamental values into character through community experience and intergenerational transmission. Future research is recommended to conduct comparative, longitudinal, and mixed-method studies to test and expand this construct within the contexts of other indigenous communities and Islamic educational settings.