THE TRADITION OF BUWUHAN : BETWEEN SOCIAL COHESION, ALMS, AND COMMERCIALIZATION

Abstract

The buwuhan tradition has for hundreds of years been a means of social cohesion in rural communities. In
social relations, buwuhan can be conceived of as economic negotiations using an exchange approach. As a subculture, buwuhan becomes a strategic tool in marking the stages of one’s life, which is held at weddings and
circumcisions. In rural communities this economic exchange is organized through record keeping. Awareness
of social norms of negligence requires that the exchange value be paid back at a minimum. In the modern era,
the buwuhan tradition experiences a value shift, making the buwuhan tradition a means of taking personal
advantage, which is wrapped in the values of solidarity and harmony. Especially in urban communities and
societies undergoing social transformation such as sub-urban communities. This is because modernization has
changed the way people look at the value of money. This meaning has further led to the occurrence of abusive
practices that have been implemented improperly, forced, exploited, with modes and strategies for material
gain. To preserve the value of the buwuhan tradition, there must be a social reconstruction that returns the
meaning of this tradition into its function as a social cohesion that can be accepted by the norms of modern
society, which are more rational, realistic, interactive, familiar, and harmonious.