Raputallang sebagai Konsep Konseling Kontekstual di Masyarakat Toraja

Abstract

The Toraja people understand Raputallang as an expression of personifi-cation (symbolic) in which it expresses the meaning of family relations that are built based on flesh-blood relations (genealogy). The purpose of this research is to explain the concept of Raputallang as a counseling media for the people of Toraja. This research is motivated by the lack of impact and the limited reach of the counseling process carried out by the church to the Toraja people who are facing problems. Therefore, it is necessary to develop counseling media that can reach and provide a more effective impact to help the people of Toraja to improve the value of life which had declined due to the problems they faced. This study, using the theory of Community Counseling, was developed by Judith A. Lewis and colleagues. This paper use a qualitative research with a descriptive approach. The source of this research information are to minaa '(traditional leaders) and cultural observers in Toraja. This research shows that Raputallang becomes or is used as a medium for community counseling through a cultural awareness approach.