Strengthening National Identity Through the Value and Preservation of Tidung Tribe Culture in the Indonesia-Malaysia Border Area

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/2602

Keywords:

National identity, Tidung tribe, cultural preservation, border areas

Abstract

This research project explores how the Tidung tribe's culture strengthens national identity in the Indonesia-Malaysia border region on Sebatik Island, an island off the coast of Borneo whose administration is split between Indonesia and Malaysia. Using a qualitative approach, the research analyses how the Tidung culture is preserved through customs, traditional games, and traditional cuisine. Primary data were collected from Tidung community leaders and academics, while secondary data were gathered from cultural documents. The research identified twelve cultural values embedded in the Tidung tribe's customs, traditional games, and traditional cuisine. These values are: religious, mutual cooperation, togetherness, independence, agility, integrity, courage, justice, permanence, firmness, simplicity, and fortitude. These values can strengthen national identity. Additionally, cultural preservation efforts were identified through the Iraw Festival and indigenous community programs. These values and efforts serve to strengthen national identity in the Indonesia-Malaysia border region and preserve the culture of the Tidung tribe.

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Author Biographies

Fairul Zabadi , National Research and Innovation Agency

Fairul Zabadi is an Associate Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia. He completed doctoral education (applied linguistics) at Jakarta State University in 2009. His research interests include language and culture, with a particular focus on identity and education. His ongoing research is on local wisdom in the forest cultural traditions of the Tobelo ethnic in Halmahera, North Maluku, and the preservation of Tidung culture in the Indonesian border region of North Kalimantan. His latest article, published in 2025, is Cultural Practices as Drivers of Forest Preservation: An Ethnographic Study of the Tobelo Ethnic.

Wahyudi, Universitas Negeri Surabaya

Wahyudi is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, University of Palangka Raya, Indonesia, teaching Pancasila Education and Civic Education. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Civic Education from Mulawarman University, his master’s degree in National Defense from the Indonesia Defense University, during which he attended a short course at the Naval Postgraduate School, USA, on ethnic and religious conflict and his doctoral degree in Civic Education from the Indonesia University of Education. His research focuses on civic education, border, and national defense studies. Before moving his home base to the University of Palangka Raya, he was a lecturer at the State University of Surabaya.

Fatmahwati A.

Fatmahwati A. is a researcher at the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency, especially at the Center for Language, Literature, and Community Research. She obtained her doctoral degree in Language Education from the University of Education Indonesia in 2016. Her research interests include cross-cultural pragmatics, indigenous peoples, phenomena in border areas, and oral traditions.

Umar Sidik

Umar Sidik is an associate research fellow in applied literature at the National Research and Innovation Agency. He earned his master's degree in children's literature education from Yogyakarta State University in 2009. His research interests include literary education, children's reading, and culture, both literary and field research. He also writes extensively on popular science topics about culture for publication in the mass media.

Dewi Nastiti Lestariningsih

Dewi Nastiti Lestariningsih is a junior researcher in Center for Language, Literature and Community Research, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia. Her research interests in linguistic, corpus, and disability issue. She currently pursuing doctoral degree in Linguistics in Padjadjaran University with a focus on disability corpus in children's stories. She can be found via email : dewi041@brin.go.id.

Eka Suryatin

Suryatin is an employee at the Research Center for Language, Literatur, and Community, National Researcher and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Currently focusing on education, language, and culture research. She has  published several national and international publications, including proceedings, books chapters, and scientific journals. Email : ekas008@brin.go.id.

Yulia Fitrina

Yulia Fitrina officially became a researcher with expertise in Interdisciplinary Literature in 2019, and in 2022 joined the Center for Research on Language, Literature, and Community, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) as a Young Expert Researcher. She is currently doing her doctorate at Andalas University and interested in cultural issues, educational research and locally charged character education. She can be contacted via yuli052@brin.go.id or fitrinayulia@ymail.com.

Royan Nur Fahmi

Royan Nur Fahmi was born and lives in Jakarta. Currently, Royan works as a researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Prior to this, he contributed his expertise at the Center for Language Strategy and Diplomacy Development (PPSDK), where he was involved in various language development and diplomacy programs. Royan is actively engaged in writing and conducting research in the fields of Indonesian language for speakers of other languages (BIPA) and applied linguistics. His interest in language teaching and linguistic studies is reflected in the scholarly publications he has produced. In addition to his role as a writer and researcher.

Buha Aritonang

Buha Aritonang is an Associate Researcher at the Research Center for Language and Literature Preservation, Research Organization for Archaeology, Language, and Literature, National Innovation Research Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia. Drs. Buha Aritonang, M.M., earned his bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Letters, University of North Sumatra in 1986 and his master's degree from the Postgraduate Program of the Kusuma Negara Jakarta College of Economics in 2008. His research interests have focused more on pure linguistics.

Ery Agus Kurnianto

Ery Agus Kurnianto is an Associate Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia, Research Organization for Archaeology, Language, and Literature, Center for Language, Literature, and Community Studies, since 2021. He earned his master’s degree from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Department of Literature, University of Indonesia in 2009. His research interests include language, literature, and the teaching and learning of language and literature.

Wati Kurniawati

Wati Kurniawati is an Associate Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia. She earned her doctorate in Language Education (Applied Linguistics) from the State University of Jakarta in 2020. Her research interests include interdisciplinary linguistics, sociolinguistics, geolinguistics, comparative historical linguistics, and landscape linguistics.

I Wayan Tama

I Wayan Tama is an Associate Researcher at the Language and Literature Conservation Research Center, National Research and Innovation Agency. He earned his master’s degree from Linguistic Magister, Udayana University, in 1996. He specializes in interdisciplinary linguistics. His research interests include sociolinguistics, anthropolinguistics, language kinship, and language preservation. His other interests include pure linguistics and language teaching.

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Published

2025-07-31

How to Cite

Zabadi , F., Wahyudi, A., F., Sidik, U., Lestariningsih , D. N., Suryatin , E., … Tama, I. W. (2025). Strengthening National Identity Through the Value and Preservation of Tidung Tribe Culture in the Indonesia-Malaysia Border Area. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 12(4), 209–229. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/2602

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 4: In Progress (2025)

Section

Original Manuscript

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Copyright (c) 2025 Fairul Zabadi , Wahyudi, Dewi Nastiti Lestariningsih , Eka Suryatin , Yulia Fitrina

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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