Dwi Ayu Ningrum, Budiyono Budiyono, Yuli Utanto

Constructing an indigenous ecological curriculum: educational practices of the Sedulur Sikep community

Introduction

Constructing an indigenous ecological curriculum: educational practices of the sedulur sikep community. Uncover Sedulur Sikep's indigenous ecological curriculum in Pati, designed to counter environmental threats and peasant regeneration challenges. Offers insights for national curriculum on ecology.

Abstract

This study examines how Sedulur Sikep Community (Samin) in Pati, as one of the indigenous community units that still adheres to their principle of not sending their children to formal schools, designs, implements, and develops an ecological education curriculum. The approach used in this research is qualitative, which focuses on the hermeneutic phenomenology method to analyse the position of their ecological education curriculum from the perspective of social reconstruction. Data in this study were obtained by utilising the observation method and informal in-depth interviews. The discussion of the research findings centres around two major issues: First, since 2006, the development of the ecological education curriculum of Sedulur Sikep Community in Pati has been an effort in response to the cement factory establishment plan that threatens their lives and livelihoods as peasants. Second, in addition to the threat of ecological damage, the Sedulur Sikep Community is also dealing with the challenges of peasant regeneration, both within and outside the community, where peasants are ageing and the younger generation is reluctant to inherit their parents’ way of life as peasants. This study offers a new insight by explaining the phenomenon of the indigenous community from the perspective of curriculum studies. Eventually, this article implies the need for Indonesia's national curriculum to address future ecological problems, besides the national and global food security challenges.

Review

This study presents a compelling and timely examination of how the Sedulur Sikep (Samin) community in Pati constructs, implements, and evolves an indigenous ecological curriculum. The focus on a community that actively chooses not to engage with formal schooling, instead developing its own educational framework, is particularly intriguing. Employing a qualitative approach centered on hermeneutic phenomenology, the research aims to analyze this ecological education through the lens of social reconstruction, utilizing observation and informal in-depth interviews for data collection. The abstract effectively sets the stage for a deep dive into the unique educational practices of an indigenous group facing significant external pressures, offering a valuable contribution to understanding alternative education systems and community resilience. The research findings reveal two critical issues driving the Sedulur Sikep's curriculum development. Firstly, the curriculum has emerged as a direct response to the existential threat posed by a proposed cement factory, highlighting the community's proactive efforts to preserve their land, livelihoods, and traditional way of life as peasants. This demonstrates a powerful link between ecological education and social activism. Secondly, the study identifies the challenge of peasant regeneration, with an aging population and a reluctance among the younger generation to embrace farming, both within and outside the community. These findings underscore the complex interplay of ecological preservation, cultural continuity, and socioeconomic pressures that shape the community's educational priorities. Ultimately, this article promises to offer significant new insights by analyzing the phenomenon of an indigenous community through the specialized lens of curriculum studies, an underexplored area. By explaining how an indigenous group's educational practices are shaped by and respond to specific ecological and socio-cultural challenges, the study moves beyond mere description to offer analytical depth. The implication for Indonesia's national curriculum to address future ecological problems and national/global food security challenges is a powerful call to action, suggesting that lessons from indigenous communities like the Sedulur Sikep could inform broader educational reforms. This work appears to be a crucial step in bridging indigenous knowledge systems with contemporary educational discourse.

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