Abstract

This study aims to describe the meaning of the ritual of placing the kuda-kuda rumah among the Dayak Ma’anyan Paju Epat tribe and examine the conditions under which it is carried out in Unsum Village, Raren Batuah District, East Barito Regency, Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. The study employed a descriptive qualitative approach, utilizing data collected through a literature review, field observations, and in-depth interviews with informants. The results show that this ritual maintains symbolic authority through ritual repetition, serving as a social fact that supports the communal and spiritual norms of the community. The symbols in the ritual reflect the interaction between local traditions and broader religious elements. Traditional rituals adapt to contemporary pressures. The religious practice reveals that religion not only acts as a force that regulates social norms but also as an expression of individual fears and hopes. Furthermore, the ritual reflects and reinforces hierarchical roles within the community (from male dominance in ritual leadership), resulting in the marginalization of women’s roles in ritual activities. This study highlights the complexity of the kuda-kuda rumah ritual as a form of religiosity in a dynamic social context. This also causes ambiguity in symbolic interpretation across generations, posing a challenge to the transmission of local knowledge from one generation to the next.