Abstract:
This study describes the balian ceremony in the form of a ritual that is carried out as a traditional treatment in
the Paser tribe, Paser district, East Kalimantan. This is motivated by the belief of the Paser people who still
maintain healing rituals with the balian ceremony because of hereditary and entrenched beliefs, considerations of
alternative medicine, perceptions and views of life. This study aims to uncover 3 important focuses, namely: the
form of the balian ceremony procession, the meaning of the balian ceremony for the Paser tribal community, and
the function of the balian ceremony. The research method used in this study is qualitative with an ethnographic
approach. This study uses data collection techniques in the form of observation, in-depth interviews, and
documentation with primary data sources and secondary data sources. The results showed that the form of the
balian ceremony procession consists of three stages, the first is the preparation stage, namely the organizer
prepares the equipment and coordinates with the parties involved in the balian ceremony. Second, the core
activity stage is a mulung dancing along with reciting healing spells. Third, the closing stage is mulung
awareness, wiping water, and returning ceremonial equipment. The meaning of the Balian ceremony is the
struggle for life, harmony, welfare, safety, good morals, and opening of sustenance, the meaning of asking for
protection, remembering God, and remembering the nature of life. The function of the balian ceremony is an
effort to heal patients, as a medium of public entertainment, as a medium for connecting the Paser tribal
community to the spirits of their ancestors.
Keywords
Balian ceremony; ritual; traditional medicine
