Religious and Ecological Expression: Musical Responses to Environmental Degradation in Rawa Tripa, Aceh, Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62033/iasjol.v3i2.185Keywords:
Artivism, Ecomusicology, Religious and adat expression, Ecological crisis, AcehAbstract
The ecological crisis in Rawa Tripa, a peatland ecosystem in Aceh, has resulted in biodiversity loss, disrupted livelihoods, and environmental imbalance following the expansion of oil palm plantations. Previous studies have largely approached this issue from ecological, legal, and policy perspectives, while comparatively little attention has been paid to how local communities respond through religious and adat expressions. This study examines the song Rawa Tripa by Rafly Kande to explore how music functions as a medium for articulating ecological experience. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach and drawing on online-based sources, the analysis demonstrates that the song narrates the disappearance of vital resources, articulates collective concern, and frames nature as a divine trust (amanah). The song reflects ecological memory and conveys religious and adat values embedded in everyday life. These findings suggest that traditional musical expressions constitute a form of community response to environmental degradation, offering insights into the intersections of religion, adat, and ecology in Aceh, Indonesia.
References
Apel Green Aceh. (2024). Koalisi selamatkan Rawa Tripa bentangkan spanduk raksasa tuntut pencabutan HGU. Apelgreenaceh.or.Id. https://apelgreenaceh.or.id/en/publikasi-aga/koalisi-selamatkan-rawa-tripa-bentangkan-spanduk-raksasa-tuntut-pencabutan-hgu-pt-kallista-alam-dan-pt-surya-panen-subur-ii/
Arief, S., Rusdi, M., & Basri, H. (2022). Analisis Konversi Lahan Gambut di Ekosistem Rawa Tripa. Jurnal Ilmiah Mahasiswa Pertanian, 7(1), 649–653. https://doi.org/10.17969/jimfp.v7i1.18400
Ariyanda IL. (2021). Nilai-Nilai Pendidikan Akhlak Melalui Syair Islami (Studi Analisis terhadap Lagu Rafli Kande). Tadabbur: Jurnal Peradaban Islam, 3(1), 250–264. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22373/tadabbur.v3i1.161
Barkah, Q., Cholidi, C., Rochmiyatun, S., Asmorowati, S., & Fernando, H. (2023). The Manipulation of Religion and The Legalization of Underage Marriages in Indonesia. Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam, 7(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i1.13316
Carey, J. W. (2008). Communication as Culture, Revised Edition (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203928912
Fadila, R., & Sani, A. (2024). Pertanggung Jawaban Perdata PT. Kallista Alam terkait Pencemaran Lingkungan di Rawa Tripa (Studi Kasus Putusan Nomor 12/PDT.G/2012/PN/MBO). Jurnal Jurist Argumentum (Pemikiran Intelektual Hukum), 2(1), 17–31.
Fernando, H., Larasati, Y. G., Abdullah, I., Florika, V. T., & Liyana, C. I. (2025). The Deconstruction of Women’s Values in # MeToo on Instagram. Italian Sociologial Review, 15(January), 27–46. https://doi.org/10.13136/isr.v15i1.821
Fernando, H., Larasati, Y.G., & Cahyani, N. (2023). Being #wanitasalihah: Representations of salihah women on TikTok. IAS Journal of Localities, 1(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.62033/iasjol.v1i1.8
Gade, A. M. (2019). Muslim Environmentalisms: Religious and Social Foundations. In Muslim Environmentalisms. Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.7312/gade19104
Hanafiah, J. (2023). Rawa Tripa, Hutan Gambut Habitatnya Kucing Liar. Mongabay Indonesia. https://www.mongabay.co.id/2023/03/29/rawa-tripa-hutan-gambut-habitatnya-kucing-liar/
Hanafiah, J. (2024). Rawa Tripa, Habitat Orangutan Sumatera yang Terus Dirambah. Mongabay Indonesia. https://www.mongabay.co.id/2024/11/20/rawa-tripa-habitat-orangutan-sumatera-yang-terus-dirambah/
Harnish, D. (2019). Music Education and Sustainability in Lombok, Indonesia. Celt: A Journal of Culture, English Language Teaching & Literature, 19(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.24167/celt.v19i1.2076
Hasyim, I. (2024). Organisasi Lokal Aceh Buat Petisi untuk Selamatkan Rawa Tripa, Galang 65 Ribu Tanda Tangan. Tempo. https://www.tempo.co/lingkungan/organisasi-lokal-aceh-buat-petisi-untuk-selamatkan-rawa-tripa-galang-65-ribu-tanda-tangan-12318
Herlina, N. (2020). The Meaning of Culture in Ranup Rafli Kande’s Song Lyrics: Study of Ethnolinguistics. Al-Madaris, 1(1), 21–29. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.47887/amd.v1i1.7
Hidayati, D. (2021). Penyelesaian Konflik Lahan Gambut Rawa Tripa di Kabupaten Nagan Raya Ditinjau Menurut Konsep Al-Ṣulḥu. Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Ar-Raniry.
Istiqamah, Rizkyna, P. A., & Hijaratunnisa. (2024). Mophological Process of Acehnese Verbs in Album Rafly Kande. Jurnal DISASTRI: Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra Indonesia, 6(1), 221–230. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33752/disastri.v6i1.6052
Iswahyudi. (2016). Konflik Lahan Di Hutan Gambut Rawa Tripa Provinsi Aceh. Jurnal Penelitian AGROSAMUDRA, 3(2), 38–45.
Jurriëns, E. (2020). Indonesian Artivism: Layers of Performativity and Connectivity. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art, 20(2), 231–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/14434318.2020.1837377
Kasga Record. (2018). Rafly KanDe - Rawa Tripa (Album Gisa Bak Punca) [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obCfb9YeSvE&ab_channel=KasgaRecord
Larasati, Y. G., Fernando, H., Abdullah, I., Harpawati, T., & Morin, L. (2025). Bibliometric Analysis of 20 years of Traditional Music Research in Asia. Resital: Jurnal Seni Pertunjukan, 25(3), 392–413. https://doi.org/10.24821/resital.v25i3.14983
Lgs, I. (2021). [Translated comments about the destruction of Rawa Tripa in the song Rawa Tripa-Rafly Kande on the Kasga Record YouTube channel]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obCfb9YeSvE&ab_channel=KasgaRecord
Maqfirah, A., Yusuf, Y., & Saadiah. (2020). Analisis Nilai Moral dalam Teks Lagu Rafly Album Gisa Bak Punca. Jurnal Bahasa Dan Sastra, 14(2), 13–26.
Monalisa, M. (2014). Peluang dan Tantangan Gerakan Penyelamatan Rawa Tripa Berbasis Komunitas di Provinsi Aceh. Jurnal Agrisep, 15(1), 25–30.
Monalisa, Zuska, F., Nasution, Z., & Delvian. (2016). Strategi dan Pola Adaptasi Masyarakat Rawa Tripa terhadap Perubahan Lingkungan. Prosiding Seminar Nasional ‘Pelestarian Lingkungan & Mitigasi Bencana’, 542–547.
Pedelty, M. (2012). Ecomusicology: Rock, folk, and the environment. In Sustainability (Switzerland) (Vol. 11, Issue 1). Temple University Press.
Prior, H. M. (2022). How Can Music Help Us to Address the Climate Crisis? Music & Science, 5. https://doi.org/10.1177/20592043221075725
Ruysschaert, D., & Hufty, M. (2020). Building an effective coalition to improve forest policy: Lessons from the coastal Tripa peat swamp rainforest, Sumatra, Indonesia. Land Use Policy, 99(November 2016), 103359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.04.034
Sharma, M., Chaubey, A. K., & Singh, S. (2025). The Anthropocene in South Asian Popular Music: A Critical Examination of Papon’s “Waise Hi Rehna, Waise Hi Behna” Through an Ecomusicological Lens. In D. Biswas & J. C. Ryan (Eds.), Environmental Humanities in India (Vol. 25, pp. 219–234). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-3933-2_14
Shevock, D. J., & Bates, V. C. (2024). Music Lessons for a Living Planet: Ecomusicology for Young People (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003130543
Smith, J. D., Adam, R., & Maarif, S. (2024). How social movements use religious creativity to address environmental crises in Indonesian local communities. Global Environmental Change, 84(July 2023), 102772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2023.102772
Talib, R., Larasati, Y. G., Tanipu, Z., & Mohammad, T. F. (2026). Barriers to developing effective ESP teaching materials at Gorontalo State University. Cogent Education, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2608411
Tata, H. L., van Noordwijk, M., Ruysschaert, D., Mulia, R., Rahayu, S., Mulyoutami, E., Widayati, A., Ekadinata, A., Zen, R., Darsoyo, A., Oktaviani, R., & Dewi, S. (2014). Will funding to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and (forest) Degradation (REDD+) stop conversion of peat swamps to oil palm in orangutan habitat in Tripa in Aceh, Indonesia? Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 19, 693–713. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-013-9524-5
van Dijck, J., Poell, T., & de Waal, M. (2018). The Platform Society. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190889760.001.0001
Waswala, B. O., Owiti, C. D., Jepkemei, F., & Kodak, B (2023). An Evaluation of contemporary East African Kiswahili environmental songs. Cogent Arts and Humanities, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2289246
Downloads
Submitted
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Maulana, Muhammad Arinalhaq
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
