CONTEXTUALIZATION OF CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN SARA DOUDA CULTURE: ALIGNING RELIGIOUS VALUES WITH LOCAL WISDOM IN THE CONTEXT OF LOLI SOCIETY

Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17263341 203 ISRG PUBLISHERS Abbreviated Key Title: ISRG J Arts Humanit Soc Sci ISSN: 2583-7672 (Online) Journal homepage: https://isrgpublishers.com/isrgjahss Volume – III Issue -V (September-October) 2025 Frequency: Bimonthly CONTEXTUALIZATION OF CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN SARA DOUDA CULTURE: ALIGNING RELIGIOUS VALUES WITH LOCAL WISDOM IN THE CONTEXT OF LOLI SOCIETY Sulistyastuti Sutomo Postgraduate Program of Kupang State Christian Institute | Received: 10.07.2025 | Accepted: 15.7.2025 | Published: 04.10.2025 *Corresponding author: Sulistyastuti Sutomo Postgraduate Program of Kupang State Christian Institute Abstract The Sara Douda culture which is an oral tradition and a local heritage, has Christian religious education values in it and also has the potential to enrich religious experiences in Christian religious education. Christian Religious Education has a strategic role in shaping the character and spirituality of students. In the context of the Loli community, the Sara Douda culture has local wisdom values that can be integrated into Christian religious education. This study aims to analyse how the values in the Sara Douda culture can be contextualized with Christian teachings, thus creating education that is relevant to the local culture. The research method used is qualitative-descriptive, with participatory observation, interviews, and text analysis, namely using literature related to the meaning and experience of the Loli community in the Sara Douda rite. This research reveals that values such as faith, respect and obedience, holiness and sacredness, togetherness and brotherhood, discipline and perseverance, honesty, social responsibility, peace, and simplicity and humility contained in the Sara Douda culture are in harmony with Christian teachings. Sara Douda culture is not only a spiritual entertainment, but also a medium for teaching religious values that are passed down from generation to generation. In this context, the Sara Douda dance is identified as a means to strengthen the social and spiritual ties of the Loli Community, while transmitting religious messages that are relevant to the local context. This cultural contextualization not only enriches theological understanding, but also strengthens the cultural identity of the Loli community in their Christian faith and contributes to the development of more inclusive Christian religious education, respecting local heritage and strengthening the faith of students. Keywords: Contextualization, Sara Douda culture, Christian religious education. Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17263341 204 Introduction Culture and religion are two aspects that interact with each other in people's lives. Christian Religious Education in areas with strong local wisdom must be able to accommodate local culture so that there is no dichotomy between faith and culture. In the Loli community, the Sara Douda culture has noble values that can be contextualized with Christian teachings. This article discusses how the values of the Sara Douda culture can be applied in Christian Religious Education to strengthen the understanding of contextual theology for the Loli community. The nature, purpose, and context of Christian Religious Education in principle aims to know and maintain the past, present, and future in productive tension, which helps to grow the Christian faith so that it continues to grow and live, free and liberating, and promotes creative relationships with the Christian community and the world. 1 The approach to Christian religious education should examine the field of humanity because in reality Christian religious education is to form humans to have knowledge of God and believe in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Christian religious education must meet the various needs of humans because that is where Christian religious education grows and develops. The task of Christian religious education is to show that everything including culture in this world is related to God, therefore Christian values are everywhere and give valuable life to a culture. That is why there is a relationship between Christianity and culture because Christianity is the content of culture. In culture, what is important is the conditional form and meaning. While the content is seen indirectly, hidden in certain forms. 2 The movement of Christian faith in culture can be natural as well as being a means of spiritual and social human beings so that true human civilization occurs. Brunner in Wesley states that all cultures and religions can only enter the right focus if the social and personal existence of humans is determined by the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and the faith that results from it. 3 Theoretical Study Contextualization in religious education is the process of adapting religious teachings to local culture so that they can be accepted and understood by society. According to Paul G. Hiebert (1987), contextualization must be carried out critically so that cultural values that conflict with Christian faith can be filtered, while values that are in harmony can be maintained and enriched. In a study conducted by Sugijanti Supit on the contextualization of Mapalus culture (2009), it is explained that Mapalus is a social system that gathers and involves the community to actively help each other in achieving common goals in various fields. From its characteristics, structure and nature, Mapalus can ultimately be said to be a value system that is united in the interrelation of each value, namely between reciprocity, responsibility, discipline, 1 Thomas H. Gromme. (2015) Christian Religius Education. Pendidikan Agama Kristen. Terjemahan: Stefanus Daniel. Jakarta: BPK Gunung Mulia. Hal 217 2 Harun Hadiwijono. (1993). Teologi Reformatoris Abad ke 20. Jakarta: BPK Gunung Mulia. Hal 94 3 Ibid. Hal 21 equality, participation, solidarity, social justice, pluralism, and love. The research that has been described above has relevance to the study that will be conducted, because both discuss the contextualization of culture and Christian religious education. However, the difference is that the research that the author is studying explores the contextual theology of the Sara Douda dance in the Loli community in West Sumba Regency which is full of spiritual meaning related to the way the Loli community communicates and gives thanks to the Creator where the speech contained in the Sara Douda dance ritual has Christian religious education values. The dance, which is performed regularly, is believed to be able to strengthen the relationship between humans and God and enable the Loli people to experience strengthening of faith and increased spirituality. Research Method This study uses a qualitative design with the aim of finding, identifying, analysing, and describing the harmony of meaning and values in the Sara Douda cultural ritual and Christian religious education. In this cultural ritual in the form of traditional dance, there are many values of Christian religious education and this is owned by the Loli Community as the owner of the Sara Douda culture. This type of research also aims to explain the phenomenon as deeply as possible, more in depth than in breadth. And the data used is qualitative data, namely data that does not use numbers and is collected through literature studies, interviews with religious and traditional figures and observations of Sara Douda cultural practices to align Christian religious values with local wisdom in the context of the Loli community. This research is descriptive interpretive using the type of Contextual Theology study. Results and Discussion Sara Douda Culture in the Context of Loli Society Sara Douda is one of the oral traditions in the form of ritual dance that cannot be separated from the lives of the Loli people of West Sumba Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. Sara Douda is a means by which the Loli people communicate with the Almighty through their ancestors. They express everything through dance and song, since ancient times in rituals and various other celebrations. Sara Douda also has another uniqueness, namely the existence of oral literature in the form of poetry sung or spoken by Rato (Marapu religious priest) before the dance is performed. The dancers or ronggeng will stand listening to the narration and witnessed by the guests and the audience. The poetry is a form of culture that is passed down from generation to generation, internalized and practiced by the people of Loli, West Sumba until now. The Sara Douda dance is danced only by the Loli community, both men and women, but those who come from designated traditional houses, and at its peak, only women dance it. This is done only once a year during the Wulla Pod'du traditional ritual (holy month ritual) and only exists in the Loli community. At the peak of the end of Wulla Pod'du and welcoming the new year as well as the new planting season, the Loli community will dance and sing together. (Sutomo et al., 2025) Sara Douda is danced as the closing dance of women who aim to ask for blessings and as a means of expressing gratitude to the Creator. The linguistic phenomenon used in the Sara Douda poem Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17263341 205 in the context of the Wulla Pod’du ritual is suspected of having meaning or value. This forms an understanding that the concept of the existence of language in culture and culture in language as the main tool for analysing the functional relationship between language and culture adopted by a community group. Linguistic symbols, both verbal and nonverbal, are a form of expression of the arts, culture and faith of the Loli people, as expressed in the Sara Douda rites in the Wulla Pod'du ritual. Language which is a symbol contains meaning. Meaning corresponds to value. Values or meanings are related to culture, or specifically related to the symbolic world of a culture (Hendro, 2020). Sara Douda has an important position in the life of the Loli community because Sara Douda is used as a social communication media to convey teachings, advice and information containing life, reflections, memories, thoughts, ideas and views on the construction of cultural reality in the context of Loli culture, West Sumba to the next generation. As one of the important and fundamental oral works and traditions for the Loli community, Sara Douda expresses or represents the construction of the reality of the cultural values of Loli, West Sumba which are closely related to the cultural values of Loli, West Sumba because its existence and position represent a system of symbols that contain cultural values and means of theology in the context of the culture of the community that owns it. The symbols have a system that is interconnected and complementary to form an entity of the Sara Douda dance. Symbols in Sara Douda are displayed in verbal and nonverbal forms. Woods in (Mustofa, Wuryan, & Meilani, 2021) stated that symbols can be verbal and nonverbal. Bahruddin, (2020) also added that the form of symbols can be language (stories, parables, rhymes, poetry, and proverbs), body movements (dances), sounds or sounds (songs, music), colors and forms (paintings, decorations, carvings, buildings). In Sara Douda, the form of verbal symbols is expressed through language in this case song lyrics and pantun spoken by rato as the actor or performer of Sara Douda shortly before the dance is performed. The form of nonverbal symbols in Sara Douda is realized through behaviours or actions and movements performed by the ronggeng or dancer, for example body movements, facial expressions, dance formations, equipment worn by the ronggeng such as costumes, accessories, and make-up, also in the form of devices that must be presented as a requirement for the implementation of the Sara Douda dance such as accompanying musical instruments (gongs and drums), offerings (betel and areca nuts). In this relationship, the behaviours or actions carried out contain meaning to be conveyed to other people. Woods revealed that symbols can be in the form of language, body movements, facial expressions, or anything that can convey meaning, and that meaning is arranged in a certain cultural context which is used for social interaction in people's lives. Symbols correspond to values, and the values contained in Sara Douda's cultural symbols are in line with the values of Christian religious education. Contextualization of Christian Religious Education in Sara Douda Culture Contextualization is a set of religious values that shape behaviours, habits and symbols in a particular community environment. 4 Sara 4 Asmaun Sahman. (2010). Mewujudkan Budaya Religius di Sekolah: Upaya Mengembangkan PAO dari teori ke Aksi. Cetakan ke-1. Malang: UIN Maliki Press. Hal 116 Douda is a cultural symbol of the Loli community that contains local wisdom values and becomes a guideline for the life of the community that owns it. A good culture emphasizes Christian values as solid values. Christian values become whole with selfexistence so that transcendental dimensional awareness arises, especially those related to values, meaning, self-respect, humanity and relations with God Almighty. Religious atmosphere becomes a daily habit that is based on self-awareness and not based on rules. Self-awareness is created to habituate religious behaviours that lasts a long time, continuously and is carried out in the form of religious values every day. In the context of Christian religious education, it must live, work and be dynamic as a manifestation of the work of Christian faith that is always creative in providing answers based on the Word of God. It is very important for Christian religious education to assess, change, and renew cultural norms and practices by respecting the purity of cultural obedience. Each community with its own culture seeks to determine and illuminate cultural realities in the light of God's truth. Christian religious education must have the courage to renew participatory and contextual Christian religious education learning. It should be underlined that, 1) the development of Christian religious education today needs to communicate the Gospel in contextualization and participatory so that there is a descriptive power of the picture of Christian religious education as a phenomenon not only in eternal essence, 2) There must be a map of the continuity of absolute truth from the values of Christian religious education to cultures that are still relevant so that there is inferential power to carry out discontinuity against all forms of religious and cultural contamination, and 3) the meaning of balance between the values of Christian religious education and cultural values must be developed contextually. Because sometimes the commitment to the values of Christian religious education is more dominant than the values of its context. In fact, there should be a balance of values between Christian religious education and contextual values in order to form a coherent conceptual framework with broader application. 5 Culture and Christianity have a reciprocal influence but it is important to note that religion has a broader scope than culture. However, culture changes more quickly than religion. Culture is accepted as a result of human work and religion does not originate from humans but relates to something sacred or transcendent. The task of developing the contextualization of Christian religious education in a culture is primarily rooted in the reality of faith that life is directed to the above (Col. 3:1-2) and humans are bound by the obligation to develop culture. The development of culture as a humanitarian task is rooted in the motivation of faith, because it is in culture that the Christian faith finds its meaning. This means that the development of Christian religious education in the context of culture is a task of building the world so that it becomes one with the task of evangelism. Cultural contextualization means developing human life and cultivating nature, seen as a mission of Christian faith and loyalty to Christ's command. 6 Christian 5 Cohen, L, Manion, L & Morrison, K. (2011). Research Methods in Education.London: Routledge. Hal 9 6 Stetsenko, A & Arievitch, I.M. (2004). The Self in Cultural Historical Acctivity Theory. Theory and Psychology, 14 (4): 475503. Hal 489 Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17263341 206 cultivation is prioritizing values Christian culture, Christian symbols and beliefs and Christian patterns of action. Christian faith should not be separated from culture. In Acts 17:2628, Paul in the Areopagus session in Athens said that God has determined the right place where people should live. Therefore, culture is part of God's plan. And God places people in the place where they should live so that they can seek and find it. Culture is a way of life; a total plan for living; functionally organized into a system; acquired through learning; a way of life of a community group, not of an individual. 7 The contextual values of Christianity are cultural values analyzed using Bible verses so that the culture that is cultivated reflects the teachings of the truth of the Christian faith while grounding and implementing the teachings in the Bible. Christian culture can in principle use a form of transculturation that communicates the Bible into other cultures. The statements of the Bible express the will of God that is supracultural and most easily translated and interpreted. Each cultural orientation proclaims the contents of the Bible that involves contextualization as an effort to reduce the gap in meaning or avoid the emergence of meanings that can be separated from a particular culture. The message of the Bible must be expressed with meanings that are appropriate in a particular culture. 8 Then, there are two values of cultural validity in Christianity, namely, 1) absolute validity, namely the truth of justification by grace. Cultural values cannot be accepted if they are not based on the truth in the Bible, and 2) the validity of principles, concerning the truth of aspects of truth that arise from the implications of new life in Christ. The implications of any culture must not violate the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that the action does not violate God's command to love even enemies. 9 Christian culture expresses that humans are God's creations who must serve God. Humans must realize that they are God's creations. All human values, actions, thoughts, habits must be compared with God. Thus, their actions reflect God's love which becomes their culture of life. A person can be called cultured when he becomes a human being who is aware of himself, devoting himself to God. In relation to the Loli community, the Sara Douda culture expresses or represents the construction of the reality of Loli cultural values, which are closely related to Loli cultural values, because its existence and position represent a symbol system that contains cultural values and Christian religious values as a means of theology in the context of the culture of the community that owns it. Sara Douda has Christian values that can provide benefits in strengthening the understanding of theology and cultural identity of the Loli community. Synergy between the church, schools and traditional figures is very necessary to ensure that the integration of local values in religious education remains in line with Christian teachings. Harmony of Sara Douda Cultural Values with Christian Teachings 7 Luzbetak. (1970). The Church and Cultures.New Perspective in Missiological Antrophology.Orbis Books. Hal 60 8 D.J. Hesselgrave & Edward Rommen. (1989). Contextualization: Meaning, Methodes and Models. England: Inter-Varsity. Hal 201 9 Ibid. Hal 2004 The values in Sara Douda culture in the Loli community of West Sumba Regency have many alignments with the values contained in Christian teachings, especially Christian religious education. Here are some of them; Faith Values The meaning of the symbols in Sara Douda cultural poetry which are rooted in spiritual values often reflect the recognition of God's greatness. In Sara Douda culture, this dance is used to express gratitude and worship to God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth (Ama wolo Ama rawi). As found in the following verse; Bana boki tagu sieda Bana wawi tagu mate ‘He was innocent but was made guilty'’ Bana pitu paka reiga Bana wawi komu duada ‘He who sacrificed His life not twice, but once forever’ Deke mama ne yemi Mouri Nuku mouri sara ‘Take betel with areca nut, O you who are worshipped'’ Ngga’I kama ti eba, Ngga’a I wa’I dii ngga’a na Mouri sara ‘Let us prepare the food or offerings for those we worship’ The unique way of the Loli people to theologize through the Sara douda culture which makes an analogy about Jesus Christ, is clearly seen in the traditional ritual narrative of walo and wara above. The highest and most loving being is God the creator of the universe known by the Loli people as Ama wolo Ama rawi. For the Loli people, it is believed that the highest and most great being is holy so that the Loli people are very shy about pronouncing His name. The religious system of the Loli people does not allow pronouncing God's name carelessly. This is in line with the book of Deuteronomy 5:11 in the Old Testament “Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who takes His name. While the phrase in the poem Bana boki tagu sieda bana wawi tagu mate is in line with 1 Peter 3:18 ‘For Christ died once for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God;’ in other words or the parallel version ‘He who was innocent took the place of us who were guilty, to reconcile us to God. (See: 2 Corinthians 5:21, Isaiah 53:3-12). The Loli people in their faith in God acknowledge that God bears all the blame and sin and is willing to die to bear their sins. The Loli people fully believe in the spirits of their ancestors who are able to communicate with the Creator and also His children. For that, they give offerings and offerings in the form of betel nut and chicken as a complement or tool in the ritual with the hope that their requests, requests and gratitude will be accepted by Ama wolo Ama rawi through Marapu. The expression of faith and belief in this verse has the meaning that if the ancestors accept the offerings of the Loli people and convey them to Mouri/God then surely all their requests will be granted. Values of Respect and Obedience Cultural rites in the form of dance are often taught and passed down by ancestors. In Christianity, respecting parents and leaders (Ephesians 6:1-3; Exodus 20:12) is part of the main teachings, and traditional dance can be a means of showing respect for Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17263341 207 predecessors who have maintained good cultural values, as in the verse quotes below; Bana woki ge Koda Laya Bana beli wo lota lara Saingo ‘Our ancestors Koda Laya and Saingo have paved the way’ Buoda bulu doyi rato Bela Doi rato Wedo rato Magi rato Suoga rato Loba ‘Follow the message of the traditional elders who are our ancestors’ Namu goka ge Kaka rato ge ‘Remember the elders of tradition’ This Sara Douda culture teaches respect for parents and traditional leaders as a form of respect for the social order. This respect is marked by obedience in carrying out the Sara Douda rite every year by the Loli Community. The Value of Holiness and Sacredness Some traditional dances are performed in the context of religious worship or celebration, which teaches that art and culture can be used for sacred purposes, not just entertainment. In the context of Sara Douda culture, its sacredness is very visible when Sara Douda is performed. There are a number of requirements that must be met so that this dance can run smoothly. Holy and sacred according to the Loli community is marked by the presence of the ancestral spirit Marapu in the Wulla Pod'du ceremony, as seen in the following verse; Mai bur’ru ge mata rau bisa Mai yemi adona dara maipa diewa ‘Come down, ancient eyes, and you who have spirits’ Taka ni’I adee ge padou dede A ngodo ge pa dou ngodo ‘Currently standing where He stood and sitting where He sat’ Sara Douda's cultural performances are not merely for entertainment, but rather refer to expressing gratitude to the Almighty and to His majesty. This is in line with the Bible's teaching that everything must be done for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Values of Togetherness and Brotherhood In Sara Douda culture, traditional dances are often performed in groups, reflecting the values of togetherness. Solidarity, cooperation, mutual cooperation and helping each other are highly respected. As in the verse below; Kana ma goka ge boda bulu Kana taboka ge wanno raya ge ‘Clean it and broadcast it in big villages’ Soro saila guni tara manu laduka Lele watu gumi ulle wawi ‘Sitting together talking fluently about stone bracelets and boar tusks’ Bata kako soro saila ge Soru manu wolu ‘We go sit together in the ritual month’ Tara manu wolu ule rato wawi Lele watu soro saila ‘Moon ritual of looking at chickens and stone bracelets while sitting together’ The poetry in the stanza above shows how the Loli community or society prioritizes togetherness and love for each other when carrying out work, such as cleaning the village in preparation for the Wulla Pod'du ceremony which must be done together. This is in line with Christian teachings, which require that living in a mutually supportive community is important (Romans 12:4-5). This value is also in line with the concept of fellowship in the church (Acts 2:42-47). In addition, in Christian teachings, love for others and helping each other is the main commandment, as in Galatians 6:2: "Help to bear your burdens! Thus, you fulfil the law of Christ." Discipline and Perseverance Values To be able to perform traditional dances well, diligent and disciplined practice is needed. The Sara Douda culture is only performed once a year. The Loli community diligently awaits the arrival of the Wulla Pod'du ritual where Sara Douda is performed. The Loli community is always disciplined in fulfilling the requirements for the Sara Douda rite because if they are not disciplined and diligent, the ancestors will be angry and of course it will cause bad things to happen, such as lack of rainfall or poor harvests. They faithfully, diligently, and disciplined pray for help from the Almighty through their ancestors, as in the following verse; Apa lolo ge we’e Apa mane gen uku jara ‘Like water spiders they spin’ Bur’ru ge wa’I ni’a aka puori ka dara A boga pari win’ni ‘Come down, so that there will be the spirit of rain and the spirit of rice seeds’ All work including preparing the Sara Douda dance is done diligently, faithfully, disciplined and responsibly so that success can be achieved and blessings poured out from the Creator through the ancestors. This reflects the Christian teaching on the importance of perseverance in doing everything responsibly (Colossians 3:23). Honesty and Justice Values Sara Douda emphasizes the importance of honesty in social relationships and in decision making. This is in line with the Bible's teachings on integrity (Proverbs 11:3). In the culture of the Loli community, honesty is highly prioritized because a person's integrity is measured by their words. If someone is not honest in both words and deeds, then bad luck and failure will befall them. As in the following verse; Kuja koko loge Ruga rasi dara upu wiwi ‘The hair on the back of my neck stands up, the conversation is controlled by the lips’ Yieda asagana panewe Yieda arounaka douka ‘They are the ones who speak, and they are the ones who bear the consequences.’ Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17263341 208 Gege rara wa dapa ate Boku moro wa dapa ate ‘If you are not careful, the red spiders will wake up and the tobacco will not turn green.’ Dapa gena mawe Suru suku winno neko ge lawi ‘The contents of an empty garden are like a palm tree without a fruit.’ For the Loli people, these poems are held very tightly as a guideline for life, reminding them to always be honest and fair so that their lives are full of success. The poems in the verses in the Sara Douda cultural narrative above explain that the Loli people prioritize honesty and justice in their daily lives. They believe that if honesty is ignored, disaster will occur. In Christianity, honesty is a primary value, as in Proverbs 12:22: "Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight." Social Responsibility Value The sustainability and continuity of the existence of the Sara Douda culture is a shared responsibility for the entire Loli community. Consciously and responsibly, they will follow the Wulla Pod'du ritual celebration process which includes Sara Douda. Sara Douda must be carried out because it is part of an expression of gratitude and worship to the Almighty (Ama wolo Ama rawi) through the ancestral spirit called Marapu. This ritual is a part of the life of the Loli community that cannot be separated from their lives. For that, they will together responsibly carry out this ritual, as in the following verse; Walo waime ge Walo waime ge wai ‘Gather all and enter into the traditional oath’ Lolo walu daha rehi bou awi tapa lingu lenga Wai di talla toda mawa,wai di padi toda bangu ‘Remember the month of endless rituals, there are gongs that sound loudly and there are pennants’ Lele wulla ge wullu manu rato Ga’I kana madi’I ge dama bore ge ‘In the ritual month of Wulla pod'du, let us sit for family and relatives’ The verses in the verse above emphasize that in carrying out annual rituals and daily life, the Loli people practice loving sharing in service. They work together to shoulder the same responsibilities. This supports the principle of love and service in Christianity (Matthew 22:39). Prioritizing Peace The Loli community that upholds the Sara Douda culture always prioritizes resolving conflicts peacefully. Whatever the problem will be resolved in a traditional way led by Rato. They will seek a way out and a fair solution that does not harm any party. This is due to the belief of the Loli community who believe that Ama wolo Ama rawi is watching from a high place and their ancestors are watching around them. The ancestors will be angry if there is a commotion, dispute or something that makes there is no peace in the lives of the Loli community. As in the following verse; Dara maipa diewa sape lapa leru ge Bogga maipa ur’ra sape lakawa na ge ‘Horses are friends with souls; dogs have been friends with their masters for a long time.’ Wa’I ko ge dapa wenna teki patutu ge pateki Wa’I ko ge dapa wenna bowo ngodo pa dou ngodo ‘If there is something bothering you, talk to them. If there is something in your heart, tell them where they live’. Ngiaki gege makattamanenaruku jara rara Ngiaki mak’ka ta dieku ruta ngga’I ko ‘Let him be the one who is able to take responsibility for binding and reconciling' Christians also teach living in peace, as in Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Values of Simplicity and Humility The cultural values of Sara Douda emphasize a simple life and humility in acting. The Loli people always show simplicity and humility in their daily lives in society. They eat what they can from their gardens. They do not force themselves to live a modern lifestyle that will damage their culture. This can be seen in the following poem; Puola ana kuoga Puola ana kanena ‘Small stems boiled and cooked’ Bata kako soro saila ge Soru manu wolu ‘We go sit together in the ritual month’ The poems found in Sara Douda culture contain very real meanings about the life of the Loli people. The phrase 'sitting together' means that there is no one above them. Everyone is in the same position. We are both humble towards each other. In Christian teachings, modesty and humility are recommended attitudes, as in Philippians 2:3: "Do nothing in a spirit of arrogance, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." This explains that there is harmony between Christian values and local wisdom, namely Sara Douda culture. By understanding and internalizing these values, Christians can see that cultural rituals, including traditional dances, can be a means to strengthen faith and demonstrate Christian values in everyday life. And, for traditional communities, namely the Loli community, faith education plays a role in maintaining cultural values and group identity. CONCLUSION The Sara Douda culture, which is an oral tradition and local heritage, has Christian religious education values in it as well as the potential to enrich religious experiences in Christian religious education. The Sara Douda culture has local wisdom values that can be integrated into Christian religious education. The values in the Sara Douda culture can be contextualized with Christian teachings, thus creating education that is relevant to the local culture. Those values such as faith, respect and obedience, holiness and sacredness, togetherness and brotherhood, discipline and perseverance, honesty, social responsibility, peace, and simplicity and humility contained in the Sara Douda culture are in harmony with Christian teachings. By understanding and experiencing these values, Christians can see that cultural rites, including traditional dances, can be a means to strengthen faith and demonstrate Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17263341 209 Christian values in everyday life. Sara Douda culture is not only spiritual entertainment, but also a medium for teaching religious values that are passed down from generation to generation. SUGGESTIONS The contextualization of Sara Douda culture in Christian Religious Education provides benefits in strengthening the understanding of theology and cultural identity of the Loli community. Synergistic efforts are needed between the church, schools, and traditional leaders to ensure that the integration of local values in religious education remains in line with Christian teachings. It is hoped that this study will provide a valuable contribution in understanding the role of symbols in the Sara Douda dance in deepening and instilling religious values in the Loli community, and provide a basis for further research on how the use of local culture in a religious context can have an impact on the lives of the community that owns the culture and the general public. The results of the study are expected to provide insight into the importance of contextualizing Sara Douda culture in Christian religious education and contribute to the development of more inclusive Christian religious education, respecting local heritage and strengthening the faith of students. With these shared values, Sara Douda culture and Christian teachings can run in harmony in the life of society. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Gromme, Thomas H. (2015) Christian Religius Education. Pendidikan Agama Kristen. Terjemahan: Stefanus Daniel. Jakarta: BPK Gunung Mulia 2. Hadiwijono, Harun. (1993). Teologi Reformatoris Abad ke 20. Jakarta: BPK Gunung Mulia. 3. L, Cohen, L. Manion & K. Morrison. (2011). Research Methods in Education.London: Routledge. 4. A. Stetsenko & I.M. Arievitch. (2004). The Self in Cultural Historical Acctivity Theory. Theory and Psychology, 14 (4): 475-503. 5. Sahman, Asmaun. (2010). Mewujudkan Budaya Religius di Sekolah: Upaya Mengembangkan PAO dari teori ke Aksi. 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Esensi Simbol Sara Douda: Ekspresi Seni Budaya dan Spiritualitas Keimanan Masyarakat Loli Kabupaten Sumba Barat Mutiara: Jurnal Penelitian dan Karya Ilmiah Volume 3, Nomor 1, Tahun 2025 P-ISSN: 2988-313X; E-ISSN: 2988-3148, Hal. 298-318 DOI: https://doi.org/10.59059/mutiara.v3i1.2138 Available Online at: https://journal.staiypiqbaubau.ac.id/index.php/Mutiara Interview data with religious and traditional leaders of the Loli community.