Banjar-Jowo-Karo (BAJOKA): The Tolerance and Harmony between Three Ethnicities in Paya Itik Village, Galang District, Deli Serdang Regency

Diversity in social life is often used as an excuse for some people not to be unified. The diversity that is often considered is religious diversity and ethnic diversity. For various reasons, diversity is often used as a tool to legitimize actions that can lead to the breakdown of harmonious relations between communities. In fact, the differences that arise from the diversity in one community group should be used as a force to complement each other within the community group, so that a harmonious relationship will live on.This is what can be seen in the community in Paya Itik Village, Galang District, Deli Serdang Regency, which consists of Banjar, Karo, and Javanese ethnicity. The social interaction of the people in the village is very harmonious, even though the three ethnic groups have different backgrounds. The differences from the three ethnic groups are then merged and bound by a concept called BAJOKA. This concept is what makes both internal and external strengths for the community in Paya Itik Village. This paper discusses how the village communities respond to diversity so as to create a harmonious life in society. The discussion starts from the historical background, cultural and social life of the community, BAJOKA as the concept of the Internal and External Strength of Paya Itik Villagers, as well as Tolerance and Harmony between Ethnicity and Religion in Paya Itik Village.