Construction of Krui Community Knowledge on Repong Damar Culture in Lampung’s West Coast

Abstract The research context with the theme of the social construction of repong damar culture has been carried out in various fields of science. The research was also conducted in a variety of different perspectives and focus to produce different findings and theorizations. This research is considered important because it is in line with the current shift in the local culture that is currently happening a lot. In many ways, local culture is often positioned opposite the thinking of the younger generation who consider it outdated. This research was motivated by the repong damar culture that existed in Lampung’s Saibatin community, Pesisir Barat District, Lampung. Resin cultivation in Lampung society Saibatin has become a hereditary practice and lasts for generations. The practice of resin which has been around for a long time eventually became a habit that was very attached to the Saibatin Lampung community. The purpose of this study was to find out how the damar cultivation practices can be formed and what kind of social construction then made the practice of resin cultivation to survive today. This study uses a qualitative method with an ethnographic approach. Also, this study also uses the theory of Social Construction from Peter L. Berger. Data collection techniques used in this study were interviews, observation, and documentation. The results of the study on the Social Construction of Repong Damar in Saibatin Lampung Community, Pesisir Barat District, Lampung showed that the practice of damar cultivation was formed around the beginning of the 1827s, which began with two main factors, namely after crop failure from cloves and pepper on the West Coast. Furthermore, the trigger for the emergence of this practice was also due to the actions of a trader who initially traded to Singapore while looking at market commodities that had high economic value. Upon returning the merchant to the West Coast, he recounted that gum resin had a high economic value which was sought after by traders from other countries as materials for making paints, cosmetics, and lighting. The Saibatin Lampung community then used the information and manifested the actions taken by traders by conducting large-scale resin cultivation. Subsequent developments, from the past until now several aspects make the practice of resin can continue to survive, including the existence of a process of habituation, legitimacy, and the process of socialization to the family and the environment.