Sacred Art as Parama-Jnana-Patra: A Comparative Ethnopedagogical Study of the Jejumputan Dance in Pedawa and the Jangkang Dance in Cempaga

Abstract

This study examines sacred art as Parama-Jnana-Patra, a vessel of higher knowledge that preserves and transmits life wisdom through a living cultural medium. Employing a qualitative approach and a comparative case study design, this research examines the structure of sacredness and ethnopedagogical mechanisms in the Jejumputan Dance of Pedawa Village and the Jangkang Dance of Cempaga Village, Buleleng Regency, Bali. Data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and documentary studies, and were analyzed using cross-case thematic analysis. The findings show that although the two dances embody different philosophical orientations and movement symbolism—fertility in Jejumputan and warrior values in Jangkang—both position children's bodies as the primary medium for transmitting values through observation, imitation, and movement repetition within the framework of the legitimacy of sacred time and space. These findings affirm that sacredness and pedagogical processes are not two separate dimensions but rather an integrated epistemological unity that shapes the character and cultural identity of Bali's younger generation.