Last modified: 2025-10-17
Abstract
One of the cultural heritages of the Lamaholot people is the Dolo-Dolo dance, which is imbued with the values of togetherness (or solidarity), spirituality, and harmony in life. In every movement, Dolo-Dolo reflects the Lamaholot community's view on the balance between humanity, nature, and God. This dance serves as a tangible representation of the harmonious philosophy of life that permeates the Nusantara culture. Dolo-Dolo can be understood as a real manifestation of character education (budi pekerti) inherent in traditional society, according to the perspective of Ki Hadjar Dewantara, which emphasizes the importance of balancing cipta (thought/creation), rasa (feeling/sense), and karsa (will/effort) in building the nation's culture.
According to Ki Hadjar Dewantara, culture is the result of humanity's struggle to achieve balance with nature and its environment. In this context, Dolo-Dolo becomes an educational model that integrates physical and spiritual, as well as social and spiritual aspects. The group movements of the dance demonstrate a strong spirit of cooperation, mutual respect, and solidarity. Within the dance, the circular pattern and the accompanying music depict the cyclical relationship between humanity and nature. This concept of cosmic harmony aligns with Dewantara's perspective on life, which is rooted in one's own culture yet remains open to progress.
The objective of this research is to investigate the symbolic meaning of Dolo-Dolo as a philosophical representation of harmonious life among the Lamaholot people. Furthermore, it connects this meaning with Ki Hadjar Dewantara's perspective on culture as a tool for building an eternal human character. The study indicates that Dolo-Dolo is not merely a folk art; it is a spiritual and moral medium that affirms cultural identity and human ideals. This aligns with the spirit of Tri-Nga: ngerti (understanding), ngrasa (feeling), and nglakoni (enacting/doing). The research employs a qualitative and interpretive approach towards the symbolic values of the dance.