From Ritual to Screen: Documenting Tabuik as Intangible Cultural Heritage

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) plays a crucial role in sustaining cultural identity, collective memory, and social continuity; however, existing studies have predominantly focused on preservation efforts and heritage policies, with limited attention to how documentation itself contributes to the construction of cultural meaning. This study examines the documentation of the Tabuik tradition in Pariaman, West Sumatra, as a process of cultural representation and meaning-making. Employing a qualitative autoethnographic approach, data were collected through participant observation, interactions with cultural practitioners, focus group discussions, and the development of a documentary narrative entitled Tabuik Manusia: Dari Asal Menuju Melepaskan. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns of representation and narrative construction within the documentation process. The findings reveal that documenting Tabuik extends beyond the technical recording of ritual activities and functions as an interpretive practice through which cultural meanings are selected, negotiated, and reconstructed. Four major themes emerged from the analysis: origin and loss as an existential foundation, silenced grief in adolescent experience, intergenerational expectations and identity negotiation, and responsibility as an embodied practice in ritual and everyday life. These themes demonstrate how ritual symbolism is translated into visual and narrative forms that connect collective cultural memory with contemporary personal experiences. The study argues that cultural documentation should be understood not merely as a preservation mechanism but as an epistemological and representational practice that actively shapes cultural understanding. By transforming ritual experiences into mediated narratives, documentation contributes to both the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and the ongoing production of cultural meaning, thereby highlighting the significance of reflexive and context-sensitive documentation in ensuring the relevance and sustainability of cultural heritage in contemporary society.