The Relevance of Tradition Values toward Character Building Values

Abstract

A culture has an important in for the development of the character of the young generation, because in the culture of each ethnic group has values that guide the society. The Erau Tradition of Kutai contains values in any rituals. This value can be a guideline for cultivation the character building and to minimize degradation and the eroded values of national identity in our youth. This study aims to: 1) know the values contained in Erau tradition, 2) know the relevance of traditional values of Erau with the values of Indonesian nation character education. The research was conducted in Kutai Kertanegara using ethnography approach. Erau tradition which made cooperation between the palace, local governments and communities indicates that this tradition contains religious values, unity, cooperation/cooperativeness, tolerance, social awareness, recognize excellence, democracy, work ethic, and the preservation of culture. These values has relevance to the educational value of the character of the Indonesian nation, although not in its entirety but these values are positive and capable of being used as a source of value for the community guidelines. With that understanding, the expected values may play a role in shaping the character of the nation.