Nurlina Sjahrir, Dewi Sri Astuti, Prusdianto Prusdianto
Sere bissu is a Bugis ritual performance in Bone Regency, South Sulawesi, that continues to function as a living tradition while facing pressures of modernization and recontextualization. This study investigates how educational values are embedded and transmitted through the ritual structure of Sere bissu as a form of nonformal cultural pedagogy. A qualitative interpretive design was applied through fieldwork-intensive ethnography, combining participant observation, in-depth interviews, and performance documentation. Data were analyzed using a socio-semiotic interpretation of embodied signs and iterative thematic coding to identify value patterns and ritual functions. The results show that Sere bissu is organized as an ordered sequence of ritual segments that communicate educational values through embodied action, symbolic objects, and communal recognition. Religious and spiritual learning is enacted through devotion, reverence, and ritual accountability. Social values emerge through collective participation that strengthens cohesion, sustains Bugis identity, and reinforces shared stewardship. Moral education is most visible in Maggiri, where disciplined invulnerability signifies efficacy and recognition, and in Mappatabe, where gratitude and respect frame ethical closure. These findings highlight Sere bissu as a culturally grounded educational medium and support safeguarding approaches that prioritize community-led transmission and spiritually contextualized cultural sustainability. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.
Dance Arts Study Program, Department of Performing Arts, Makassar State University, Dg. Tata Raya, South Sulawesi, Makassar, 90224, Indonesia; Arts Education Study Program, Graduate Program, Makassar State University, Dg. Tata Raya, South Sulawesi, Makassar, 90224, Indonesia; Drama, Dance and Music Arts Education Study Program, Department of Performing Arts, Makassar State University, Dg. Tata Raya, South Sulawesi, Makassar, 90224, Indonesia
