Scopus

46

Citation

Dimension

282

Citation

Journal of Social Knowledge Education (JSKE)

an Open Access Journal

The Shifting Meaning of Böwö in Nias Traditional Marriage: A Perspective from Max Weber's Theory of Rational Social Action

Award Victory Nazara
Satya Wacana Christian University ROR
Indonesia
awardvictory31@gmail.com
Tony Tampake
Satya Wacana Christian University ROR
Indonesia
Suwarto Suwarto
Satya Wacana Christian University ROR
Indonesia
Share

  • Purpose of the study: This study describes and analyzes how böwö, the customary bridewealth of Nias marriage, is understood in traditional and contemporary settings, and explains the shift between these meanings among the congregation of Banua Niha Keriso Protestan Church, Lotu, using Max Weber's theory of rational social action.

    Methodology: This qualitative study, conducted in 2026, used a critical-ethnographic design. Primary data were collected through unstructured in-depth interviews, document analysis, and participatory observation involving seven purposively selected informants: two church leaders, three customary leaders, and two congregation members in Lotu, North Nias Regency. Data were interpreted through Weberian Verstehen and coded against Weber's ideal types of social action.

    Main Findings: Böwö has shifted from value-rational (wertrational) action rooted in love (masi-masi) and communal solidarity to instrumental-rational (zweckrational) action, its value now calculated from a bride's education, occupation, and family status. Masi-masi rhetoric persists even as practice has become calculative, a mismatch linked to elopement, debt-driven poverty, and tension between customary and church authority.

    Novelty/Originality of this study: Unlike prior böwö studies grounded in theology or ethnography, this study sustains Weber's typology of social action as a analytical framework across an entire empirical case. Its original contribution is not simply applying the typology to a case, but showing how value-rational language can persist as a legitimating shell around instrumental-rational practice, extending Weberian rationalization theory beyond its usual macro-institutional settings.

  • How to cite

    [1]
    A. V. Nazara, T. Tampake, and S. Suwarto, “The Shifting Meaning of Böwö in Nias Traditional Marriage: A Perspective from Max Weber’s Theory of Rational Social Action”, Jo. Soc. Know. Ed, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 598–610, Sep. 2026, doi: 10.37251/jske.v7i5.3808.

    More Citation Formats

  • 40
    Abstract views
    33
    Downloads

    Metrics — Badges

    1. E. Westermarck, The History of Human Marriage, 5th ed. New York, USA: The Allerton Book Company, 1922.
    2. K. D. Amajihono, “Protection of women’s and widows’ rights in the consequences of böwö marriage in pulau-pulau batu district, south nias regency,” in Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Humanities and Social Science (ICHSS 2025), pp. 39–49, 2025, doi: 10.2991/978-2-38476-513-3_5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-513-3_5
    3. E. O. James, Marriage and Society. New York, USA: John de Graff, 1955.
    4. Badan Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia. Jakarta, Indonesia: Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, 2016.
    5. P. Gulö, Böwö dalam Perkawinan Adat Öri Moro’ö Nias Barat. Bandung, Indonesia: Unpar Press, 2015.
    6. R. Daely, “Jujuran Sebagai Bukti Kasih,” HIDUP, Jakarta Barat, Indonesia, p. 10, 2010.
    7. S. T. Mendrofa, Mas Kawin (Bowo) pada Suku Bangsa Nias. Medan, Indonesia: USU Press, 2007.
    8. D. I. Ndraha, “Böwö dalam Perkawinan Suku Nias (Studi Etnografi di Desa Sirete Kecamatan Gido Kabupaten Nias Provinsi Sumatera Utara),” Undegraudate thesis, Universitas Sumatera Utara, 2018.
    9. O. O. Daeli, Pijakan Rapuh: Antara Idealisme Adat dan Realitas Kemiskinan di Nias. Bandung, Indonesia: Unpar Press, 2021.
    10. Suhamiarti, A. A. Fahriani, and S. Ramdhani, Tradisi Böwö dan Malnutrisi pada Etnik Nias. Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Kanisius, 2016.
    11. I. T. K. Gulo and T. Telaumbanua, “Böwö wangowalu : perlukah ditransformasi?,” Jurnal Ilmiah Teologi Pendidikan, Sains, Humaniora dan Kebudayaan, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 78–86, 2021, doi: 10.36588/sundermann.v14i2.64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36588/sundermann.v14i2.64
    12. M. Weber, Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology. Berkeley, CA, USA: University of California Press, 1978.
    13. P. Jones, L. Bradbury, and S. Le Boutillier, Pengantar Teori-Teori Sosial: dari Teori Fungsionalisme hingga Post-Modernisme. Jakarta, Indonesia: Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia, 2016.
    14. M. Dillon, Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and their Applicability in the Twenty-First Century, 2nd ed. Malden, MA, USA: Wiley Blackwell, 2014.
    15. S. Soekanto, Max Weber: Konsep-Konsep Dasar dalam Sosiologi. Jakarta, Indonesia: CV. Rajawali, 1985.
    16. M. Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. London, U.K.: Routledge, 1992.
    17. S. E. Zaluchu, “Perspektif antropologi dan religi perkawinan suku nias,” Sejarah dan Budaya Jurnal Sejarah, Budaya, dan Pengajarannya, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 108–119, 2020, doi: 10.17977/um020v14i22020p108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17977/um020v14i22020p108-119
    18. K. Mendrofa, “Bowo perkawinan adat suku nias dengan dasar perkawinan gereja katolik,” Magistra, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 126–137, 2024, doi: 10.62200/magistra.v2i1.88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.62200/magistra.v2i1.88
    19. W. K. Waruwu, N. A. J. Harefa, L. Waruwu, and N. Halawa, “Analisis pengaruh budaya böwö (mahar) terhadap generasi nias,” Jurnal Kata Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pembelajarannya, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 218–227, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.23960/kata.v12i2.132
    20. O. N. Harefa, “Böwö: A call to re-examine bride price,” Fem. Rev., no. 131, pp. 80–84, 2022, doi: 10.1177/01417789221102572. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01417789221102572
    21. Samsu, Metode Penelitian (Teori dan Aplikasi Penelitian Kualitatif, Kuantitatif, Mixed Methods, serta Research & Development). Jambi, Indonesia: Pusaka Jambi, 2017.
    22. Z. Abdussamad, Metode Penelitian Kualitatif. Makassar, Indonesia: Syakir Media Press, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/juwxn
    23. Sekretariat Gereja BNKP Jemaat Lotu, “Sejarah Gereja BNKP Jemaat Lotu,” internal congregational report, Lotu, North Nias, Indonesia, 2021.
    24. W. Surachmad, Pengantar Penelitian Ilmiah: Dasar, Metode, Teknik, 7th ed. Bandung, Indonesia: Tarsito, 1980.
    25. Sekretariat Gereja BNKP Jemaat Lotu, “Data Jemaat BNKP Lotu,” internal congregational report, Lotu, North Nias, Indonesia, n.d.
    26. H. S. Zebua, Kamus Sederhana Bahasa Daerah Nias-Indonesia. Gunungsitoli, Indonesia: UD. Harapan, 1996.
    27. S. Waruwu, “Böwö ba Hada: Meretas Waktu Dulu dan Sekarang,” in Famalua Böwö ba Hada Same’e Fa’ohahau Dödö, Nias Barat, Indonesia, 2014.
    28. R. R. S. Laoli, J. Siregar, A. I. Zebua, and F. A. Y. Zebua, Adat dan Upacara Perkawinan Daerah Nias. Medan, Indonesia: Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Provinsi Sumatera Utara, 1985.
    29. D. Saragih, Pengantar Hukum Adat Indonesia. Bandung, Indonesia: Tarsito, 1996.
    30. V. Zebua, Ho, Jendela Nias Kuno: Sebuah Kajian Kritis Mitologis. Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Pustaka Pelajar, 2006.
    31. E. Nazara, customary leader, personal interview, North Nias, Indonesia, Jul. 7, 2026.
    32. M. Nazara, customary leader, personal interview, North Nias, Indonesia, Jul. 5, 2026.
    33. F. Nazara, customary leader, personal interview, North Nias, Indonesia, Jul. 4, 2026.
    34. A. Y. Gulo, church pastor, personal interview, North Nias, Indonesia, Jul. 2, 2026.
    35. S. Zendrato, church leader, personal interview, North Nias, Indonesia, Jul. 6, 2026.
    36. N. Ashraf, N. Bau, N. Nunn, and A. Voena, “Bride price and female education,” Journal of Political. Economy, vol. 128, no. 2, pp. 591–641, 2020, doi: 10.1086/704572. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/704572
    37. S. Kalberg, “Max weber’s types of rationality: cornerstones for the analysis of rationalization processes in history,” American Journal of Sociology, vol. 85, no. 5, pp. 1145–1179, 1980, doi: 10.1086/227128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/227128
    38. U. Hummel and T. Telaumbanua, Cross and Adu: A Socio-Historical Study on the Encounter between Christianity and the Indigenous Culture on Nias and the Batu Islands, Indonesia (1865-1965). Utrecht, Nederlands: Universiteit Utrecht, 2007.
    39. D. A. Naibaho, S. M. Ethelin, O. S. Sitorus, and J. Sinulingga, “Pergeseran makna dan fungsi sinamot pada upacara pernikahan etnik batak toba,” Kompetensi, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 363–370, 2023, doi: 10.36277/kompetensi.v16i2.195. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36277/kompetensi.v16i2.195
    40. N. Masthurah, F. H. Amin, S. L. Sunusi, N. K. Hanafie, and A. R. Mohamad, “Evolving traditions: the contemporary dynamics of uang panai’ in bugis-makassar wedding ceremonies,” Tamaddun Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, dan Budaya, vol. 23, no. 1, 2024, doi: 10.33096/tamaddun.v23i1.713. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33096/tamaddun.v23i1.713
    41. Y. Yan, “The individual and transformation of bridewealth in rural north china,” Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 637–658, 2005, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9655.2005.00255.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9655.2005.00255.x