Representation of Batak Kinship Values in Modern Batak Pop Songs
Abstract
This study examines the representation of Batak kinship values in modern Batak pop songs as a medium of cultural expression that has developed amidst social change in Batak society. Modern Batak pop songs serve not only as entertainment but also as a means of conveying moral messages, collective identity, and strengthening traditional values passed down through generations. The focus of this research is to examine how Batak kinship values are represented through song lyrics, linguistic symbols, and the social meanings they convey. This study used a qualitative approach with content analysis of several popular modern Batak pop songs. Data were collected through documentary studies in the form of song lyrics and analyzed using cultural representation theory and Batak kinship concepts such as Dalihanna tolu, hasangapon, hagabeon, and hamoraon. The results show that modern Batak pop songs often represent kinship values in the form of respect for parents, solidarity between siblings, loyalty within family ties, and an emphasis on the importance of custom in social relations. Furthermore, songs also depict the dynamics of modern life, such as migration, family conflict, and longing for one's hometown, which strengthens emotional bonds of kinship. Thus, modern Batak pop songs play a crucial role in maintaining Batak kinship cultural values despite the context of a society undergoing continuous modernization. This research is expected to contribute to cultural studies, modern oral literature, and the preservation of Batak ethnic identity through popular music.
Downloads
References
Barker, C. (2012). Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice (4th ed.). SAGE. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/cultural-studies/book235692
Barthes, R. (1977). Image–Music–Text (S. Heath, Trans.). Hill and Wang. https://monoskop.org/images/0/08/Barthes_Roland_Image_Music_Text.pdf
Bourdieu, P. (1993). The field of cultural production. Columbia University Press. https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-field-of-cultural-production/9780231050853
Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/research-design/book246896
Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11
Guest, G., Namey, E., & Chen, M. (2020). A simple method to assess and report thematic saturation in qualitative research. PLOS ONE, 15(5), e0232076. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232076
Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. SAGE. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/representation/book205164
Halliday, M. A. K. (2014). An introduction to functional grammar (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/An-Introduction-to-Functional-Grammar-3rd-Edition/Halliday/p/book/9780415303866
Heryanto, A. (2015). Popular culture in Indonesia: Fluid identities in post-authoritarian politics. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Popular-Culture-in-Indonesia-Fluid-Identities-in-Post-Authoritarian-Politics/Heryanto/p/book/9780415534847
Hutajulu, P. (2019). Representasikekeluargaandalamliriklagu Batak. JurnalHumaniora, 31(2), 215–228. https://journal.unika.ac.id/index.php/humaniora/article/view/---
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/qualitative-data-analysis/book246128
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). SAGE. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/qualitative-research-evaluation-methods/book246125
Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). SAGE. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/the-coding-manual-for-qualitative-researchers/book269385
Siahaan, M. (2018). Tanda dan maknadalammusik Batak kontemporer. JurnalKomunikasi&Budaya, 12(1), 57–75. https://jurnalkomunikasibudaya.org/index.php/jkb/article/view/---
Storey, J. (2018). Cultural theory and popular culture: An introduction (8th ed.). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Cultural-Theory-and-Popular-Culture-An-Introduction-Eighth-Edition/Storey/p/book/9781138301008
Weintraub, A. (2010). Music and cultural identity in Indonesia. Ethnomusicology, 54(3), 449–470. https://doi.org/10.5406/ethnomusicology.54.3.0449
Vergouwen, J. C. (2004). Dalihanna tolu: The social system of the Batak Toba (Rev. ed.). KITLV Press. https://www.kitlvpress.nl/collections/book-series-publications/products/dalihan-na-tolu
Copyright (c) 2026 Putri Hutabarat, Jekmen Sinulingga
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
By submitting the article/manuscript of the article, the author(s) agree with this policy. No specific document sign-off is required.
License
The use of the article will be governed by the Creative Commons Attribution license as currently displayed on Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author(s)' Warranties
The author warrants that the article is original, written by the stated author(s), has not been published before, contains no unlawful statements, does not infringe the rights of others, is subject to copyright that is vested exclusively in the author and free of any third party rights, and that any necessary written permissions to quote from other sources have been obtained by the author(s).
User/Public Rights
Under the Creative Commons license, users are allowed to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work. Users will also need to attribute authors on distributing works in the journal and other media of publications. Unless otherwise stated, the authors are public entities as soon as their articles got published.
Rights of Authors
Authors retain all their rights to the published works, such as (but not limited to) the following rights;
- Copyright and other proprietary rights relating to the article, such as patent rights,
- The right to use the substance of the article in own future works, including lectures and books,
- The right to reproduce the article for own purposes,
- The right to self-archive the article,
- The right to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the article's published version (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
Co-Authorship
If the article was jointly prepared by more than one author, any authors submitting the manuscript warrants that he/she has been authorized by all co-authors to be agreed on this copyright and license notice (agreement) on their behalf, and agrees to inform his/her co-authors of the terms of this policy. The journal will not be held liable for anything that may arise due to the author(s) internal dispute. The journal will only communicate with the corresponding author.
Royalties
Being an open accessed journal and disseminating articles for free under the Creative Commons license term mentioned, author(s) aware that the journal entitles the author(s) to no royalties or other fees.
Miscellaneous
The article will be published in the journal if the article’s editorial process is successfully completed. The editors may modify the article to a style of punctuation, spelling, capitalization, referencing, and usage that deems appropriate. The author acknowledges that the article may be published so that it will be publicly accessible and such access will be free of charge for the readers.
