Karungut is one of the traditional musical arts originating from the Dayak tribe of Central Kalimantan. It is a type of vocal music, consisting of pantuns sung in the Ngaju Dayak language. The lyrics of Karungut songs can be referred to as poetry because they are sung in verse form. Sri Hastanto explains that karungut music consists of recited poetry that can tell any story, sung by a singer or pangarungut (or two people in alternation), accompanied by two zithers, a drum and a gong. Each poem consists of four lines, and each line typically contains approximately nine syllables divided into two phrases. The melody of the song is structured in a repetitive manner; when repeating the song, instrumental music is used as an interlude between song sections (Hastanto 2005:80).

Pangarungut, the performer of karungut, is distinguished into two types of performance: spontaneous singing and singing by reading the lyrics. Spontaneous karungut, historically, was the first type to emerge and remains a distinctive feature of karungut music to this day. Pangarungut or singers do not use any written notation when singing karungut, but rely on their musical intuition. This requires unique talent and skills in singing, such as fluency in the Dayak Ngaju language, a melodious voice, and the ability to produce the characteristic melodic sounds that frequently appear in each verse and are a hallmark of karungut. Karungut lyrics are like poetry with consistent vowel endings in each line. There are four lines in each verse, and each line typically has 3 to 5 words with 8 to 10 syllables. The fixed rules of the rhyme system are also clear: the syllables at the end of each line must sound the same if they are to form a pattern of ‘a a a a’ or ‘b b b b’, and so on. The chosen words that support the meaning and follow the rhythm are the ones used. The number of verses is determined by the composer’s preference (Umberan et al. 1994).

Karungut is the most well-known traditional oral music heritage or symbol of identity for the Dayak Ngaju tribe in Central Kalimantan. The Central Kalimantan provincial government has designated karungut as one of the symbols of traditional music or an icon of the cultural identity of the Dayak Ngaju tribe in Central Kalimantan. This is evidenced by its use as a welcome song for guests every day at the arrival area of Tjilik Riwut Airport in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan.

Recognition of traditional karungut music on a broader scale has also been granted by the Indonesian central government through the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, which issued Decision No. 238/M/2013 dated 13 December 2013, designating traditional karungut music as one of Indonesia’s intangible cultural heritage. Furthermore, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as an international body of the United Nations, also designated karungut as the cultural heritage of the Dayak Ngaju tribe of Central Kalimantan as an intangible cultural heritage of the world in 2013. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization’s recognition as an intangible cultural heritage of the world provides international recognition of the cultural value of karungut and the importance of its preservation efforts.

A song is created with a specific purpose and message that the composer wants to convey. Soedarsono has a theory of the primary functions of performing arts, which consist of: ritual function, entertainment function and aesthetic function (Soedarsono 2001). Spiritual songs, as part of church music, are included as a ritual art function, namely songs that focus more on the purpose of enhancing spirituality and bringing oneself closer to God through singing. Spiritual songs are not merely praises that can be sung; more than that, a song also has the power to influence someone. This is based on several theological elements of spiritual songs, where the lyrics focus on biblical values and are formed into a song that has the ability to convey a message, express feelings and serve as a form of praise to God. On the other hand, spirituality is often associated with the spiritual context, where through spirituality, a person is not only able to live in connection with God but also apply it in daily actions. Many people believe that spiritual songs can enhance a person’s spirituality (Trianto 2023).

Kapoyos, Suharto and Syakir (2022) explain in their research that traditional music can also be used as a religious tool in churches, and its use is felt to be closer to the lives of the congregation because it aligns with their cultural context. Lebaka (2015) also concluded in his research that the use of traditional music in worship has also been able to increase the attendance and participation of church members. Oral tradition is a tradition rich in cultural and spiritual values that can serve as a bridge between religion and culture (Juanda, Sunkudon & Tjandra 2025), as is the case with the use of karungut in church music in Central Kalimantan. The church is also expected to play a role in the mission of using local culture, as explained by Widyawati, Lon and Midun (2025) in their research, which further explains and highlights the church’s involvement in preserving local culture in religious practices.

From the above-stated research articles, it can be concluded that the use of traditional music is important for contextualising church music, showing that the integration of music such as karungut can strengthen the spirituality of the congregation and increase participation in worship. Soedarsono (2001) emphasises that spiritual songs function as ritual art that brings the congregation closer to God, while Trianto (2023) states that spiritual songs can influence individual spirituality. Kapoyos et al. (2022) found that traditional music is more relevant to the cultural context of the congregation, thereby increasing attendance at worship services. Lebaka (2015) also notes that the use of traditional music attracts more church members. Thus, the use of traditional music in worship not only enriches the spiritual experience but also preserves local culture, making the church a bridge between faith and cultural traditions.

The GKE, as a Protestant church widely spread across Kalimantan, seeks to place church music within the cultural context of the Dayak community. Sanon outlines six mission paradigms of GKE, with the fourth mission emphasising the importance of becoming a contextual church (Sanon 2015). Gereja Kalimantan Evangelis actively seeks to contribute to the contextualisation of church music by incorporating traditional music into worship – specifically through the use of karungut, a traditional Dayak Ngaju form of oral poetry expressed through melodic chanting. Karungut was chosen as church music because it is widely recognised and more culturally prominent among the Dayak Ngaju people of Central Kalimantan.

The karungut used in church music is referred to as karungut rohani, which is karungut music specifically created for church use, thus classified based on its functional purpose as karungut for Christian religious rituals. Karungut rohani is a form of contextualisation of church music derived from the traditional music of the Dayak ethnic group in Central Kalimantan, and its use contributes to religious rituals within the church community. The application of traditional karungut music in the form of karungut rohani as church music in the GKE has helped local congregations become more familiar with and connected to their cultural heritage as Dayak people in Central Kalimantan. The use of karungut rohani in worship enables the church’s culture to become more integrated with the local culture of the Dayak community.

Based on the type of creative process, karungut rohani is classified as non-spontaneous karungut, meaning that the creator of karungut rohani will plan and write the lyrics before singing them. Preparation is necessary to ensure that the theme and form of the song are appropriate for the worship service, in terms of the type of lyrics, pattern, theme and rhythm of the song. Spiritual hymns can be sung directly by their creators or by others. Karungut rohani is a church song in the form of poetry, so in its creation, to make it beautiful with unique lyrics, special skills are required to accurately determine the number of words and the rules of vocal rhyme in each line (Suharto & Subroto 2014).

The creation of karungut rohani within the GKE has been carried out by karungut artists, including pastors, church elders, GKE congregation members as well as artists from other churches. Reverend Sergius Paulus Tigoi and Reverend Kristianus Unting are examples of GKE pastors who have composed karungut rohani, which is sung as church music during worship – either performed by themselves or by others. These pastors are also karungut rohani artists who not only love traditional music but also actively compose and use it in church worship. As Dayak pastors within GKE, they are aware of and hopeful that traditional karungut music can become an integral part of local church worship. Although their contributions are not yet made on a regular basis, they represent examples of church leaders who have initiated the contextualisation of church music – courageously creating and using karungut rohani so that church music is not solely dominated by Western musical forms.

The presentation of karungut rohani is generally sung by one person (solo) or sometimes performed by two people (duet). The accompaniment for karungut rohani typically uses a simple kecapi instrument, but can also be enhanced with more complete accompaniment, such as: garantung, katambung, flute and rebab. In karungut rohani performances, it is not uncommon for the singer to also be the musician, accompanying their own voice with the kecapi. With the advancement of technology, if there are no musicians available to accompany the karungut rohani, recorded music from YouTube can sometimes be used instead. The purpose of karungut rohani, as it is used as church music, differs from traditional karungut. The purpose of karungut rohani is not for the singer or musician to glorify themselves, but rather the opposite – it requires a humble attitude as a servant tasked with serving the congregation and focusing on the glory of God. Singers and musicians of karungut rohani are also required to behave politely and dress neatly as worship servants.

The application of karungut rohani in the church serves as a medium of ritual and worship, aiming to support and strengthen the faith of congregants as members of the Christian community. Unlike traditional karungut, which primarily functions as entertainment, karungut rohani is intended to support various aspects of church life in alignment with its spiritual mission – namely koinonia [fellowship], by facilitating communal worship gatherings; marturia [witnessing], by becoming a vehicle to share the love of Christ; and diakonia [service], by encouraging acts of service to others. The lyrics of karungut rohani are purposefully crafted in accordance with Christian doctrines and values. Although the musical structure closely resembles that of traditional karungut, the performance style is adapted to reflect sacred church music – sung with reverence, devotion and heartfelt expression as a manifestation of Christian faith. A more detailed comparison between karungut rohani and traditional karungut is presented in Table 1.

Table 2 presents an example of a karungut rohani song used in the contextualisation of church music, composed by Reverend Sergius and performed during worship services in the GKE. The song is titled ‘Salam Sejahtera’ [Peaceful Greetings], and is presented along with its translation.

This song consists of six verses, each with the same melody that is repeated. Karungut rohani songs have the same form as other karungut songs, namely: they have a one-part structure, with each part consisting of 10 bars, and each part containing one verse of poetry that is sung and repeated up to six times. Each verse contains four lines and ends with the same vowel sound. The lyrics of the song combine the Dayak Ngaju language and Indonesian. The Dayak Ngaju language is the local language commonly used in karungut songs, while Indonesian is used so that congregants who are not from the Dayak Ngaju ethnic group and do not understand the language can still grasp the meaning.

The process of contextualising church music using traditional karungut rohani music in GKE was carried out as an effort to adapt to the cultural context of church members who originated from the Ngaju Dayak tribe. Church music, which was accustomed to using Western musical instruments, was modified with the use of karungut rohani, which uses traditional music from Central Kalimantan. The process of contextualising church music in worship at GKE involves three groups of actors: church administrators or pastors as policy-makers, karungut rohani artists as performers and the congregation as listeners or art enthusiasts.

Church administrators and pastors compose the liturgy according to the planned theme and offer karungut artists the opportunity to fill the worship service with relevant songs. Karungut artists, consisting of pangarungut and musicians, prepare their performances by creating or selecting songs that fit the theme of the worship service, as well as arranging the lyrics and music. The song creation process involves determining the theme, writing the lyrics and adapting them to the rules of karungut songs. Once the song is complete, the pangarungut seeks out musicians to accompany the performance, either live or using recordings. The musicians coordinate with the pangarungut to prepare the musical instruments and arrangements. Joint rehearsals are conducted to ensure mastery of the song and preparation for the performance, including technical and non-technical arrangements. On the day of the performance, members of the karungut rohani group worship together with the congregation, recognising that they are not concert artists, but servants tasked with serving the liturgy. Karungut rohani performances are an important part of the congregation’s spiritual experience, creating closeness to God and strengthening understanding of faith, as well as making worship more meaningful and connected to local culture.

A unique aspect of the karungut performance is the spontaneous response from the audience to perform the manasai dance. Similarly, in the use of karungut rohani at GKE, there are sometimes spontaneous responses from some members of the congregation who rise from their seats and move forward to perform the manasai dance. The manasai dance begins with the initiative of one or several congregants who stand up and move forward, followed by other congregants who also move forward to join in forming a circular line, following the movements of the manasai dance. The movements of the manasai dance are quite simple and easy to follow, involving alternating hand movements and walking in a circle, starting by facing inward, turning to the right while moving forward counterclockwise, facing outward, turning to the left, and moving forward (Hidayati, Qadariah & Lestari 2022). The manasai dance, originating from Central Kalimantan, symbolises joy and togetherness, evoking emotions that build and strengthen unity.

Karungut artists face several difficulties in preparing karungut rohani performances. Firstly, song creation is challenging, especially in selecting lyrics or words that must match the vowels at the end of the song, similar to what is commonly found in poetry. Secondly, the limited number of accompanying musicians in the church environment often forces them to seek musicians from outside the church or from community art centres, resulting in additional costs. Thirdly, there is a limited number of people who are proficient in traditional karungut rohani music in the church, and even if there are, there is still a lack of awareness among karungut artists to contribute to church activities.

Karl-Edmund Prier quotes W. Blankenburg’s writing, explaining that literally, church music means music used in church buildings or special worship music from the congregation as a church community (Martasudjita & Prier 2009:14). Hugh Milton Miller, in his work ‘Introduction to music: A guide to good listening’, first published in 1958 and translated into Indonesian by Triyono Bramantyo, categorises church music into two types: namely liturgical music composed for specific purposes within church ceremonies and non-liturgical music composed more for concert performances, although it has a serious religious nature (Miller 2001:172–176). Based on this definition, the author concludes that church music is music used to support church activities, whether it is music used in liturgical (worship) settings or outside of liturgy. Supporting church activities here means supporting the congregation in worship, with the benchmark being to increase the congregation’s faith in Christ as the head of the church. Types of church music can be distinguished based on their purpose of use according to Miller’s opinion, namely liturgical and non-liturgical church music. Generally, liturgy is understood as the order of worship performed in communal worship activities at church, while non-liturgical activities are church activities conducted outside of worship, such as competitions, music concerts, choir festivals and others.

Karungut rohani in GKE has two functions: as liturgical music, that is karungut rohani used as liturgical music or incorporated into worship; and as non-liturgical music, that is karungut rohani used outside of worship, such as in competitions or spiritual music concerts. Karungut rohani in GKE as liturgical music has been practised, although not yet on a regular schedule. Gereja Kalimantan Evangelis strives to use spiritual songs in certain worship services, such as in special worship services with a Dayak ethnic flavour, worship services commemorating church holidays (Christmas, Easter, church anniversaries, evangelism days and others), in church meetings or conferences, and so on.

The Youth Arts and Sports Week (Pekan Olahraga dan Seni, or Porseni) of GKE youth and teens serves as an example of GKE’s efforts to apply the contextualisation of church music through karungut rohani, functioning in this case as non-liturgical music. Porseni is an annual event organised by GKE at the regency or city level across Kalimantan, participated by Christian youth, both from within GKE and from other churches. Karungut rohani is included as one of the art competition categories, providing a platform for young people to become more interested in learning, appreciating and preserving karungut as part of Dayak cultural heritage within the church context. Indirectly, GKE also contributes to the education and transmission of traditional karungut arts among youth, especially in the face of the growing dominance of Western popular music culture.

Karungut rohani has a significant impact and benefit for both the congregation and the church. It strengthens the local cultural identity of the congregation, encourages active participation in worship and creates a lively and interactive worship atmosphere. In addition, Karungut rohani serves as a means of education and cultural preservation for the younger generation, while also fostering togetherness and solidarity among congregants. Sergius Paulus Tigoi, a pastor at GKE, recognises the benefits of Karungut rohani for the church, namely that Karungut rohani strengthens the contextualisation of worship by integrating local culture, preserving and developing traditional musical heritage, and expanding the mission’s reach through the delivery of inclusive and relevant faith messages. This music also promotes creativity and empowerment of local artists and supports the sustainable development of the church and community through cultural preservation and the strengthening of social values. Thus, Karungut rohani becomes a strategic medium that not only enriches religious practice and faith strengthening but also reinforces the church’s role as a centre for cultural preservation and harmonious community development.

The challenges faced in contextualising church music using karungut rohani include: traditional music remains less popular compared to Western music, churches generally rarely contribute to the use of traditional music as church music, the limited availability of karungut rohani artists and the high costs or fees for singers and musicians if they are hired from outside the church.

This study reveals the application and forms of karungut rohani within the GKE as an effort to contextualise church music by integrating traditional music into worship practices. Karungut rohani, a church song composed in poetic form, is created through careful planning and involves karungut artists from various backgrounds, including pastors. The findings demonstrate that karungut rohani functions not only as a medium of worship but also as a means to strengthen the congregation’s faith and reinforce local cultural identity. The contribution of this research lies in its emphasis on the importance of integrating traditional music into church liturgy and highlighting the active role of artists and congregants in creating a more meaningful worship experience. The study’s novelty lies in its identification of the challenges faced in the implementation of karungut rohani, such as the limited availability of human resources and funding, as well as the need to raise awareness about the importance of preserving traditional music in the midst of the dominance of Western musical influences. This research provides new insights into how traditional music can contribute to both spiritual development and cultural preservation within the context of the church.