Keris Values in Sustainable Heritage Tourism: Cultural Communication and Legal Governance

Abstract

Digital transformation has fundamentally reshaped the ways in which cultural heritage is produced, represented, and interpreted in the public sphere. The keris, recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of Indonesia, embodies philosophical values that have historically been transmitted through community-based communication practices. However, within the contexts of tourism and digitalization, these meanings are increasingly transformed under the logic of mediatisation and cultural commodification. This study aims to analyze the dissemination of the philosophical values of the keris within sustainable heritage-based tourism, with a particular focus on cultural communication and legal governance. This research employs a qualitative approach using a communication ethnography design. Data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation of both local practices and digital representations across multiple communication contexts. The findings indicate that within local communities, the philosophical meanings of the keris remain relatively stable due to the presence of symbolic authority and traditional communication structures. In contrast, within tourism and digital environments, these meanings become more fluid and tend to undergo simplification to meet market and media demands. Furthermore the study reveals that legal governance has not been fully effective in regulating the commodification of cultural heritage, particularly in digital and tourism contexts. This gap creates challenges in maintaining the authenticity and depth of cultural meanings. The study concludes that the integration of cultural communication and legal governance is essential to ensure the sustainability of the keris’s philosophical values within heritage-based tourism development.