The Role of Religious and Cultural Values in Supporting Sustainable Development in Traditional Batak Toba Settlements

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-499-0_42How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Religious Values; Batak Toba Culture; Sustainable Development; Traditional Settlements

Abstract

This research explores the role of religious and cultural values in traditional Batak Toba settlements in fostering sustainable development. It focuses on the integration of spiritual beliefs and indigenous wisdom, particularly the Dalihan Na Tolu philosophy, in the management of spatial planning and natural resources to sustain a balanced relationship between humans and their environment. This research employs a qualitative, descriptive methodology, utilizing data gathered from field observations, in-depth interviews with customary leaders and community members, and document analysis. The results reveal that Batak Toba religious values embody a spiritual responsibility toward nature and ancestors, which forms the ethical basis for environmental preservation. Simultaneously, local cultural values reinforce social solidarity and collective resource management that underpin sustainable development practices. These values are manifested in customary laws, settlement arrangements, and integrated environmental governance that reflect the social and spiritual fabric of the community. In summary, the fusion of religious and cultural values in Batak Toba tradition represents a vital social capital for sustainable development strategies. This culturally grounded approach not only safeguards ecosystem integrity but also enhances social and cultural resilience within traditional settlements, strengthening community identity and adaptive capacities. Such integration provides a viable model for locally adapted and sustainable development that aligns ecological health with cultural continuity, offering important lessons for broader application in indigenous and rural development contexts.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Zanrison Naibaho
AU  - Daniel Harapan Parlindungan Simanjuntak
AU  - Ayu Rulyani
AU  - Murni Eva Marlina
AU  - David Jonathan Simbolon
AU  - Umar Haddad Siregar
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/12
TI  - The Role of Religious and Cultural Values in Supporting Sustainable Development in Traditional Batak Toba Settlements
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies (ICSSIS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 513
EP  - 525
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-499-0_42
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-499-0_42
ID  - Naibaho2025
ER  -