Family communication and local culture: Palembang Malay Muslim and Besemah Tebat Benawa communities

Abstract

This article examines how family communication sustains and transforms cultural values within the Palembang Malay Muslim and Besemah Tebat Benawa communities in South Sumatra. Using a mixed-methods design with a qualitative emphasis combining ethnography, phenomenology, in-depth interviews, observations, and surveys, the research explores the mechanisms through which intergenerational transmission of values occurs amid rapid social and technological change. Findings show that both communities rely on consensual family communication patterns rooted in Islamic teachings, customary authority, and ritual practices such as tepung tawar, sondok piyogo, and pantauan bunting. These rituals serve as symbolic mediums of collective memory, reinforcing identity, moral order, and social solidarity. While modernization and digital media have shifted interaction patterns, core values such as respect, cooperation, and ancestral reverence remain resilient through adaptive reinterpretation within families. The article concludes that family communication operates as a dynamic cultural system that negotiates continuity and change to preserve local identities.

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