Educational Values in the Batang Garing Philosophy of the Dayak Ngaju: Relevance to Islamic Education

Abstract

Batang Garing (also called Batang Haring) is a Dayak Ngaju cultural symbol discussed in literature on cosmology, character education, conservation, and mathematics. This article examines educational values associated with the symbol and their possible ethical relevance to Islamic education. It uses a qualitative library approach and a focused literature synthesis. Its contribution is a critical synthesis and ethical comparison, not the discovery of new cultural meanings. Publications were identified through academic search engines, journal and publisher sites, DOI records, GARUDA, and institutional repositories, then compared thematically. The search was targeted rather than exhaustive and is not presented as a systematic review. The clearest explicit mapping identified in the reviewed literature associates selected symbolic elements with religiosity, responsibility, environmental care, peace-loving conduct, and tolerance. The source’s own abstract and table do not map every element identically, so the article preserves this interpretive ambiguity rather than resolving it by conjecture. The synthesis suggests that environmental care, responsibility, respect for difference, and peaceful relations can be discussed alongside Islamic ethical sources without claiming identical meanings or shared theological origins. No fieldwork or classroom intervention was conducted; interpretations require further dialogue with Dayak Ngaju cultural knowledge holders and Islamic education scholars.