Abstract
Divorce is a societal problem that affects children, extended families, married couples, and the general social resilience of communities. Local wisdom values, such as siri' na pacce, sipakatau, sipakalebbi, sipakainge, and tudang sipulung, stand for respect, empathy, accountability, and thoughtful dispute resolution in Bugis-Makassar society. The goal of this study is to determine how applicable Bugis-Makassar traditional knowledge is to family mediation as a divorce prevention tactic and how it may be updated and revived. This study employed a descriptive design and a qualitative methodology. In-depth interviews, observations, and documentation involving couples who had experienced marital discord, as well as traditional leaders, religious leaders, mediators, and family members involved in mediation procedures, were used to collect data. Techniques for data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing were used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that while sipakatau and sipakalebbi improve respect between married couples, siri' na pacce strengthens accountability and empathy. While tudang sipulung provides a deliberative setting for discovering common answers, sipakainge encourages constructive reminders. The findings suggest that the parties' desire to voluntarily embrace the mediation process can be increased by involving traditional authorities, religious leaders, and dependable family members. Reviving these ideals in an adaptive, equitable, and impartial manner might support family mediation. The results of this study show that incorporating local knowledge into family mediation could be beneficial in reducing divorce.
