Tari Kanjar merupakan elemen pertunjukan esensial dalam upacara sakral Aruh Bawanang pada masyarakat adat Dayak Meratus. Eksistensinya saat ini menghadapi tantangan regenerasi dan arus modernisasi, sehingga perlu dikaji secara mendalam. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan fungsi simbolis secara utuh serta menganalisis dinamika prosesi pelaksanaan Tari Kanjar di Balai Hujung, Kecamatan Loksado. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif melalui metode etnografi. Pengumpulan data dilakukan secara komprehensif melalui observasi partisipatif, wawancara mendalam dengan tokoh adat, dan dokumentasi lapangan. Data tersebut kemudian dianalisis menggunakan pisau teori kebudayaan interpretatif, semiotika komunikasi, serta teori ritus peralihan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa fungsi simbolis Tari Kanjar beroperasi sebagai representasi siklus kehidupan agraris (Bahuma) dan pemenuhan nazar spiritual kolektif. Elemen kinetik berupa hentakan kaki menyimbolkan mimesis suara pembakaran lahan (Manyalukut), lambaian tangan bermakna komunikasi transendental, dan gerak berputar melambangkan pusaran ketahanan mental. Penelitian ini menemukan fenomena minimalisme ritual, di mana kesederhanaan busana keseharian dan penggunaan instrumen minimal (gendang dan sarunai) justru melucuti ego keduniawian para penari guna mencapai egalitarianisme murni di hadapan leluhur. Secara dinamika prosesi, pelaksanaan ritual ini melewati tiga fase transisi, yakni fase pemisahan (pra-ritual), fase liminalitas atau kalang-langan (inti), dan fase penyatuan kembali atau bapamali (pasca-ritual). Transformasi material fisik bangunan balai dari lantai bambu menjadi papan kayu terbukti mengamplifikasi resonansi akustik secara paradoksal, sehingga memperkuat efek magis mimesis suara api. Kesimpulannya, Tari Kanjar di Balai Hujung membuktikan bahwa ketahanan makna spiritual masyarakat adat dapat terus dipertahankan dan beradaptasi secara fleksibel terhadap perubahan ruang maupun waktu tanpa kehilangan esensi kesakralan ritualnya.

Kata Kunci: Tari Kanjar, Aruh Bawanang, Fungsi Simbolis, Dinamika Prosesi, Dayak Meratus.

The Kanjar Dance is an essential performance element in the sacred Aruh Bawanang ceremony of the Dayak Meratus indigenous community. Its current existence faces regeneration challenges and modernization currents, necessitating an in-depth study. This research aims to fully describe the symbolic function and analyze the procession dynamics of the Kanjar Dance at Balai Hujung, Loksado District. This study employs a descriptive qualitative approach through the ethnographic method. Data collection was conducted comprehensively via participant observation, in-depth interviews with traditional elders, and field documentation. The data were then analyzed using the theoretical frameworks of interpretive culture, communication semiotics, and rites of passage. The results indicate that the symbolic function of the Kanjar Dance operates as a representation of the agrarian life cycle (Bahuma) and the fulfillment of a collective spiritual vow. The kinetic element of foot-stomping symbolizes the mimesis of the sound of burning land (Manyalukut), hand-waving signifies transcendental communication, and the spinning movement illustrates the vortex of mental endurance. This research discovered a ritual minimalism phenomenon, where the simplicity of everyday clothing and the use of minimal instruments (gendang and sarunai) actually strip away the worldly ego of the dancers to achieve pure egalitarianism before the ancestors. Regarding the procession dynamics, the ritual execution goes through three transitional phases: the separation phase (pre-ritual), the liminality or kalang-langan phase (core), and the reincorporation or bapamali phase (post-ritual). The transformation of the hall's physical building material from bamboo floors to wooden planks paradoxically amplifies the acoustic resonance, thereby strengthening the magical effect of the fire's mimesis. In conclusion, the Kanjar Dance in Balai Hujung proves that the resilience of the indigenous community's spiritual meaning can be maintained and adapted flexibly to changes in space and time without losing the essence of its ritual sacredness.

Keywords: Kanjar Dance, Aruh Bawanang, Symbolic Function, Procession Dynamics, Dayak Meratus.