Heroic Values in Jaka Tingkir Folklore from Javanese Culture /Java Kültürü’nden gelen Jaka Tingkir Folkloru’nda Kahramanlığın Değeri

Abstract

The folklore “Jaka Tingkir” is a form of Javanese culture and literature which is popular in Sragen, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia. The story takes place in the Kingdom of Demak (when Jaka Tingkir devoted himself as leader of the soldiers), as well as in the Kingdom of Pajang (when Jaka Tingkir becomes the king with “Sultan Hadiwijaya” title). UNESCO has recognized this folklore as ‘Indonesian culture’ and stated that it has a good value, therefore people can use it as a way to build (improve) their characters in daily life. This research aims to describe the ‘values of heroism’ in this particular folklore. The heroic values are emphasized in the main character; Jaka Tingkir. This research was conducted in Butuh, Desa Gedongan, Kecamatan Plupuh, Kabupaten Sragen, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia. This is a cultural qualitative research with a folklore approach and consists of two data sources. The sources of the verbal data as well as the primary data are from four people; namely Muhammad Aziz, Suparno, Andun Jailani and Iswahyudi - while the sources of the written data as well as the secondary data are Buku Cerita Rakyat Jawa Tengah Jaka, novel epik Jaka Tingkir: Jalan Berliku Menjemput Wahyu, and Babad Demak 2. The researcher used purposive sampling for the sample selection. Meanwhile, the data were collected through narrative interviews (for the verbal data) and literature study (for the written data). The validity of the data in this research is processed with source triangulation, while the data analysis method is functional and document analysis. The results of this research suggest that the values of heroism in the folklore “Jaka Tingkir” are good morals, the willingness to sacrifice, loyal to the country (willing to defend it), discipline, relentless, brave, honest, responsible, confident and great leadership skills. Living creatures, such as humans (both male and female) or animals can imply these values in life, which can be addressed to an individual or many people. The reason these particular values were examined is because they can be useful as a way to build and improve one’s character, especially in today’s society.

Keywords

• jaka tingkir
• javanese culture
• indonesia
• values of heroism
• folklore