Parafrase Vol. 18 No.01 Mei 2018 Halaman 1 – 8 https://doi.org/10.30996/parafrase.v18i01.1377

MADURA FOLKTALES: TOWARD THE UNIVERSALITIES

Imron Wakhid Harits Department of English Literature University of Trunojoyo Madura Email: [email protected]

Abstract. Madura Island has myriads of folktales as a result of its acculturation since the prosperous of Hinduism kingdom till the glorious of Islamic Mataram era. These notions are interested to examine. This paper probes the native of Madura folktales along with their uniqueness and link it with the universality of the folktales in the world. By investigating the motifs, Madura Folktales engage with other folktales across nation and it is really meaningful in the children literature perspective. The children literature mediates the wonder folktales such as Madura folktales into the ideal of children literature viewpoints.

Keywords: Madura Folktales, wonder folk/fairy tales, children literature

INTRODUCTION Bangsadcara and Ragapadmi, The Origin of Madura is the island with Madura and Rato Ebu are the folktales that thousands of folktales as its historical and cannot separate with the history of Madura cultural heritage. The folktales including kingdom in the past time. Firstly, Madura is myth and legend are created the the Hindu kingdom, reigned by Arya characteristics of Madura people. They are Wiraraja in Sumenep but Madura was parts of long history which cannot be never becoming an independent kingdom, separated from the society, because it was a part of Majapahit Empire then as a folktales are the local genious, a kind of part of Islamic Mataram kingdom. But the way of thought. Barthes (1973) argues that demarcation line between royal family and the very principle of myth, in this sense, is an ordinary people is hold tightly and that ‘it transforms history into nature’ (p. strictly. The royal family lived in their own 129). Madura with its all uniqueness circle and take away from the ordinary transforms its values through the its local people life. The caste system as the heritage genious, like folktales from one generation of Hinduism gives the strong effects to the to the next generation. Surely, inside of the relationship between the Nobel class and folktales it can be found the moral and the ordinary people, thus the marriage religious elements as its standard of between the royal family member and the philosophy for its people. ordinary people is suggested as taboo. Otherwise, for Madura tales mostly Though, the tradition is changed from nobility is the center of the theme and also Hindu to Islam, but this is not easy to the characters, although it can be found the change the belief and the Hindu tradition traditional tales with the hard relation that is come to Indonesia since the 3rd between the noble and an ordinary people Century. Hinduism had become the such as Ke'lesap and Arya Menak. The tradition for 10th Centuries before Islam primordial custom and tradition in whole th Indonesia areas including Madura, makes came to Indonesia in around 14 century. Consequently, it affects to the culture, the traditional folktales are dominated with tradition, and custom in Indonesia, like it the noble themes. Joko Tole, Pottre Koneng,

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has been reflected in Madura folktales. The between the noble and an ordinary people characters in Madura folktales are the such as Ke'lesap and Arya Menak. The prince, princess, queen, and the king, angel, primordial custom and tradition in whole and few of an ordinary people as the hero. Indonesia areas including Madura, makes While, the morality, religious, and the traditional folktales are dominated with toughness will be the center of themes in the noble themes. Joko Tole, Pottre Koneng, Madura folktales. The king, the queen, the Bangsadcara and Ragapadmi, The Origin of prince and the princess are described as the Madura and Rato Ebu are the folktales that holy people with their sincere attitude and cannot separate with the history of Madura behavior. Such as in Rato Ebu, the queen is kingdom in the past time. Firstly, Madura is the holy queen with her life devoting only the Hindu kingdom, reigned by Arya to God and taking away from her life in the Wiraraja in Sumenep but Madura was world. never becoming an independent kingdom, it was a part of Majapahit Empire then as a RESEARCH METHOD part of Islamic Mataram kingdom. But the To examine and observe of the native demarcation line between royal family and folktales from one of the ethnics group its an ordinary people is hold tightly and narrative approach is always dealing with strictly. The royal family lived in their own the literary history, literary biography, and circle and take away from the ordinary social history. The researcher as the key people life. The caste system as the heritage instrument carries out the participant – of Hinduism gives the strong effects to the observation with the informal method of relationship between the Nobel class and note-taking. The ethnography research is the ordinary people, thus the marriage appropriately applied due to its way of the between the royal family member and the data collection that refers to the history and ordinary people is suggested as taboo. culture. In associated with the research, it Though, the tradition is changed from remarked that doing ethnography as the Hindu to Islam, but this is not easy to collection of data that describe a culture change the belief and the Hindu tradition (Bernard, 2004, p. 16). Then, the data that is come to Indonesia since the 3rd collection uses the participant – observation Century. Hinduism had become the method to record the data and to obtain the tradition for 10th Centuries before Islam adequate information. On account of its came to Indonesia in around 14th century. comparison of the two different viewpoints Consequently, it affects to the between the learners cultural and culture, tradition, and custom in Indonesia, Education contexts, the ethic perspective like it has been reflected in Madura enables to observe the multi – cultural folktales. The characters in Madura views from the different context. Because folktales are the prince, princess, queen, ethic perspective is associated with the and the king, angel, and few of an ordinary comparison of differing cultures and people as the hero. While, the morality, populations enables researchers to develop religious, and toughness will be the center broader cross cultural themes and concepts of themes in Madura folktales. The king, (Morris et als., 1999). the queen, the prince and the princess are described as the holy people with their FINDING AND DISCUSSION sincere attitude and behavior. Such as in For Madura tales,Mostly nobility is Rato Ebu, the queen is the holy queen with the center of the theme and also the her life devoting only to God and take characters, although it can be found the away from her life in the world. traditional tales with the hard relation

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HE ADAPTATION OF THE GOLDEN the Golden Hill. At last, the hunter could HILL, ARYO MENAK (ATU 400) AND accomplish on the top of the crystal OTHER STORIES mountain and asked to the king for his The stories of ATU number 400 wife. The king gave the condition to the was The Man on a Quest for His Lost wife hunter, he would hand his daughter but he and it had myriads of variants all over the must recognize her only in one chance. world. One of the most popular was the Luckily, he could recognize her by noticing Swan Maiden. This folktale had many her mark of her right forefinger because of different titles but they have the similar her little wound of the needle when she was motifs. The Swan Maiden in European sewing her children clothes in the past time. version by Joseph Jacob (ed.) had the seven They returned to the hunter’s house and Swans and the hunter as the trickster. The lived happily. hunter took the youngest and the smallest The Three Swans retold by Ernst swan’s robe and hid it while they bath on Meier had three swans as the maidens the lake. Six of the swans could change the otherwise the trickster was also the hunter. form from the maidens into the swans but The magic helper was also the old man but not for the youngest one. Then she married only one old man, but he solved every the with the hunter and lived together till they hunter problem. The status of the maiden had two children, one boy and one girl. in this story was as the hunter second wife, Though she lived happily but she was because his first wife had been died. He longing for her home, then one day when was longing for his first wife and he fully she played hide and seek with her children, deserved in his life to marry with the she unintentionally found her robe. She woman same as his first wife. The maiden told her children if their father really loved here was the youngest maiden either. With her she must look for her in the land east o’ the old man help, he could get the maiden the sun and the west o’ the moon. He came as his wife and had several children and home and surprised, then he went for his lived for fifteen years together before her journey searching his wife. wife was leaving him after she found her This version of the story has three robe. Like another version, he also helpers, mainly the old man who was searched his wife and the old man gave him eventually the king of Beast. The other was direction. Then, he got three tasks to fulfill the old man brothers, the king of birds and if he wanted to redeem his wife. The three the king of fish. By helping from the days tasks were fighting with the three dolphin, the hunter had finally known the dragons. He successfully passed the tasks place where his wife lived and it was in the and redeemed his wife. This version has castle on the top of the crystal mountain. In different combination, because there was the middle of journey he met two people no magical object but it has other arguing and fighting for the magic cap and combination with ATU number 401A for shoes as the legacy from their parents. The the tasks and ATU number 302 due to his hunter cheated them and took it as his successful for the tasks and his wife magical flight to carry him on the top of the redeeming. crystal mountain. The use of two magic The complete one of ATU number objects (the cap and the shoes) mostly combination from this tale is the Golden emerged in this variant hereby this variants Hill, Czech fairy tales rewritten by Bozena was combined with ATU number 313 Nemcova. The Main motif (ATU number about the magical flight. The use of magical 400) is the same as the other stories with objects also risen up in German tale the the basic adaptation of the Swan Maiden. Three Swan and Czech tale by Nemcova, Otherwise Nemcova combines it with some

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of the variants and motifs to make it much wooden axe only in one night, the second is more interesting. The trickster is also he must collect all water in the pond and different with the majority of European put it on the top of the hill with two pails Fairy tales because here the trickster name only in one night, and the last task is he is Libor, the gardener who lived with his must pasture three hundred hares in the old widow mother. Like the Swan Maiden meadow and if he misses one of them then and the three swans Libor was pulled out the witch will kill him. one of the swan veil when three of them Libor was success to fulfill his were swum in the pond. The most beautiful impossible tasks with Cekanka helps maiden was the youngest or the last either, otherwise the witch hardly try preventing named Cekanka. As the other stories, Libor to bring her daughter (ATU 310: The Cekanka found her veil only in one day Maiden in the Tower). Cekanka hereby thereby they did not marry yet but they fell deceive her mother by covering her head in love each other. She returned to her and Libor’s with her veil. Further, they flee castle and leaved Libor after she persuaded from the castle (ATU 313). The witch Libor old mother showing her veil. The pursues them and for three times they motif of the magical helper looks a like the deceive her. First Cekanka transform Swan Maiden, three brothers, here they herself as the chapel and Libor as the pulpit were the gamekeeper who belongs the on it. The next, Cekanka changes into the competence calling the crows asking the flower and Libor into the bush. By the end, information. The characteristics of Cekanka transforms into the swan and Nemcova tales were shown in this part Libor into the pond. The witch knows them there was the level of difficulties or the then she changes herself into the cow and steps of conflict such as the first drinks all of the water in the pond. The gamekeeper called a hundred crows, the water is too much drinking the water thus second one called two hundred and the last she is blasting. The water returns back into one called three hundred crows. Libor was the pond. The witch dies and the remained achieved the solution in the last thing is only the cow carcass. Both lovers gamekeeper with the lymph crow (ATU become the human again and they go home 222 about war between birds or insects with to marry and they live happily (ATU 401a: quadruped). The Soldier in the Enchanted Castle). The Golden Hill has the dominant On the other hand, Madura magical flight in some parts of the story folktale, Aryo Menak is one of Indonesia (ATU 313). The first magical object is the tale with ATU 400, the similar title is Jaka corn using to grow up the oak tree from the Tarub from Java island. This story is ocean when the crow carrying Libor to the combined with ATU number 413, the Golden Hill. This giant oak tree is used to Stolen Clothing and also ATU number 313, rest for three times. Secondly, the magical The Magic Flight. Aryo Menak was the object is the saddle that is used to reach the young farmer who want married but he golden hill. Libor got it by cheating two could not find any girl who he loved. Till fighting giants. This fairy tale combines some day in his journey he heard the with ATU 465A when Libor has come to splashed water and closed it to have a look. the castle and ask for Cekanka. Later on, He found seven angels bathed in the lake. Cekanka’s mother, the wicked witch gives He took the youngest one shawl and hid it. him the impossible tasks (ATU 465A: The The six of angels could return back to the man persecuted because of his beautiful paradise but the youngest one. He wife). The first task he must collect a pretended helping her, brought her to his hundred fathoms of wood using his house, and married her. This couple had

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son and lived for long time till one day Menak and the rest of them are the myth Aryo Menak broke his wife rule. She and legend. The examples of myth in reminded him not to stalking when she was Madura are The Origin of Madura and The cooking in the kitchen. Because using her Origin of Tajungan whereas for the legend magic power, she could cook one seed of are Rato Ebu, Bangsadcara and Ragapadme rice became one pan of rice. Otherwise and Joko Tole. During the form of folktales Aryo Menak was curious and stalking. His are myth and legend and coincidently they wife lost her magical power and she took are the reflection of the society custom and the rice from the barn till she found her tradition, Madura folktales are much more shawl in there. She took her shawl and referred to the cultural values such as moral returned back her husband and son on the and religious values. Thus, the image of the earth. hero and heroine are always suggested as These Story motifs are less the holy people together with all their completed comparing with Nemcova story. kindnesses, sincere attitude and behavior, The combination with ATU number 413 is and their great deeds for their society. Some tightly connected but not really strongly of the folktales are the legacy from Hindu connected with ATU 313 but at the period and others are the legacy from the beginning part when the seven angels came Islamic period, otherwise all of them to the world and bathed in the lake. emphasizing on the religion and moral Another different motif is the ending of this teaching. story. The ending is definitely different with It is almost impossible to find the others in ATU number 400. Mostly the hero and the heroine in Madura folktales similar stories have the combination with cheating to anybody else and tricking to ATU number 302, 310, 402a when the reach their aims. Or other characters main character successfully accomplishes (trickster) used their wit to cheat other the tasks and married with the princess or characters. For an instance is the legend of the angel. Or, it is probably with ATU 313 Rato Ebu or Syarifah Ambami. She is when the main character uses the magical depicted as the woman who devoting her flight to flee his princess from the wicked life to pray and serving for God. She loves witch. The ending in Aryo Menak is sad her husband, family, and people around her ending when the angel is left him and his very much, so that she sacrifices her life for son on the earth and returned to the all of people. The other examples is Joko paradise. Tole, The Prince of Madura and the knight of Majapahit Empire, he is depicted as the THE UNIQUENESS AND man who has the great loyalty, patience, CHARACTERISTICS OF MADURA and toughness. He believes the kindness TALES will be the winner. He has proved, while the Unlike in Czech and other Slavic king tries to prove his loyalty. He accepts tales that are dominated by the fairy tales, the marriage, he also takes care his blind the folktales in Madura are dominated by wife well and patiently. With his patience the myth and legend. The myth is much and toughness he tries to cure his wife. recounted and explained the origin of the Finally, he gets the miracle, when on the world and the phenomena of the nature way of his trip, he finds the fresh water in while the legend is based on either real or the lake, and he asks his wife to wash her supposedly real individual and their face. The miracle is given by the gods marveleous deeds (Lynch and Tomlison, because he has been passed from the test p.99). According to the observation, there is from the Gods. It is his pride to his blind only one fairy tales in Madura, Aryo wife. He is tough man and husband, while

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he accepts the marriage and never thought second is Bendoro Gung in the story of The his wife weakness. Origin of Madura. Grenby (2008) argues The only one different folktale in that some critics have argued that moral Madura is Aryo Menak due to the only one tales often present a feminist programme fairy tales in Madura and has the (p.68). It indicates that a lot of folktales similarities with Java fairy tales entitled telling the theme about woman struggle or Jaka Tarub. The character, Aryo Menak, is at least, woman characters are as the the farmer, he is an ordinary people who heroine/ the main character in the story. married with an angel from the paradise. Thewomen usually are depicted as an He also undergoes the trick and cheated by “angel” who has a kind heart, good attitude stealing the angel's shawl while she was and behavior, and self – sacrifice for other taken a bath in the lake. Due to her missing people interest. As the heroine, the woman of shawl, she cannot return to the paradise will oppose “the evil” and overcome the together with other angels, and married problem as the central of the story. with Aryo Menak. Like other fairy tales in Sometimes, they will be described as the the world, the angel is also described to tough women who can face the difficulties have the magical power. Otherwise, the in their life. The followingtwo folktales try stages of accomplishment are not told to give the general understanding related clearly because the ending of story is not with the woman characteristics in Madura. totally happy ending due to the returning of Because the Madura folktales mostly are the angel to the paradise. At last, Aryo recently documented, there have to adapt Menak lived with his son on the earth, and in the literary folktales and it is not easy to his society was bathing with the wealth look for its ATU index, its connection with from the angel or his wife from the other folktales in the world. Some of them paradise. This story has the sad ending then such as Aryo Menak and Joko Tole have the moral is retained stronger than the been dealing with some stories across aspect of the entertaining and amusing to nation (it has been discussed above), but the readers. the rest of the folktales need the profound Further in Madura tradition, analysis and further research. culture, and society, the woman becomes the central figure in the stories. This notion CONCLUSION AND is dealing with the Islamized of the RECOMMENDATION folktales in some Madura stories. The Madura has myriads of folktales woman trusted as the most important otherwise mostly they are the wonder person who brings up the children at home. folktales. Due to its status as the wonder Everybody should give the highest respect folktales, it is really need to link with the to the mother. Every attitude against the other folktales in the world both wonder mother will be punished by God. The and literary folktales to get the new woman particularly mother must be perspectives in the children literature appreciated. Some of the folktales in sphere. ATU index as the media to link Madura use the mother/woman as their among the folktales in the world leads main character/heroine. It is the symbol of Madura folktales conveying its uniqueness. Madura culture and society if the woman is The starting point is to rewrite the Madura holy creature. Every of her prayer to God folktales using the new perspective and will come true. It is the strong belief in principle of children literature such as by Madura society. In Madura folktales there modifying the sad or tragic ending, are two main stories in line with the role of minimizing the violence, and designing the the woman, the first is Rato Ebu and the illustration.

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