Elements of Javanese Cultures in Ngambu Pancer Folktale from Pacitan

Abstract

Ngambu Pancer is one of the folktales from Pacitan Regency that appears as a phenomenal historical heritage. It is renowned due to the mystical belief adhered by the local society after a long time of oral dissemination. The study aimed to describe the Javanese elements in Ngambu Pancer folktale from Pacitan. It used a qualitative method through an ethnographic study that focused on the folktale quotations. The quotations were obtained from the interview transcript with the participants related to the discussion of Ngambu Pancer tradition as the data source. A series of strategies, including interview, observation, documentation, field note, and transcription were deployed as the data collecting technique. Meanwhile, the data analysis used description, analysis, and interpretation. The study adopted triple triangulations, including source, methodological, and theoretical triangulation. The findings revealed three descriptive elements of Javanese cultures in Ngambu Pancer folktale, including (1) knowledge system related to human's curiosity about their living components, (2) social organization that establishes a kinship to comprehend how people could form a society through a social community, and (3) religious system related to the human's belief to the supernatural power above them.