Historiography of the Putri Hijau Myth in the Manifest and Latent Functions: A Study in Tigapanah Subdistrict, Karo Regency

Abstract

Historiography of the myth of Putri Hijau (the green princess) and Meriam Puntung (the amputated cannon) as a part of the history of Maimun Palace, Medan, is not solely about the past. The history of myth of the Putri Hijau is an event based on historical facts that have manifest functions (visible functions) and latent function (hidden function). The research used descriptive qualitative method. The data consisted of primary and secondary data. Primary data were obtained from the myth of Putri Hijau while secondary data were obtained from various sources such as books, documents, photographs, research results, and the other writing works. The data obtained from the research location were collected by 1) direct, participatory observation by recording and taking photos on some facts about ritual ceremonies in the Putri Hijau site, 2) in-depth, open-ended interviews in order to get information by asking respondents directly. The result of this finding revealed that in the manifestation function of Putri Hijau , some facilities were found such as i) the cave where Putri Hijau was born, ii) the cabin site of Putri Hijau , and iii) the house of Meriam Puntung . The latent function (hidden function) is indicated by the presence of facts of cultural value (1) belief (2) etiquette (3) mutual assistance.