Representation of Ecological Wisdom in Banyumas Folklore: An Ecocritical Study

Abstract

Folklore actually represents a society's civilization, including how to manage and preserve the environment. Folklore, for example, can be a valuable resource for humans involved in efforts to save the environment. This study investigates the Banyumas indigenous people's local wisdom in terms of environmental preservation as found in Banyumas folklores. The ecological wisdom of the Banyumas community is a term used in this study to refer to folklore from Banyumas, Central Java, Indonesia, that contains the value of local wisdom in terms of environmental conservation. This study took an ecocritical approach to folklore texts as a type of literary work. The data for this study came from Banyumas folklore, and the research method was qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed that Banyumas folklore describes the Banyumas community's ecological wisdom in environmental conservation activities. These wisdoms include: respect for nature, living in harmony with nature, wisely using natural resources, using ecological knowledge for toponymy, and using nature as a spiritual tool. Readers can use these wisdom values as a guide to optimize environmental conservation.