Women, Ecology, and Oral Tradition in Javanese Coastal Communities

Abstract

This study examines the legend of Nyi Ageng Bakaran in shaping the cultural life of the community in Bakaran Village through a qualitative field-based approach. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and oral narratives, and analyzed using a descriptive-interpretive method with a focus on the interconnections between material elements, cultural practices, and gender roles. The findings show that elements such as fire, ash, sacred water sources, and animals play an important role in the construction of collective memory, village origins, and local moral values. These elements are not only interpreted symbolically but are also embedded in everyday social practices, including rituals, taboos (pamali), and the tradition of Mubeng Punden. In addition, women play a significant role not only through their symbolic association with Nyi Ageng Bakaran, but also through their active involvement in batik production, which serves as a source of household income. The batik tradition reflects the continuity of ancestral narratives through women’s labor while simultaneously demonstrating its adaptation within the contemporary local economy.