Kabayan as Sundanese Folklore

West Java is rich popular traditions, including folklore. Although the court
tradition lived in West Java, due to age two great kingdoms, namely Galuh and
Pajajaran Ciamis area in Bogor, little found cultural artifacts palace. Hinduistik
kingdoms in West Java disappeared along with his supporters, namely the
palace. Islamic kingdoms that later appeared in West Java does not continue the
tradition previous palaces. Islamic kingdoms that are Banten and Cirebon.

Banten and Cirebon tend javanesse due to their association with the
development of Islamic kingdoms in Central Java and East Java. However, when
judging deeper, they would seem sundanese traits in both Islamic empire.
However Islamic kingdoms are still in the Sunda so Local traditions underlying
culture in the two kingdoms before.

Popular traditions still survive under the current cultures palace turns. This is due
to the system kingdoms in West Java different kingdoms in Central Java and East
Java. Kingdoms Java based on the fields, while the Sundanese kingdoms by the
huma. Culture court in West Java is only grow in areas of limited public nation. In
West Java, the unknown grand and foreign countries such as in Java.

Peoples Palace is the Sundanese people in the country, the palace and the area
really mastered the directly. It can be listened to in the Annals Pakuan the 18th
century written in the Java language wawacan form. I have written this in the
case of hermeneutics Sunda. Outside the region, a nation units Sundanese
villagers who move due to live off rice fields (huma).

Of course, the influence of the palace arrived in Sunda village areas. As we see
that written texts are still saved by the old Sundanese people in West Java
villages.

Additionally stories (carita) -poem which contains the palace Sundanese myths
still prevalent among rural folk. Only artifacts palace is hard to find among the
people, such as batik palace Sunda, Sunda sculpture court, books of Hindu-
Buddhist, ordinances palace traditional Sundanese gamelan and art, as the
palaces of Sunda was indeed not continue as a social institution.

Such a sight was seen also when in West Java stood Islamic kingdoms in Banten
and Cirebon. The two kingdoms were also composed of the country or state
supreme only. Unknown foreign territory. Moreover, the language in the country
and different state supreme Sundanese language of the rural population.

Thus, the stronger our impression that the Sundanese culture sustainable exist
only among villagers. Unlike the Sundanese people in the age of empires Hindu-
Buddha, the relationship between the palace and the people is very thin, then at
the time of spread of Islam in West Java, the agents of change to toward Islam is
really in and out of villages Sunda. This is reflected in the myths of the people
against Islam spreading like Kian Santang.
Not surprising that among the rural Sundanese, memories of the era Hindu
culture very thin, do not even know such an age. They believe that Islam had
been there since the beginning Sunda. Sundanese Islam.

This is why folklore Sunda powerful impression of his Islamic faith. Despite the
folklore known the names of the gods and god-hindu, but not in the
understanding that it is based on religion Hindu-Buddhist, but solely Sunda,
Culture Hindu-Buddhist-Sunda was only known in intellectual circles modern.
Among the people, it is the time of the Hindu Sundanese.

The disappearance of the collective memory of the Hindu-Sundanese culture,

more akin to what happened in Sumatra. In an age Javaneseness Hindu-Buddhist
kingdoms known Sumatra such as Sriwijaya, Jambi, Malay, and Tulang Bawang.
However, once the maritime kingdoms disappeared, it disappeared also the
public supporters in sense of agency. Humans of course Buddha-Sumatra
continue to exist, but then mixed melting in outside the palace. This is due to the
maritime kingdoms that do not require large fields or fields to support its
existence. They just need the port and the mercenary army (military personnel)
are capable of maintaining maritime city state sovereignty.

While their relationship with the people of the village is limited to the sale or tax
form crops spices and other forest products.

As in Sundanese, Islam is firmly entrenched among the people of Sumatra. Their

memories of the glory of Jambi and Sriwijaya not exist, except in the group who
knew excavation educated history scholars Colonial. The gods also known among
the people of Sumatra, but still must be read as the Malay and not a Hindu-
Buddhist.

Different circumstances occurring among people of Java. In the environment of

the people, more and more castles, powerful memories Their collective over the
previous Hindu-Buddhist culture. They call it agomo Buddho (Buddhism). This is
due to the system they are concentric fields kingdom since the beginning. This
was made easier because the field is settled. Continuity of folk culture and the
palace continues, even among people tend cultured palace.

Cultural traditions of the palace in West Java is very thin among the people.
Instead the tradition of folk culture is very strong shifting. This tradition is passed
down orally. The tradition of oral culture always auditive. Due to the nature of
auditory culture only developed in the community is limited. Thus the nature of
the familial relationship develops auditive (Gemeinschaft), harmony,
participation, emphasizing simple in its concreteness. Oral communication Such
tends to convey messages through a form of communal stories.

The stories of the people in West Java is very rich, the contents of myths,
demons, legends, lives of everyday people, and fable. Enterprises collect other
types of folklore is still a bit to do, let alone review of serious on this story. Myths
and legends are certainly local Sundanese. However, animal stories often
originate from outside. While the story of the daily lives of the many local, but
also often adapted from the outside, as in Si Kabayan stories.

What is interesting are the stories of animals Sunda, ie Sakadang Kuya jeung
Sakadang Monyet. Story these animals often take stories out, but worked in the
realm of thought Sundanese. The famous The second is the story of these
animals, turtles and monkeys are similar to deer stories in Java, the theme steal
a pack of farm crops. In their attempt to steal the plants, turtles caught the
farmer.

When a pack of caged turtle farm, a monkey came and told the tortoise that he
was locked up so as not to run for mated with the beautiful daughter of the
farmer. Monkeys are willing to swap places to replace the turtles in the
confinement. Morning the farmer met the turtles have changed monkeys and
intends to cut. Know these monkeys play dead, and the farmer getting rid of
"dead" monkey in the river. That way, the monkey and the turtle was free again.

In the same story, the monkey was not free. However, the farmer managed to
cut and broiled. In the story of Sunda just two animals survived all due both
ingenuity. Turtles and monkeys in folklore Sunda an antagonist pair. Both are at
odds with the intelligence contest, but always meet each other again. Turtles in
the protagonist and the antagonist monkeys. Turtles animal symbols of water,
mountains and animals monkey forest. Is this a symbol of culture against the
culture of paddy fields Sunda?

Kuya animal stories Jeung Monkey (turtles and monkeys) are united in the form
of a paradox in the figures Si Kabayan. This figure unitary character of turtles
and monkeys, intelligence and stupidity. Smart like a kuya and stupid
likemonkeys. Si Kabayan could be a symbol of Sunda Sunda-water and
mountains as well as well as being the Sundanese cultural identity. Si Kabayan is
stupid-smart character. Sometimes it is so stupid and in another moment was so
smart.

Later when we consider, Kabayan as dumb character always associated with

spiritual values, while as a smart character is always associated with other
human beings. Kabayan is also folly foolishness us spiritual. In the presence of
spiritual values-the divine and the Divine, Kabayan described so stupid that no
able to distinguish between imagination and reality.

The stories are not so much stupid Kabayan. Kabayan folly in such stories often
outrageous. For example Kabayan could not distinguish between dead and living
humans, between the shadow and the sky surface soil in the fields.

Such stupidity Kabayan proved spiritually symbolic. We are spiritual dumb. In this
case, Si Kabayan not Sunda only identity, but the identity of the man himself.

Sundanse Si Kabayan local there in the background. Whereas in Sundanese daily

way of life a kind it was, like going to the fields, to huma, into the forest, a trap
animals, festivity, pilgrimage, prayer, certain trees, bathing in the river, and
others. However, the nature of mind and spiritual attitude really for all people,
just sometimes tucked the old Sunda cosmology. In folklore, Si Kabayan does
describe human Sunda land. The theme and the message remains universal.

As folklore Sunda Si Kabayan aligned with Abu Nawas and Koja Nasrudin. People
often align Si Kabayan with smart-dumb figures in other tribes. However, the
characters of the people of other ethnic groups were not as rich Si Kabayan.
Their stories are sometimes represented only one story.

The silly story in Malay, for example, includes several stories only. Similarly, Si
Luncai and Mr. Senik, there is only one two story. While Si Kabayan, that could be
collected over a hundred stories. Coster-Wijaman can collecting 80 stories in
Bantam only.

As folklore belongs Sundanese, Si Kabayan is special, equivalent to rhyme-rhyme

Sunda. The stories were very deep if interpreted culturally. The stories did not
fairy tales such as expect, but not all such quality, because many imitators Si
Kabayan only see the surface of the story.

Such stories were not necessarily generate the structures of symbolic thought.
So that many stories of new Si Kabayan interested only in terms of humor, but is
not based on the way thinking culture.

Why is it special?

Si Kabayan was paradoxical character building stories paradox anyway. Such

figures clearly emerges from deep thinking one (or some) intellectuals. Weight
sastrawinya very high. Although described verbally so many plus and minus
correspond to changes in society, the core message is still very clear. In fact we
can reconstruct the original shape.

Jewel is still a gem, even in the mouth buffalo. We can easily choose where Si
Kabayan the where Si Kabayan authentic and artificial. To write a new story of Si
Kabayan required basic knowledge of philosophy, not just writing a story.

The story has a basic view of the Kabayan mysticism and mystical behavior that
is full of paradoxes.