Exploring Sundanese Folklore in the Cultural Diversity of the Ciletuh Palabuhanratu Geopark, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

This research article is about the exploration of Sundanese folklore in the Ciletuh Palabuhanratu Geopark which is now also known as the Ciletuh Palabuhanratu UNESCO Global Geopark. It refers to an area along the south-west coast of Sukabumi West Java, Indonesia. The Ciletuh Palabuhanratu Geopark is rich not only with its natural diversity like geodiversity and biodiversity but also with its cultural diversity. This article is made as one of the outputs of the community service done in Waluran village in the Sukabumi regency of West Java. This village is just one tiny place situated in the vast areas of the Geopark. The problem is that the cultural diversity around the Geopark has not been thoroughly explored yet, including its folklore. Using qualitative method, this research is aimed at exploring the Sundanese folklore specifically the intangible one involving legends and tales through the active participation of the Palapah cultural activist community and the local tour guides. The community service results in the emergence of folklore explored by each target participant from their surrounding area and the majority of them deal with the naming of places called toponym. It can be explored that the geodiversity is reflected in the place names.