Socio-Cultural Aspects of the Film Adapted From Jaka Tarub Legend: Representation of the Image of Javanese Men

Abstract

Jaka Tarub is one of the popular folklore in Java. The Story of Jaka Tarub, a man who's married to an angel is very popular in Java and other islands in Indonesia. Kalimantan, Lombok, and Madura each have a similar legend to Jaka Tarub. According to Babad Tanah Jawi, Jaka Tarub was believed as the ancestor of the Mataram Kingdom. He is the descendant of Syekh Maulana Magribi, the one who influences the Mataram kingdom with Islamic values. From Jaka Tarub was also known as Ki Ageng Tarub, is the ancestor of Islamic Mataram king. He got royal blood from Brawijaya King. Jaka Tarub was believed to have a certain power; he was married to angels, named Nawang Wulan. A man who could see married angels from khayangan was believed as powerful and extraordinary. He is also known for his hunting skill. This skill was lead him meeting his wife and having a magnificent story of life. In the "Jaka Tarub dan Tujuh Bidadari The Movie 1981", Jaka Tarub portrayed as the lowclass society and having a skin disease. He was being alienated by society because of his unknown father. In adaptation terminology, adaptation has several definitions; from repetition and variation to extended revisitations. Folklore adaptation into a movie was influenced by information of the source, language process, translation and many more. Jaka Tarub character was being captured and analyzed by a cultural studies approach. The research showed that Jaka Tarub represents the image of Javanese Men, who is the leader and protector of the family, responsible for taking care of family economic values and limited skill dealing with household chores.