The Construction of Moral Symbols in Murwakala Text and Its Entanglement in Javanese Community Order

Abstract

The study aims at scrutinizing the construction of moral symbols in the Murwakala text of Ki Suprapto, H.S., the designated successor of Ki Panut, one of the best Indonesian Dalangs (shadow-puppet artists). He was cordially invited to perform ruwatan (traditional Javanese ceremonies conducted to release people from misfortunes or threats) at Keraton Surakarta. Analyzing moral symbols is necessary to thoroughly understand the text as it shows not only a spectacle but also a guide for the community. The Murwakala text used as the data source is a story narrated by Dalang Ruwat named Ki Suprapto, H.S at the mass ruwatan in Nganjuk, East Java on Sunday, January 21, 2011. The study is projected to elucidate moral symbols in the Murwakala text, how they are constructed along the narratives, and how the symbols (and narratives) are entangled in the Javanese community order. The study reveals that moral symbols in the Murwakala text appear in the characters' names, the events in which the characters take part, and the objects used in the story. The construction of the Murwakala narratives depict the concept of Javanese philosophy sangkan paraning dumadi, an attempt to see the 'self' by interrogating its origin and life purpose. Moral symbols in the Murwakala text shape the order of Javanese community in terms of, for example, how they are supposed to spend time and communicate with others.