PARADIGMA EKOLOGIS DALAM DONGENG MASYARAKAT INDIAN AMERIKA: KAJIAN EKOKRITIK
Authors: Wijanarka Hirmawan 
Published: August 2022

Penelitian ini bertujuan mempelajari cerita rakyat Indian Amerika dengan perspektif ekokritisme. Metode penelitian pustaka menggunakan 11 cerita rakyat sebagai sumber data primer. Pilihan cerita rakyat ini didasarkan pada asal geografis mereka sehingga dapat mewakili berbagai wilayah suku asli Amerika. Semua cerita rakyat tersebut sudah dalam bentuk naratif dan sudah diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Inggris. Sumber untuk cerita rakyat adalah Native American Folktales, diedit oleh Thomas A.Green (2009), dan Native American Fairytales, Folktales, and Fables (2017). Penelitian ini menetapkan dua tujuan, yaitu: (1) mengamati hubungan dan interaksi antara manusia dengan lingkungan alam yang disajikan dalam cerita rakyat, dan (2) mengungkap paradigma ekologis yang mendasari relasi dan interaksinya. Terlihat bahwa interaksi antara manusia dan lingkungan alamnya didasarkan pada saling pengertian, rasa hormat, dan kesetaraan. Suku asli Amerika percaya bahwa manusia datang ke dunia ini, dan bertahan hingga sekarang, hanya karena bantuan makhluk lain di alam. Manusia itu rapuh dan lemah dibandingkan makhluk lain. Paradigma ekologi yang mendasari keharmonisan hubungan antara manusia dan alam adalah sebagai berikut: (1) keberadaan lingkungan alam mendahului keberadaan manusia maka manusia harus bersyukur kepada pendahulunya; (2) semua makhluk di lingkungan alam memiliki jiwa, sama seperti manusia, sehingga mereka setara; (3) keberlanjutan manusia sangat bergantung pada keutuhan lingkungan alam. Artinya untuk menopang kehidupan manusia, manusia harus menjaga kesehatan alam.This research aims at studying American Indian folktales using the perspectives of ecocriticism. The library research method is applied, using 11 folktales as the sources for the primary data. The choice of these folktales is based on their geographical origins so that they could represent various areas of Native American tribes. All of the folktales are already in the form of narrative and have already been translated into English. Sources for the folktales are Native American Folktales, edited by Thomas A. Green (2009), and Native American Fairytales, Folktales, and Fables (2017). This research sets up two objectives, namely: (1) to observe the relation and interaction between human beings and their natural environment presented in the folktales, and (2) to reveal the ecological paradigms underlying their relation and interaction. It is observed in all of the folktales that the interactions between human beings and their natural environment are grounded on mutual understanding, respect, and equality. Native American tribes believe that humans beings came into this world, and survive up to now, only because of the help from other creatures in nature. Human beings are frail and weak compared to other beings. The ecological paradigms underlying the harmonious relationship between human beings and nature are as follows: (1) the existence of natural environment precedes the existence of human beings, and consequently, humans being should be thankful to their predecessors; (2) all creatures in the natural environment have souls, just like human beings, and thus they are equal; (3) the sustainability of human beings greatly depends on the wholesomeness of natural environment. This means that to sustain human beings’ life, human beings must preserve the health of nature.