Sacred Human-Nature Relations in Panjalu Folktales: A Structural Analysis of the Nyangku Tradition as a Medium for Transmitting Cultural Values

Abstract

Folktales and the Nyangku tradition constitute an important cultural heritage of the Panjalu community, representing a sacred relationship between humans, nature, and ancestors. However, previous studies have tended to focus on descriptive aspects of rituals and religious values without systematically examining how human–nature relations are constructed through the narrative structures of folktales. This gap reveals a discrepancy between folkloristic theory, which emphasizes the importance of narrative structure, and existing research practices that remain largely thematic. This study aims to structurally analyze the sacred human–nature relationship embedded in Panjalu folktales that underlie the Nyangku tradition and to explain their function as a medium for transmitting cultural values. The study employed a qualitative descriptive-interpretative approach using Structural-Based Analysis of folktales collected through in-depth interviews with traditional elders, custodians, and Panjalu community members, as well as observations of the Nyangku tradition. The findings indicate that Panjalu folktales possess a systematic narrative structure with cause–effect patterns that place harmony among humans, nature, and ancestors at the core of the stories. Human–nature relations are constructed as relational-sacred rather than utilitarian, integrating religious, social, moral, and historical values. This study concludes that Panjalu folktales and the Nyangku tradition form a Relational–Sacred System of Nature Values that sustains the cultural identity of the Panjalu community through narrative and ritual practices.