Eco-Simbolisme dalam Narasi Kaba Siti Baheram: Perspektif Ekokritik terhadap Alam dan Manusia

Abstract

This research originates from the global ecological crisis and Indonesia’s alarming rate of deforestation, highlighting the need to reinterpret traditional literary works as sources of ecological awareness. Kaba Siti Baheram was chosen because it reflects the Minangkabau philosophy of alam takambang jadi guru and contains rich ecological symbolism, yet has seldom been examined through a contemporary ecocritical framework. This study aims to identify the forms of ecological symbolism in Kaba Siti Baheram, map ecological representations using Garrard’s five ecocritical themes pastoral, wilderness, dwelling, pollution, and apocalypse and analyze how natural phenomena function as narrative agents that shape conflict and plot progression. The research employs a qualitative descriptive method, using close reading and content analysis of the Kaba Siti Baheram text published by the Balai Bahasa of West Sumatra, supported by theoretical triangulation involving ecocriticism and Minangkabau ecological cosmology. The findings show that pastoral and dwelling are the most dominant themes, represented through agrarian landscapes, the rumah gadang, rice fields, fish ponds (tabek), and the nagari as ethical–ecological living spaces. Wilderness appears as a liminal zone and the site of violence that signifies the severance of human–nature relations, while pollution and apocalypse emerge through floods, damaged rice fields, and the collapse of the nagari, functioning as metaphors for ecological and social degradation caused by destructive human behavior. Overall, ecological symbolism in the kaba serves as a moral structure, a narrative driving force, and an educational medium grounded in local wisdom, contributing to cultural preservation and the strengthening of contemporary environmental awareness.

Abstrak
Penelitian ini bertolak dari krisis ekologis global dan tingginya laju deforestasi di Indonesia, serta kebutuhan membaca ulang karya tradisional sebagai sumber kesadaran ekologis. Kaba Siti Baheram dipilih karena merepresentasikan filosofi alam takambang jadi guru dan menyimpan simbolisme alam yang kuat, namun belum banyak dikaji melalui perspektif ekokritik kontemporer. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi bentuk simbolisme ekologis dalam Kaba Siti Baheram, memetakan representasi ekologis berdasarkan lima tema ekokritik Garrard pastoral, wilderness, dwelling, pollution, dan apocalypse, serta menjelaskan fungsi fenomena alam sebagai agen naratif dalam pembentukan konflik dan alur cerita. Metode yang digunakan adalah kualitatif deskriptif dengan teknik close reading dan analisis isi terhadap teks Kaba Siti Baheram edisi Balai Bahasa Provinsi Sumatera Barat, yang diperkuat dengan triangulasi teori ekokritik dan kosmologi ekologis Minangkabau. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tema pastoral dan dwelling paling dominan melalui representasi lanskap agraris, rumah gadang, sawah, tabek, dan nagari sebagai ruang hidup etis-ekologis. Wilderness hadir sebagai ruang liminal dan lokasi kekerasan yang menandai pemutusan relasi manusia–alam, sedangkan pollution dan apocalypse terwujud dalam banjir, kerusakan sawah, dan runtuhnya nagari sebagai metafora kehancuran ekologis dan sosial akibat perilaku destruktif manusia. Simbolisme alam dalam kaba berfungsi sebagai struktur moral, penggerak alur, sekaligus media pendidikan ekologis berbasis kearifan lokal yang relevan bagi pelestarian budaya dan penguatan kesadaran lingkungan kontemporer.