Pantun as a Medium for Environmental Education and Ecological-Political Activism by Customary Institutions in Haruku Island

Abstract

This research aims to examine the ecological values and political practices contained in pantun, particularly those used by the kewang, a customary or adat institution in Haruku Village, Central Maluku. In Haruku, pantun is used as a medium of environmental education and ecological activism for the community, specifically for younger generations. This study helps reconstruct an eco-friendlier vision of environmental ethics by streamlining the potential of local traditions in promoting sustainability and conservation. Haruku Village, in this study, presents a model through its use of kewang as a customary institution, with the head of the kewang serving as the central figure in building ecological awareness and cultural-political strategy based on oral tradition and literature. The case study method is further complemented by thematic analysis to show that the role of pantun in environmental activism carried out by kewang as a customary institution bolsters efforts of environmental conservation in Haruku. Eliza Marthen Kissya, as the head of kewang, applied a strategy of producing pantun as a medium for environmental education to support a broader cultural-political agenda to protect Haruku’s environment from external threats. The Pantun also served as a medium for inheriting values of ecological harmony, sustainability, and cultural resilience among the young generation of Haruku, especially those preparing to uphold kewang in the future (kewang muda). More broadly, this research shows that traditional orality can be effectively utilized to support not only values of ecological harmony but also assists in cultivating an ideological, political, and cultural strategy that travels beyond the site. Therefore, local culture and natural conservation converge to develop ecological awareness and maintain eco-political activism, a value being inherited across local cultural practices.