0

PROPOSAL

THE LEGEND OF SUMPAH BIBIR PECAH ARUNG PALAKKA IN

BUTON

WAODE NOVITA AYU MUTHMAINNA

061 2012 0074

LETTERS FACULTY
MUSLIM UNIVERSITY OF INDONESIA
MAKASSAR
2015

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background
Indonesia is an archipelagic state that sits between Asia and
Australia continent. Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world
that consists of 17.480 islands. There are seven big islands in
Indonesia that are Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara,
Maluku and Papua. Sumatra has Aceh, Medan, Padang, Palembang,
Jambi, Lampung, Bengkulu and Riau. Borneo has Pontianak,
Palangka Raya, Banjarmasin, and Samarinda. Java has Jakarta as
capital

of

Indonesia,

Bandung,

Semarang,

Yogyakarta,

and

Surabaya. Sulawesi has Manado, Makassar, Palu, Mamuju, Kendari

dan Gorontalo. Nusa tenggara has Bali, Kupang and Mataram.
Maluku has Ambon and Papua has Jayapura.
In each province, there are many cultures and tribes that inhabit
the area. It means, culture is an abstraction, while the proficiency
level is a manifestation of cultural object that are result of human
creation as a creature. These objects are patterns of behavior,
language, art, belief, marriage and the norms that apply as limitations
of the culture.
The multicultural society included the result of you own work.
Adapted to the costumes, the people gave birth to the things that

describe their cultures. Indonesia cultural differences in each region

make this country more diverse.
Cultural is a very broad concept and complex that can be
interpreted in various ways. In addition to universal culture, also
known as local culture that hold local wisdom. One is the folklore that
1

a local cultural heritage that are transmitted from generation to

generation. Folklore in Indonesia there are thousands of stories.

Each region in Indonesia has a folklore course a reflection of local
culture with a distinctive character.
Whereas some of the cultural models for folklore are of a relatively
constant

nature,

performing

situation

and

variation

are

characteristically unstable features of oral tradition. There is no

definition of folklore that would cover the whole discipline. Folklore in
its oral and traditional form is in most cases transmitted orally and
serves as shared tradition-based creations of a cultural community.
Folklore began as oral tradition. Oral tradition stories are unwritten
stories that were told out loud and passed down from one generation
to the next. Some genres of folklore are fairy tales, myths, legends,
fables, and folktales.
Legends can be about people, places, or events. Typically legends
include a character who is a Saint, Hero, King, or Famous Person. A
legend is always conceded with a particular time and place. Explain
about legend we will discover from some place of Indonesia that has
different background particularly Buton. Buton is province which

located in southeast Sulawesi. Buton is the island that consist of

Bau-bau, South Buton, North Buton, and Central Buton. In Baubau,
which was formerly the administrative center of the Buton District and
before that the capital of the Buton Sultanate, there are six ethnic
groups, namely the Cia-Cia, Wolio, Muna, Suai, Kalisusu, and
Moronene, of which the Cia-Cia and the Wolio are the two most
dominant in the region. in the 17 th century, Buton became part of the
military alliances of Bone (under the legendary hero Arung Palaka)
and the Verenigde Oost-indische Compagnie (VOC, the Dutch East
India Company), both of which were the fervent enemies of Gowa.
This alliance then defeated Gowa in 1669. Following this, Buton
enjoyed its status as an independent kingdom at the time of Pax
Netherlandica until the 19th century. (Pim Schoorl 2008: 45)
This research will take about the legend of Sumpah Bibir Pecah
Arung Palakka whereas Arung Palakka was alliances of Buton. The
researcher will concern about the meaning and the history itself. The
cause of the legend of sumpah bibir pecah Arung Palakka and the
function also.

1.2 Problem Statement

The research of this paper aims to find the answer of the questions:
1. How is the history of Sumpah Bibir Pecah Arung Palakka in
Buton?

2. What is the function of Sumpah Bibir Pecah Arung Palakka toward

Buton society?

1.3 Objective of the Study

Based on the problem statement of the paper, here are the main
objective in this research as follows:
1. To analyze the history of Sumpah Bibir Pecah Arung Palakka in
Buton. Moreover to explain the cause of the history.
2. To know the function of Sumpah Bibir Pecah Arung Palakka in
Buton toward Buton society.
D. Significant of the Study
The significance of the study is the result of the research that gives
knowledge, information and more references to other people who want
to know about culture of Buton especially is the legend of Buton.
Therefore, this research give addition to marketing place for tourist who
want to explore.

E. Scope of Study
In this research, the author focuses on the history of Sumpah Bibir
Pecah Arung Palakka in Buton and the meaning of the curse from
sultan of Buton.

CHAPTER II
REVIEW AND RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Culture
Culture has many definitions, and it affects everything people do in
their society because of their ideas, values, attitudes, and normative
or expected patterns of behaviour. Culture is not genetically inherited,
and cannot exist on its own, but is always shared by members of a
society (Hall 1976:16).
Hofstede

(1980:21-23)

defines

culture

as

the

collective

programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one

group from another, which is passed from generation to generation,
it is changing all the time because each generation adds something
of its own before passing it on. It is usual that ones culture is taken
for granted and assumed to be correct because it is the only one, or
at least the first, to be learned.
Newmark gives the definitions of culture as the way of live and its
manifestations that are peculiar to community that uses a particular
language as its means of expression (1988:94). In other words,
culture is produced by certain community that uses a particular
language to express it.

From the definitions above, it can be said that culture is the way of
life as an evidence of intellectual development in human society that
uses particular language to express.
2.2 Folklore

Definition of the term folklore has, as Dundes (1965: 1) puts it,

been subject to a great deal of discussion. According to him, some
definitions concern the definition of lore, that is the material of
folklore and others concern the folk, that is the people who produce
the lore. For Dundes (1965: 1), the most common criterion used to
define folklore is the means by which it is transmitted. Basically, most
people who define folklore say that it is an oral tradition. However,
even this criterion is not satisfactory for three reasons put forward by
Dundes (1965: 1-2). First, in a culture without writing, almost
everything is passed on orally and the question is to know whether all
that is transmitted orally, for instance language, hunting techniques
and so on, is part of folklore. Second, in a society with writing, some
forms of folklore, like autograph-book verse, book marginalia,
epitaphs, and traditional letters, are almost all passed on by writing,
but still these are considered as part of folklore. Finally, the third
reason is that some forms of folklore, folk dance for instance, are
transmitted by means of body movements.
Folklore can be described as traditional art, literature, knowledge,
and practices that are passed on in large part through oral
communication and example.

Folklore of Indonesia is known in Indonesian as dongeng (literally

"tale") or cerita rakyat (literally "people's story" or "folklore"), refer to
any folklore found in Indonesia. Its origins are probably an oral
culture, with a range of stories of heroes associated with wayang and
other forms of theatre, transmitted outside of a written culture.
Folklore in Indonesia are closely connected with mythology.
Indonesian folklore reflect the diverse culture of Indonesia as well as
the diversity of ethnic groups in Indonesia. Many ethnic groups have
their collection of tales and folklores being told for generations. The
stories usually told to children as some kind of bed-time story, and
have pedagogical value on kindness, benevolence, modesty,
honesty, bravery,

patience,

persistence,

virtue

and

morality.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore_of_Indonesia)
According to Dorson (1972:2), folklore can be divided into four
categories. These are termed the oral literature, the material culture,
the social folk custom and the performing folk arts. Each of these is,
in turn, divided into different subdivisions.
The first category, the oral literature, is composed of folk narrative,
folk song or folk poetry, with their subclasses. Folk narrative consists,
for instance, of myths, legends, folk tales, proverbs, and riddles and
so on, most of which are genres that are, as according to Dorson
(1972:2), passed down from generation to generation orally and
without known authorship. Folk poetry consists of different kinds of
poems including narrative folk poetry, folk epics and so forth. The

second

category, namely the

material

culture,

responds to

techniques, skills, recipes, and formulas transmitted across the

generations and subject to the same forces of conservative tradition
and individual variation as verbal art (Dorson, 1972:2). This is
concerned, for instance, with how societies build their homes, make
their clothes, prepare their food, farm and fish and do all their other
everyday activities. It is concerned in brief with the societys craft
arts. With regard to the third category, that is the social folk custom, it
relates to community and family observances in connection with
villages, households, churches, holidays, rites of passage such as
those performed at different occasions like birth, initiation, marriage,
death and so on. It includes the customs and beliefs of a given folk.
And finally, the fourth category, that of performing folk arts, includes
genres like folk music, folk dance and drama.

2.3 Legend
Legends are used as a source of folklore, providing historical
information regarding the culture and views of a specific legend's
native civilization. A legend (Latin, legenda, "things to be read") is a
narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and
listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain
qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. Legend, for its active and
passive participants includes no happenings that are outside the
realm of "possibility" but which may include miracles. Legends may

be transformed over time, in order to keep it fresh and vital, and

realistic. Many legends operate within the realm of uncertainty, never
being entirely believed by the participants, but also never being
resolutely doubted. (Robert Georges and Michael Owens, 1995:7)
Legends are prose more often secular than scared and their
principal characters are human. They tell of migrations, wars and
victories, deed of past heroes, chief, and kings, and succession in
ruling dynasties. (William Bascom, 1965: 4)

2.4 Theory of Semantic

Semantics is a branch of linguistics which relates with meaning. In
linguistics, semantic is generally considered as the study of meaning
in a language. Semantics tries to understand what meaning is as an
element of language and how it is constructed by language as well
as interpreted, obscured and negotiated by speakers and listeners of
language. Before the writer explains more about semantics, it is
better if we know the history of the word semantics. The term
Semantics is a recent addition to the English language. Although
there is one occurrence of semantick in the phrase semantick
philoshophy to mean divination in the seventeenth century,
semantics does not occur until it was introduced in a paper read to
the American Philological Association in 1894 entitled Reflected
meanings: a point in semantics. The French term smantique had
been coined from Greek in the previous year by M. Bral. In fact the

10

term Semantics was not simply to refer to meaning but its

development. (Palmer 1976:1)
Palmer (1976:1) says, semantics is technical term used to refer to
the study of meaning. It is concerned with what sentences and other
linguistics objects express, not with the arrangement of their syntactic
parts or with their pronunciation.
Semantics is closely linked with another sub discipline of
linguistics, pragmatics which is also broadly speaking the study of
meaning. However, unlike pragmatics, semantics is a highly
theoretical research perspective, and looks at meaning in language
in isolation, in the language itself, whereas pragmatics is a more
practical subject and is interested in meaning in language in use.
Semantics is also informed by other sub disciplines of linguistics,
such as morphology, as understanding the words themselves is
integral to the study of their meaning, and syntax, which researchers
in semantics use extensively to reveal how meaning is created in
language, as how language is structured is central to meaning.
Semantics concentrates on the similarities between languages,
rather than on the differences. Semantics theory is a part of a larger
enterprise, linguistic theory, which includes the study of syntax
(grammar) and phonetics (pronunciation) besides the study of
meaning. Semantics is concerned with the meanings of nonsentences, such as phrases and incomplete sentences, just as much
as with the whole sentences.

11

As state by Katz (1972:1), semantics is the study of linguistic

meaning. It is concern with what sentence and other linguistics object
express, not with the arrangement with their syntactic parts or with
their pronounciation.

2.5 Buton at Glance

Buton (also Butung or Boeton), is an island in Indonesia located
off the southeast peninsula of Sulawesi. It covers roughly 4,408
square kilometers in area, or about the size of Madura; it is the 129 th
largest island in the world and Indonesia's 19 th largest in area. In the
precolonial era, the island, then usually known as Butung, was within
the sphere of influence of Ternate. Especially in the sixteenth century
it served as an important secondary regional center within the
Ternate empire, controlling regional trade and collecting tribute to be
sent to Ternate. Sultan Murhum, the first Islamic monarch on the
island, is remembered in the name of the island's major harbor,
Murhum Harbor, in Baubau.
Its largest town is Bau-Bau, where the Wolio and Cia-Cia
languages are spoken. Major nearby islands include Wawonii (to the
north), Muna and Kabaena (to the west) and Siumpu (to the
southwest). The Tukangbesi Islands lie just to the east where Tukang
Besi is spoken, and is separated by the Gulf of Kolowana Watabo
(Teluk Kolowana Watabo). Batuatas Island is to the south. Also the

12

Bouton Passage (as it was known in the pre-Independence era) was

an important inter-island navigational location of the northern Flores
Sea. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buton)

13

CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHOD

3.1 Research Design

This chapter discusses a method of research. In this research, the
writer uses descriptive qualitative method. According to Beverly
Hancock (1998:2), qualitative research is concerned with developing
explanations of social phenomena. It aims to describe the meaning of
the life pattern in the world where we live and why things are the way
they are.
Based on the statement above, the writer aim to find the answer
the problem statements through describe the legend of Sumpah Bibir
Pecah Arung Palakka in Buton.

3.2 Data Resources

The writer uses two data resources to analyze this paper. First, the
writer takes the data from resource person to get information directly.
Second are another references such as the book and web sources to
support the data.

3.3 Data Collection

In order to collect the data of research, the writer uses three steps:
3.3.1

Interview

13

14

This method do by conducting direct question and answer

with the responder to obtain the accurate primary data as the
answer of research problem. The writer will give some
question to the informer and local people who knows about
the legend of Sumpah Bibir Pecah Arung Palakka.
3.3.2

Observation
The writer will collect the data from the object that relate
with the research. The writer provide some article about the
story to complete the data.

3.3.3

Documentation
To collect the data is through take some pictures, record
document at object research. The writer will collect the
transcription which is relate to the research.

D. Data Analysis
To analyze the data, there are steps: firstly the researcher will
observe the object research. Secondly, interview the resource person
and the local people while do documentation. Thirdly, the researcher
analysis the data. Take addition from book and some articles that
consider with the research. Finally, the researcher gives the conclusion
for the result of the finding.

15

REFERENCES

Bascom, William. 1965. The Forms of Folklore: Prose Narratives. The

Journal of American Folklore. American Folklore Society.

Dorson, Richard M. 1972. African Folklore. New York: Doubleday

Dundes, Alan. 1965. The Study of Folklore. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall

Hall, E.T. 1976. Beyond Culture. New York: Anchor Books/Doubleday.

Hancock, Beverly. 1998. An Introduction to Qualitative Research.

Nottingham: Trent Focus Group.

Hofstede, G. 1980. Cultures Consequences: International Differences in

Work-related Values. London: Sage Publications

Katz, J. 1972. Semantic Theory. New York : Harper and Row.

Newmark, Peter. 1988. A Textbook of Translation. Hertfordshire: Prentice

Hall Elt Europe

Palmer, F.R. 1976. Semantics. New York : Cambridge University Press

15

16

Robert A. Georges and Michael Owens Jones. 1995. An Introduction.

Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Schoorl, Pim. (2008). Masyarakat, Sejarah dan Budaya Buton. Penerbit

Djambatan: Jakarta.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore_of_Indonesia (Accessed on October

18, 2015)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buton (Accessed on October 19, 2015)