EKOLOGI BUDAYA DALAM NOVEL MATA DAN RAHASIA PULAU GAPI KARYA OKKY MADASARI (KAJIAN TEORI JULIAN H. STEWARD)

Abstract

This study analyzes the representation of cultural ecology in the novel Mata dan Rahasia Pulau Gapi by Okky Madasari using Julian H. Steward’s Cultural Ecology theory. Cultural ecology is understood as an adaptive system that encompasses the relationship between humans and nature, subsistence systems and technology, cultural values, and social organization in responding to ecological pressures and modernization. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method with close reading and note-taking techniques, as well as data classification based on the five main aspects of cultural ecology. The research data consist of narratives, dialogues, and textual descriptions representing the life of the Pulau Gapi community. The findings indicate that the Pulau Gapi community maintains a sacred relationship with nature, as reflected in myths and beliefs surrounding the sacred lake and ancestral fortress. Changes in subsistence systems and the use of technology due to development give rise to conflicts between local wisdom and modernization interests. Cultural values and traditional social organizations function as adaptive mechanisms that help maintain balance between humans and the environment. Meanwhile, cultural change is understood as a contextual multilinear evolution, rather than a form of progress or decline. This study concludes that Mata dan Rahasia Pulau Gapi represents cultural ecology as a dynamic system of life and critically reflects on the impact of modernization on cultural and environmental sustainability.

Keywords: cultural ecology, mata and the secret of pulau gapi, subsistence, socio-cultural studies