On Sunday (December 19, 2021), the Javanese Literature Program held the second webinar as a continuation of a series of events. The webinar titled "History, Function, and Existence of Javanese Fables" was moderated by Nurma Aisyah, a student of the Javanese Literature Program from class of 2021, and accompanied by one of the Javanese Literature lecturers, Zakariya Pamuji Aminullah, S.S., M.A., as the speaker.
The "History, Function, and Existence of Javanese Fables" webinar delved into the journey of birds and monkeys from the Sanskrit tradition to the Middle Javanese era. Mr. Zakariya presented that fables are stories about animals that behave like humans. The story of animals made like humans is a metaphorical depiction. Fables predominantly feature characters that are either human or deities. Usually, the animal characters used in fables play crucial roles in society, such as cows, horses, snakes, goats, birds, and others. The webinar also discussed the Pancatantra, a literary work that takes the form of framed stories.
After the presentation session, the webinar proceeded with a Q&A session. There were eight questioners, each with one question. One of the interesting questions, which might also be a common inquiry from the public, came from Irfan Wahyu, a Javanese Literature student. Irfan asked about the popularity of fables, specifically those involving the character "kancil" (mouse deer), and why fables are mainly targeted at children. Mr. Zakariya explained that Indonesian education has not adapted to fables effectively. Some efforts have been made by libraries to implement the transliteration of manuscripts, and academic communities are encouraged to disseminate these transliterations to the wider public. From the perspective of researchers, they face a significant responsibility in transforming the contents of manuscripts into works that can be accessible to the broader society.
The conclusion drawn from the "History, Function, and Existence of Javanese Fables" webinar is that fables serve as a medium between humans and animals. Meanwhile, the Pancatantra has political motives and has spread widely across the world. The popular story of birds and monkeys, despite having various versions, shares a common message.
