Beyond “Save The Earth”: Oral History and Javanese TEK of Poleng Cloth in the Sacred Climbing Trail of Mount Arjuno

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-624-6_3How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK); Poleng Cloth; Mount Arjuno; Oral History; Memayu Hayuning Bawana; Forest Conservation

Abstract

Anthropogenic climate change and the degradation of mountain ecosystems necessitate more grounded conservation approaches. Unfortunately, contemporary environmental campaigns in Indonesia remain dominated by Western perspectives such as the abstract slogan “Save the Earth” which often fail to engage the consciousness of local communities and hikers. This study explores localized conservation alternatives through a Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) approach, focusing on the tradition of placing poleng cloth (a black-and-white checkered cloth) along the Mount Arjuno climbing trail via Purwosari, East Java. This trail is renowned for its abundance of ancient Javanese spiritual sites that continue to be communally maintained. Utilizing the oral history method with in-depth interviews of jarek (cultural custodians), indigenous communities, and local guides, this study reveals how the spiritual significance of poleng cloth transforms prominent trees and forest areas into inviolable sacred spaces. This tradition embodies the philosophy of Memayu Hayuning Bawana, proven effective in safeguarding protected forests from exploitation and human negligence. The findings assert that oral history and local eco-spirituality serve as potent instruments for mitigating environmental degradation in the contemporary era, while simultaneously offering a decolonization of global sustainability narratives.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Mochammad Ronaldi Adji Saputra
AU  - Hawiki Renalia
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/19
TI  - Beyond “Save The Earth”: Oral History and Javanese TEK of Poleng Cloth in the Sacred Climbing Trail of Mount Arjuno
BT  - Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on History, Social Sciences, and Education (ICHSE 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 16
EP  - 41
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-624-6_3
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-624-6_3
ID  - Saputra2026
ER  -