Kapata Oral Literature As A Documentation Media Of Maluku Community History

Abstract

Maluku is one of the provinces in Indonesia where historical documents are rarely found in written form. As an illiterate society, the majority of the Maluku people document important events considered as history in the form of oral literature. One such form is kapata . Kapata oral literature is poetry that is sung or recited with or without the accompaniment of a drum. Usually found in traditional ceremonies such as the coronation of kings. This research is a qualitative research using descriptive analysis method. Data collection techniques used are observation, interviews, and literature study. Data analysis was carried out based on Albert B. Lord's theory of oral literature regarding the function of kapata oral literature and Jan Vansina's theory of oral tradition as history. The results showed that the oral literature of Kapata has a function as a media for documenting the history of the Maluku people which is represented in the Kapata poems that are sung.