CULTURAL VALUES IN THE TOPONYMY OF MEDALSARI VILLAGE AND PRESERVATION MODELS TO SUPPORT TOURISM BASED ON LOCAL WISDOM IN KARAWANG REGENCY Suntoko (a*), Abduloh (b), Tedi Purbangkara(b)
Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Singaperbangsa Karawang University, Jl. HS.Ronggo Waluyo, Puseurjaya, Telukjambe Timur, Karawang, Jawa Barat 41361
Abstract
A place naming system is an ordinance or rule of naming a place at a certain time called toponymy. Etymologically, the word toponymy comes from the Greek topoi ^place^ and oama ^name^. So, literally toponymy can be interpreted as naming a place. Toponymy is a branch of onomastics that investigates place names. Something is named because it is considered important by the community that owns the culture, as well as a geographical space in which the community lives. Place names and physical objects, such as public facilities, monuments, and buildings, provide access to complex aspects of history, memory, and places.
Medalsari is administratively one of the villages in Pangkalan District, Karawang Regency, which is directly adjacent to Bogor Regency. Medalsari village is on a plateau surrounded by hills and green mountains. The sloping earth with a stretch of stepped rice fields makes Medalsari have the potential to become a tourist village. This is coupled with the existence of the Ciomas River which is famous for its Green Canyon natural attractions. Medalsari also holds ancestral cultural treasures that are still maintained today. The Medalsari people still perform some rituals passed down from generations of ancestors, such as the rituals of burning frankincense, hajat bumi, ngancak, nitipken, hanyat hidup, and rujakan. As an agrarian society, the ancestral heritage of the Medalsari community can also be seen from the irrigation management system for rice fields and the concept of stilt houses that hint at the community^s closeness to nature. With all the potential of culture and local wisdom, the National Archaeological Research Center Agency (Puslit Arkenas) built the Medalsari Civilization House. Based on this, this research was conducted to describe the lexical shape and meaning of place naming (toponymy) in the Medalsari Village area, as well as its cultural reflection.
This research uses a qualitative approach. In the process of collecting data, this study uses literature study techniques, field observations, and interviews. To find out its shape, the toponymy will be classified according to its lexical units. Then, toponymy will also be classified according to its meaning based on the results of the interview. The final stage of analysis is to analyze the cultural reflection contained in the toponymy in Medalsari Village.
Keywords: Culture, Topomini, Preservation, Local Wisdom
