<![CDATA[ABSTRAK: Cerita rakyat dan tradisi Nyangku merupakan warisan budaya penting masyarakat Panjalu yang merepresentasikan hubungan sakral antara manusia, alam, dan leluhur. Namun, kajian sebelumnya cenderung memusatkan perhatian pada aspek deskriptif ritual dan nilai religius tanpa menelaah secara sistematis bagaimana relasi manusia–alam dikonstruksikan melalui struktur naratif cerita rakyat. Kesenjangan ini menunjukkan perbedaan antara teori folklor yang menekankan pentingnya struktur cerita dan praktik penelitian yang masih bersifat tematik. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis secara struktural relasi sakral manusia–alam dalam cerita rakyat Panjalu yang melandasi tradisi Nyangku serta menjelaskan fungsinya sebagai media transmisi nilai budaya. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif-interpretatif dengan Structural-Based Analysis terhadap cerita rakyat yang diperoleh melalui wawancara mendalam dengan tokoh adat, juru kunci, dan warga Panjalu, serta observasi tradisi Nyangku. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa cerita rakyat Panjalu memiliki struktur naratif yang sistematis dengan pola sebab–akibat yang menempatkan keharmonisan manusia–alam–leluhur sebagai inti cerita. Relasi manusia–alam dikonstruksikan sebagai relasi relasional-sakral, bukan utilitarian, dan memuat nilai religius, sosial, moral, serta historis yang terintegrasi. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa cerita rakyat dan tradisi Nyangku membentuk suatu Sistem Nilai Relasional-Sakral Alam yang menjaga keberlanjutan identitas budaya masyarakat Panjalu melalui narasi dan praktik ritual. KATA KUNCI: cerita rakyat Panjalu; tradisi Nyangku; relasi sakral manusia–alam; transmisi nilai budaya SACRED HUMAN-NATURE RELATIONS IN PANJALU FOLKTALES: A STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE NYANGKU TRADITION AS A MEDIUM FOR TRANSMITTING CULTURAL VALUES ABSTRACT: Folktales and the Nyangku tradition constitute an important cultural heritage of the Panjalu community, representing a sacred relationship between humans, nature, and ancestors. However, previous studies have tended to focus on descriptive aspects of rituals and religious values without systematically examining how human–nature relations are constructed through the narrative structures of folktales. This gap reveals a discrepancy between folkloristic theory, which emphasizes the importance of narrative structure, and existing research practices that remain largely thematic. This study aims to structurally analyze the sacred human–nature relationship embedded in Panjalu folktales that underlie the Nyangku tradition and to explain their function as a medium for transmitting cultural values. The study employed a qualitative descriptive-interpretative approach using Structural-Based Analysis of folktales collected through in-depth interviews with traditional elders, custodians, and Panjalu community members, as well as observations of the Nyangku tradition. The findings indicate that Panjalu folktales possess a systematic narrative structure with cause–effect patterns that place harmony among humans, nature, and ancestors at the core of the stories. Human–nature relations are constructed as relational-sacred rather than utilitarian, integrating religious, social, moral, and historical values. This study concludes that Panjalu folktales and the Nyangku tradition form a Relational–Sacred System of Nature Values that sustains the cultural identity of the Panjalu community through narrative and ritual practices. KEYWORDS: Panjalu folktales; Nyangku tradition; sacred human–nature relations; cultural value transmission ]]>
