SPIRITUALISME RATU KALINYAMAT: Kontroversi Tapa Wuda Sinjang Rambut Kanjeng Ratu di Jepara Jawa Tengah

Abstract

In Javanese tradition, patriarchal culture is hold strongly though it cannot be generalized as a necessity. The emergence of Queen Kalinyamat as the representation of Javanese woman apparently indicates a contrary to the mainstream Javanese tradition. This article is a semiotical analysis on the spiritualism of Queen Kalinyamat who lived in the 16th century and protested against injustice in that time. She sent the military forces to Malacca to repel the Portuguese so that she was known as a wealthy and very powerful woman. Meanwhile, when her husband and brother were killed by Arya Penangsang, she also demanded justice by living as a naked ascetic (tapa wuda sinjang rambut) which resulted in multiple spiritual interpretations for grass root society. This is mostly interpreted as the spirit of sex drive, but the sufis interpreted it as meaningful metaphor to leave all sorts of worldly power material and position, then it is symbolized by the Arabic letter of Alif. Naked in this case is as a symbol of self-emptying and then filled with repentance, love and taqorrub to God. Queen Kalinyamat’s spiritualism counters the Javanese tradition toward different perspective reflecting eco-feminism trend in post-colonial era.