Perempuan dalam Tradisi Brandu: Solidaritas Komunal, Nilai Agama, dan Kesehatan

Pamula Nur Kriswardhani, Prof. Dr. Atik Triratnawati, M.A.

2026 | Skripsi | ANTROPOLOGI BUDAYA

Tradisi brandu sudah turun-temurun terjadi dan tersebar di Gunungkidul. Brandu merupakan tradisi menyembelih, mengonsumsi, mengolah daging ternak yang sakit atau mati mendadak. Tradisi brandu di Padukuhan Jati wajib dilakukan oleh seluruh warganya. Para perempuan turut serta terlibat dalam pelaksanaan tradisi brandu. Penelitian ini berupaya menganalisis mengapa perempuan penting dalam menjaga nilai solidaritas komunal, nilai agama, dan kesehatan di Padukuhan Jati. Penelitian dilakukan di Padukuhan Jati, Kapanewon Semanu, Kalurahan Candirejo, Kabupaten Gunungkidul. Pengumpulan data dibagi menjadi dua periode kunjungan, yaitu sejak Februari-Mei 2024 dan November 2025. Penelitian ini merupakan kualitatif melalui pendekatan etnografi. Pada periode pertama, penulis menggunakan teknik pengumpulan data observasi partisipan, wawancara mendalam dan FGD (Focus Group Discussion) terhadap 10 ibu-ibu Padukuhan Jati. Pada periode kedua dilakukan wawancara mendalam pada 5 perempuan informan inti sebagai pendalaman data. Penulis tidak membatasi agama informan. Perempuan memegang peran penting dalam menjaga ketiga nilai tersebut. Dalam dimensi solidaritas komunal, perempuan mempererat hubungan sosial melalui praktik memasak bersama di rumah warga yang terkena musibah sebagai wujud gotong royong. Dalam dimensi nilai agama, keterlibatan perempuan dinegosiasikan berdasarkan keyakinan masing-masing. Dalam dimensi kesehatan, perempuan memiliki pengetahuan empiris mengenai karakteristik daging brandu berupa warna, bau, tekstur, dan cara pengolahannya sehingga dapat menjadi gatekeeper dalam Tradisi Brandu.  Keberadaan tradisi ini mulai goyah akibat munculnya wabah antraks yang sekaligus menggeser persepsi informan. 

Kata kunci: Perempuan, Tradisi Brandu, Solidaritas Komunal, Nilai Agama, Kesehatan.

The brandu tradition has been transmitted across generations and widely practiced in Gunungkidul. Brandu refers to a communal practice involving the slaughtering, consumption, and processing of livestock that has died suddenly. In Padukuhan Jati, participation in the brandu tradition is socially obligatory for all residents. Women actively participate in the enactment of this tradition. This study aims to analyze why women are essential in upholding the values of communal solidarity, religious values, and health values within the brandu tradition. This research was conducted in Padukuhan Jati, Kapanewon Semanu, Kalurahan Candirejo, Gunungkidul Regency. Data collection was carried out in two phases: February-Mei 2024 and November 2025. The study employs a qualitative design with an ethnographic approach. During the first phase, data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and FGD (Focus Group Discussions) with ten women from Padukuhan Jati. In the second phase, follow-up in-depth interviews were conducted with five key female informants to obtain more comprehensive data. Informants were not selected based on religious affiliation. Women play a pivotal role in upholding all three values. In terms of communal solidarity, women strengthen social bonds through the practice of cooking together at the home of the affected family, embodying the spirit of gotong royong. Regarding religious values, women's involvement is negotiated according to their individual beliefs. In terms of health values, women possess empirical knowledge of brandu meat characteristics including its color, odor, texture, and appropriate processing methods enabling them to act as gatekeepers within the brandu tradition. However, the continuity of this tradition has become increasingly uncertain following the emergence of an anthrax outbreak, which has simultaneously shifted the perceptions of the informants toward the practice.

Keywords: Women, Brandu Tradition, Communal Solidarity, Religious Values, Health.

Kata Kunci : Perempuan, Tradisi Brandu, Solidaritas Komunal, Nilai Agama, Kesehatan.