Javanese farmers traditionally use memedi sawah or scarecrow to protect their crops, especially rice, from bird attacks. The custom of installing memedi sawah as part of local ecofriendly tradition on the rice fields has attracted students of the Social Sciences Education Study Program, Faculty of Social Sciences, UNY, who researched the values in the memedi sawah festival in Bantul. They are Basid Elmi Izzaqi, Diah Nadiatul Jannah, Rina Suhartanti, Eva Riska Amalia and Marlinda Putri.
According to Basid, memedi sawah is one of farmer creative works to keep their farm safe from any potential pest. “Memedi Sawah Festival is a medium to share the cultural part of the agriculture tradition to general public,” he said.
“Memedi sawah made of various unused farming tools and any field waste,” Diah said. There is no limitation for this local scarecrow. Everyone may make their memedi sawah. It is no wonder to find the regular size and even the colossal one. This kind of freedom has made the festival highly anticipated to share the tradition with the younger generation and attract tourism that generates potential economic income.
"Local values that are internalized through character can be taken from the noble values of each local wisdom," Rina explained. In this study, the values contained in the local wisdom of the Memedi Sawah Festival are expected to become good characters such as the value of peace (peace), the value of mutual respect (respect), the value of cooperation, religious values, aesthetic values (beauty), human values, and values. togetherness values, and democratic values. Exploring the importance of local wisdom as the basis of a festival will bring out characters with noble character. Local values will encourage mutual respect among ethnic, ethnic, national and religious groups, so that diversity is well maintained.
