Understanding Short Stories (Cerpen) with Historical Backgrounds
📌 The lesson focuses on understanding short stories (cerpen) that use Indonesian historical events as their backdrop, a topic previously covered in Grade 12 concerning historical novels.
📌 A short story is defined by the Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI) as a prose narrative under 10,000 words, creating a single dominant impression, focusing on one main character in a specific situation, usually readable in one sitting (less than 10 minutes).
📌 Key characteristics of a cerpen include a brief plot and a focus on only one main event experienced by the central character.

Analysis of "Mengapa Mereka Berdoa kepada Pohon" (Why They Pray to the Tree)
🌳 The story by Faisal Odang is set during the post-independence era in South Sulawesi and focuses on Ustadz Syamsuri, a fictional freedom fighter who lost his son when his stilt house was destroyed by a Dutch grenade.
🔫 The narrative directly addresses the "40,000-soul victim event" (December 1946 – February 1947), a massacre of civilians in South Sulawesi carried out by the Dutch special forces, the Depot Speciale Troepen (DST), led by Raymond Westerling.
🔪 Westerling is depicted as "the butcher from Turkey" (Jagak dari Turki), emphasizing the cruelty of the Dutch response to Indonesian resistance.
📜 The story integrates historical realities, such as the role of Sufi orders (tarekat) in the independence struggle (like Syekh Yusuf Al Makassary and Pangeran Diponegoro), reflected in Ustadz Syamsuri's dual role as a religious mentor and leader of the Bacu Kiki Laskar.

Social Commentary and Critical Thinking
🔮 The story presents a social reality where the community (Bacu Kiki) spiritualizes Ustadz Syamsuri's death, believing his spirit turned into a sacred asam tree after being killed by Westerling.
🔍 Faisal Odang provides a plot twist: Ustadz Syamsuri actually died of tuberculosis in February 1947 after fleeing Westerling, not killed by him in Bacu Kiki.
💡 The author's ambition is didactic: to encourage readers to be more critical and not blindly accept folk beliefs or narratives dominated by mysticism that lack scientific accountability.

Historical Context Figures
🗣️ Andi Makassar (Andi Mappayukki) was a freedom fighter from Parepare who organized political and societal organizations like Partai Serikat Islam (1927) and Sudara (1944) to support Indonesian independence.
⚔️ Andi Makassar bravely confronted Westerling's forces in 1946 but was ultimately defeated due to inferior weaponry and was reportedly thrown into the sea while bound.
🔫 Raymond Westerling commanded the DST, responsible for the mass killings (estimated 40,000 victims) in South Sulawesi between 1946–1947 as retaliation for Indonesian attacks.
🎖️ The DST (Depot Speciale Troepen) was the elite, green-beret Dutch military unit specialized for complex conflict zones, known for their brutal "cleansing operations."

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Cerpen are concise prose forms focusing on one dominant impression and a single crucial event in a character's life.
➡️ Faisal Odang uses the historical trauma of the Westerling massacre to educate readers while simultaneously critiquing the tendency to accept mystical explanations over verifiable facts.
➡️ The story serves as a reminder that tradition is unique, but stories surrounding traditions must be approached with critical thinking, especially in the digital age.
➡️ The author, Faisal Odang, embodies the spirit of his characters by using his literature to commemorate national struggle and educate the public.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Nov 09, 2025, 12:30 UTC