Folklore: Intangible Cultural Heritage as a Medium to Strengthen the Character of the Nation

Folklore, especially legends with lawlessness theme, is still transmitted from generation to generation by people who live in Minangkabau cultural surrounding. This leads us to an assumption that there are character education values which characterize Minangkabau ethnic group which is believed to be true and the existence of the values is still maintained. Therefore, an analysis was carried out to discover character values contained in folk tales (legends) with lawlessness theme in the Minangkabau tribe. In addition, the analysis is also carried out to see how the story contributes to the process of strengthening the nation’s character education. Content analysis research techniques in qualitative paradigm were used to analyze the folklore text with lawlessness theme. From the folklore text, eleven values were identified which is believed to be true and their existence is still maintained by Minangkabau tribe community. These values contribute in strengthening the character of the nation.