Indonesia The People
Mentawai Villages to be Relocated: Sumatra
The Mentawai administration will relocate dozens of hamlets in five villages of Mentawai Island regency away from the shore due to the threat of tsunami, a local politician said. Mentawai Island Legislative Council Speaker Kortanius Sabeleake said residents had asked the administration to help them in relocating their houses and public places. The residents are concerned that their villages are vulnerable to tsunami, particularly after a strong quake hit the area in September.
Date: April 13th, 2008 |
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The Legend of Lamafa
Lamafa, a local term for a whaler in Lamalera village, along with its whaling tradition, was already around hundreds of years ago, before Catholic missionaries entered East Nusa Tenggara in 1500s. To reach the village, visitors fly 30 minutes from Kupang, the capital city of East Nusa Tenggara, to Lewaleba regency on Lembata Island, and continue the trip by ship or car for another four hours. The village is believed to be the only place in the country which has traditional whalers. Carolus Keraf, one of the whalers, said he learned the skill and how to take down a whale with a bamboo spear, from his father, who was also a whaler.
Date: April 3rd, 2008 |
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Conserving Culture: Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara
A picture not only tells a thousand words for the people of Lamalera, a village in Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara. It also serves as a tool to preserve their ancestral heritage and the environment from which they earn their living. In the eastern part of Indonesia, where the fruits of national development are rarely seen, culture and environment are all the people have.
Date: March 27th, 2008 |
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A Future for Merauke’s Children: Flores
Dari Sabang sampai Merauke berjajar pulau-pulau/ Sambung-menyambung menjadi satu, itulah Indonesia/ (From Sabang to Merauke, the islands are lined up in rows/Connected as one, that’s Indonesia). Those lyrics are from the song Dari Sabang Sampai Merauke, which is taught to students across the nation. It has the ability to excite people and to place within them a feeling of unity — whether they live in Sumatra or in Papua. Merauke district, an area near Maro River, is the outermost part of Indonesia and shares a borderline with Papua New Guinea. At 119,749 square kilometers, Merauke is the largest district in Indonesia.
Date: March 11th, 2008 |
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Chewing Areca Nuts: Papua
The 2,500-year-old Malay tradition of chewing nuts from the areca palm (Areca Catechu) may be deemed backward by the younger generation in Sumatra and Java but for Papuans, especially in Jayapura, it is a popular social pastime for young and old. In the Papuan capital, one can easily find people as young as five years old with its telltale red blotches around their mouths, a sign they have been chewing the nut. Chewing areca (known as pinang in Bahasa Indonesia) is an anytime-anywhere activity for Papuans who hold the nut in high regard. Known locally as Tarang Habui, Papuans use areca nuts in traditional ceremonies and present them to guests as a sign of friendship and kinship. For the young areca nut chewing is part of the social language. Papuans chew areca nuts with betel fruit and chalk made from ground white shell. Before chewing, they peel off the betel nut skin using their teeth. They then chew the betel fruit which is dipped in white chalk. Afterwards, they spit out the distinctively bright red juice.
Date: March 9th, 2008 |
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Book Review: Encounters with The Dani
First published in 2003, Encounters With The Dani, a history of contact with the Dani tribe, is a book worth revisiting. It was written, photographed and designed by Susan Meiselas, one of the most influential and important documentary photographers working today. Meiselas, who studied anthropology before she became a professional photographer, consistently pushes beyond the traditional boundaries of documentary photography. Her work includes a wide variety of media, including installation and film. In Encounters with the Dani, Meiselas pieces together found documents that describe the history of contact between the outside world and the Danai of the West Papuan highlands, who were only “discovered” in 1938.
Date: April 4th, 2008 |
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Batak Mythology
I am always delighted to see starlit skies. Indonesians are blessed because our country is positioned in such a way we can enjoy a clear night sky. Every night we can enjoy the complexity of the cosmos’s ecosystem and the brilliant array of the starry equatorial sky. I often sit on the roof and submit to the ocean of crystal, fire and diamonds. It all seems to shimmer and peace fills my soul.
Date: March 31st, 2008 |
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Boedi Oetomo - National Awakening: Indonesia
Sunday, the 20th of May, 1908: A handful of young Indonesians, led by Wahidin Sudirohusodo, and supported by Soetomo, Gunawan and Suradji — declared the formation of “Boedi Oetomo”, laying the foundations for our independence. The movement would awake Indonesians to Indonesia — to its rich cultural heritage, and age-old values. It was not a decision made in haste. The group had made a thorough study of our history to find the missing thread that could possibly reunite us into one nation.
Date: March 12th, 2008 |
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The Weavers’ Ritual: East Sumba, West Nusa Tenggara
There are two kinds of ikat (woven textiles) in East Sumba — hinggi, which is intended for use by men, and lawu, a songket (embroidered piece) or sarong made of fabric interwoven with gold or silver thread for women. Aside from being used as items of clothing worn daily, these two types of textiles play an important role in the social and cultural lives of people in East Sumba. As a local tradition, hinggi and lawu are exchanged during marriage rituals, used in funerals and kept as a souvenirs. A hinggi is also used to wrap a dead body. According to the beliefs of the local Marapu people, a hinggi stops the spread of odor from a dead body, while the high quality fabric serves as “the deceased’s clothing in the afterlife”.
Date: March 9th, 2008 |
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Kampong Jamu: Kiringan, Central Java
Kampong Jamu, or the village of medicinal herbs, is the name people refer to when they are talking about the village of Kiringan, in Bantul, Yogyakarta. For the past century or so, Kiringan residents have been making a living from the manufacture and sale of jamu gendong — medicinal herbs that are carried in a basket on a woman’s shoulder using a sling and sold from door to door. Today, 102 of the 200 households in the village depend on the medicinal herb industry for their livelihoods. What makes Kiringan medicinal herbs characteristically different is the fact they are produced using a traditional method. The ingredients used to make the herbal remedies include extracts of Javanese plants with health-improving properties.
Date: March 6th, 2008 |
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