Acep makes key chains for a living<\/p>\n
Text and photos by P.J. Leo<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): What is there to buy at the entrance of
\nrecreational sites such as Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Monas
\nSquare, the Cibubur Camp Site and the Bogor Botanical Garden?
\nSouvenirs made of simple materials but meaningful, nonetheless,
\nto the buyers.<\/p>\n
Acep Djuandi, 48, from the West Java town of Tasikmalaya is a
\ncraftsman who makes key chains from the kernels of kenari nuts (a
\nkind of pecan).<\/p>\n
Better-known as Kang Acep among his circle of friends and
\nrelatives, Acep started making key chains 10 years ago, around
\nthe time he stopped selling household utensils on credit to his
\nneighbors and the community at large.<\/p>\n
\"I quit that job after having done it from the time I was a
\nbachelor because my income was unsteady. My customers often
\ndelayed their installments. They seemed to have little regard for
\nme, while I needed the money to keep my business going. Perhaps I
\nwas too lenient with them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Acep, who lives on the Ciliwung riverbank on Jl. Otista II in
\nBogor, West Java, feels more secure in his present profession.
\n\"My father and brothers are all souvenir craftsmen. Not
\nsurprisingly, I had no difficulties when I handled this work for
\nthe first time,\" he said laughingly.<\/p>\n
Acep not only sells key chains. He also sells rings made from
\nkenari nuts and wayang golek puppets. His mainstay, however, is
\nkey chains. In his small but cozy house, Acep displays a lot of
\nobjects that look antique. His walking sticks, for example, look
\nvery simple. He takes them with him at night around his
\nneighborhood.<\/p>\n
The sticks are fairly thick tree branches painted and carved
\nto produce an expensive look.<\/p>\n
His kenari key chains, made in two sizes, are sold at Rp 1,000
\neach for the large ones and Rp 500 for the small ones. \"I only
\nmake big kenari key chains during a certain time of the year
\nbecause the trees blossom only once a year. The small ones are no
\nproblem because the plants yield nuts all year long.\"<\/p>\n
Acep obtains kenari nuts from one of his neighbors, who works
\nin the Bogor Botanical Garden where kenari trees, big and small,
\ngrow. He pays Rp 100 a piece for the large nuts and Rp 10 a piece
\nfor the small ones. Acep, his wife and their five children all
\ntake part in peeling off the nuts' outer covering. The kernels
\nare washed and scoured, and stored for about one week.<\/p>\n
\"Kenari kernels that are too small are separated and sold at a
\nlow price to the Minipark Ornithological Garden to feed Kasuari
\nbirds,\" Acep said.<\/p>\n
After one week, the kenari kernels are scoured again to obtain
\na smooth surface. Acep, his wife and his daughter can smoothen 20
\nlarge and 60 small kernels a day. When they are dry, Acep makes
\nholes at both ends using a simple homemade tool consisting of a
\nnail, a small wheel to rotate the nail, a short piece of bamboo
\nand some yarn to support the bamboo when rotating the wheel. Acep
\nproduces red, green and brown kernels by dipping them into paint
\nand hanging them to dry. Faces are depicted on the large kenari
\nkernels. Acep affixes small eyes, and uses a mixture of Melamix
\nand Herder C liquids to dry and lend luster to the dark brown
\nkernels. Large nuts are burned prior to the above process at
\ncertain spots to erase wrinkles and scratches. Melamix costs Rp
\n7,000 a tin and Herder C is priced at Rp 1,000 a bottle. \"I have
\ndifficulty in applying the colors to kenari kernels during bad
\nweather because they take a long time to dry,\" said Acep, while
\nhanging kenari kernels after the dipping process.<\/p>\n
The key chains are now affixed in the holes of the dry kenari
\nkernels. Acep adds \"BOGOR INDONESIA\" to the small kernels because
\nthey are sold at the Bogor Botanical Gardens. A decoration or a
\ninscription on large kernels is made on order.<\/p>\n
\"With big orders, I ask a friend to engrave the writing. I pay
\nhim Rp 100 a piece for large kernels and Rp 50 for small ones.
\nFor other places, I apply different inscriptions. For example,
\nwhen the Jamboree took place in Cibubur, I inscribed \"CIBUBUR
\nINDONESIA\" on the kernels,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"During the summit meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic
\nCooperation (APEC) forum at Bogor Palace in 1994, I inscribed
\n\"APEC-BOGOR INDONESIA\" on my kenari key chains. I sold many of
\nthese souvenirs at prices far higher than usual. Many foreigners
\npaid US$1 for a small key chain,\" said Acep with a happy smile on
\nhis wrinkled face.<\/p>\n
He said that Matahari Department Store in Bogor once sent his
\nsouvenirs to the United States and another buyer took some,
\nbearing the inscription \"Jeddah-Riyadh-Madinah\", to Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
However, after 10 years of running his handicraft souvenir
\nbusiness, Acep has not been able to expand it.<\/p>\n
On Sundays, Acep sells his souvenirs at the Bogor Botanical
\nGarden and on weekdays, retailers come to his home to buy his
\nproducts for resale.<\/p>",
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