Are Javanese buggies riding into oblivion?<\/p>\n
Text and photo by Singgir Kartana<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The clip-clop of andong (horse-driven
\nbuggies) can still be heard on streets in Java, especially the
\nsedate world of towns in Central Java and the ancient royal seat
\nof Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
So some may be surprised to discover that the "traditional"
\ntransportation means is actually a European import.<\/p>\n
According to Javanese culture expert Suryanto Sastroatmodjo,
\nthe buggies were a cultural import from the interaction between
\nJavanese sultans and the nobility, and the Dutch government and
\nmembers of other European communities residing here during the
\ncolonial era.<\/p>\n
The popularity of the buggies as a transportation means, said
\nSuryanto, was nothing but the result of a successful process of
\nadoption.<\/p>\n
Antique horse-drawn carriages can be found in a number of
\nJava's stately palaces in Yogyakarta, Cirebon and Surakarta.
\nThere is the Garudayaksa Gold Carriage, Nyai Jimat, Kyai
\nMondrojuwolo, Landouer and Kyai Jongwiyat that belong to
\nYogyakarta Palace. They were made in the Netherlands, but the
\nKyai Manik Kumolo carriage that is presently kept in Pura
\nPakualaman Palace, Yogyakarta, was made in England and given by
\nStamford Raffles to Sultan Paku Alam I.<\/p>\n
The decorations on Garudayaksa show that, despite the
\ncarriage's beautiful Javanese name, it was not made on the
\nisland. There are grapes, apples, even a Dutch king's crown.<\/p>\n
Kratonkoetsen de Java, published by De Bataafsche Leeuw,
\nstates that Garudayaksa was made in 1896 by Spyker Amsterdam, on
\nthe order of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono VII. However, the
\ncarriage, said to be made from Corsican teak, was only finished
\nduring the reign of his successor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono VIII.<\/p>\n
There is no clear historical explanation about when the horse-
\ndriven vehicle was used for the first time. Some books only
\nmention that the transportation was already known during the
\nMajapahit Kingdom period. For most people, the andong were
\nnothing more than carts, and those bearing roofs and ornaments
\nreserved for the nobility.<\/p>\n
Today, the andong traveling along Yogyakarta's streets conform
\nto a particular type. They are four-wheeled with canvas roofs.
\nThe front wheels are smaller than the back, setting them apart
\nfrom other horse-driven carriages called bendi (the latter only
\nuse one horse or pony, but andong can use two).<\/p>\n
Popular<\/p>\n
Suryanto said the buggies first became popular in Yogyakarta
\nin 1853. But, people began to use them as public transportation
\nmeans only about 1920, as Yogyakarta became a tourist city. The
\nnumber of andong here reached its peak from 1950 to 1960, when
\nthere were about 3,000 buggies.<\/p>\n
In 1979, a national equestrian association, Pordasi, was
\nformed. Besides horse riders, the organization was also meant to
\naccommodate horse breeders and andong drivers.<\/p>\n
But one buggy driver, Wardi, grumbled that the organization
\nnever conducted activities with the drivers.<\/p>\n
"What they did was just accommodate us as members of the
\norganization. That's all," said the 58-year-old, who recently
\ngave up buggy driving.<\/p>\n
Pordasi's Yogyakarta chapter chairman, GBPH Yudhaningrat,
\ncountered that the organization often invited the drivers to take
\npart in parades and festivals held by the local government.<\/p>\n
According to Pordasi data, there are currently about 700
\nbuggies operating as public transportation means in Yogyakarta
\nmunicipality alone. The number excludes those operated in Bantul
\n(Bantul regency), Wonosari (Gunungkidul regency), Beran (Sleman
\nregency), and Wates (Kulonprogo regency). The buggies are
\norganized into 17 different groups, which are named after the
\nplaces where they are parked while waiting for passengers,
\nincluding the North Square, South Square, Beringharjo, Ngabean,
\nPingit and Sosrowijayan groups.<\/p>\n
Although the buggies continue to ply the city's streets, their
\ndecline in number from their heyday is a worry to many, including
\nYudhaningrat, who is one of the younger brothers of Yogyakarta
\nPalace king and Yogyakarta governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.<\/p>\n
The fear is that the rapid pace of development and the need of
\npeople for quick transportation, could mean the buggies will
\nexist only in photos, in museum collections and as curiosities in
\nthe yards of the wealthy in a few years time.<\/p>\n
Yudhaningrat, who owns six beautiful andong made in the
\nNetherlands and England, said that finding a solution was not an
\neasy task.<\/p>\n
"So far, we have yet to find a way to preserve andong. It's
\nnot easy telling andong owners to take good care of their
\nproperty. But, I trust andong haven't yet disappeared from the
\ncity. I believe they'll always attract people," he said.<\/p>\n
The buggies' slower pace and the relatively high fares are
\nbelieved to be among the reasons for a drop in their popularity.
\nFor instance, a trip from Jl. Malioboro to the sultan's palace
\ncosts Rp 7,000 to Rp 10,000, compared to Rp 500 on a city bus.<\/p>\n
Men are also reluctant to become buggy drivers, unless it is a
\ntradition running in their families.<\/p>\n
Bowo, 24, from Bantul, said: "No one else has been running
\nthis andong since my father died. I'm forced to run it to earn
\nsome money. But once I get another job I will sell it."<\/p>\n
Most drivers acknowledged a decline in their income.<\/p>\n
Marsudi, 50, who has been a driver since 1965, said he could
\nonly earn Rp 20,000 to Rp 25,000 a day. And he had to spend Rp
\n5,000 of that to buy horse feed.<\/p>\n
"Nominally, it's bigger than I got years ago, but actually
\nwhat it can buy is less than what I got previously," said
\nMarsudi, who was parked on Jl. Malioboro.<\/p>\n
Drivers also have to deal with the high cost of maintenance. A
\nshock absorber, for example, costs from Rp 300,000 to Rp 500,000.
\nA new andong made of teak, for example, costs from Rp 5 million
\nto Rp 10 million.<\/p>\n
Buggy makers, like Paimin from Kauman village, Banguntapan,
\nBantul, have felt the crunch of the downturn in business. Paimin
\nsaid that the last order he received was in 1980. Today, his only
\nactivity is repairs to old vehicles on the road.<\/p>\n
Key in the effort to preserve the buggies is defining their
\nstatus as tourist vehicles, not public transportation means. They
\ncan be designated special routes and accorded status as tourist
\nvehicles, like the bendi, which are popular rides at Parangritis
\nbeach, bringing in money for their drivers and others in the
\ntourist trade. In that way, the andong can avoid the sad fate of
\nbecoming an object gathering dust in a museum.<\/p>",
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