Creating a major handicraft center: One man's quest<\/p>\n
By Harry Bhaskara<\/p>\n
MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): Handicraftsmen from Manado and
\nPoso, Central Sulawesi, have more than just an island in common.<\/p>\n
One year ago they were holding a joint exhibition in Poso
\nbefore sectarian clashes between Christians and Muslims broke out
\nin the town.<\/p>\n
\"They came here, empty handed, looking for jobs,\" Jongky
\nTirtamulia said, referring to his colleagues from Poso. Jongky is
\na Manado-based craftsman who helped organize the handicraft
\nexhibition.<\/p>\n
\"I set up a space for them at the back of my house and here
\nare their products,\" said Jongky, pointing to an array of
\nminiature motorbikes made of ebony. Poso is well-known for its
\nhandicrafts made from the beautiful dark brown wood.<\/p>\n
Jongky's face turned gloomy.<\/p>\n
\"During the clashes all the ebony in Poso was burned,\" he
\nsaid. \"Now there is none left.\"<\/p>\n
He is preoccupied with the loss of the ebony.<\/p>\n
\"What a lot of income that could have otherwise been used by
\nthe Central Sulawesi province,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Trained as dentist, Jongky retired from the Ministry of Health
\nfive years ago and set up a handicraft workshop at his home,
\ncontinuing with a childhood passion. He said he had a love for
\ndrawing since he was a child.<\/p>\n
\"Youngsters here love to drink liquor. Rather than getting
\ndrunk everyday is it not better for them to do something
\nproductive?\" he said.<\/p>\n
There are about 30 young craftsmen now working under him. He
\nsaid he paid them Rp 800,000 a month on average, depending on how
\nhard they worked.<\/p>\n
\"Some of them work longer hours and they can earn up to Rp 1.5
\nmillion a month,\" he said<\/p>\n
Most of them are graduates of handicraft vocational schools.<\/p>\n
His small shop in front of his house, the Wenang Asri, sells
\nhis work. He designed each piece by first sketching them on
\npapers.<\/p>\n
Jongky has just finished a template of the ancient coelacanth
\nfish. The fish, called a fossil fish by scientists, was first
\ndiscovered in Manado waters in 1997.<\/p>\n
A glimpse in his shop shows that Jongky is obsessed with
\nanything that bears the distinctive North Sulawesi style.<\/p>\n
Inspiration is taken from the province's unique animals and
\nplants as well as from daily life.<\/p>\n
There are wooden models of the more popular fish found around
\nBunaken island, which is a world class diving center in Manado
\nbay, wooden templates of Sulawesi tarsiers, the smallest primates
\nin the world, wooden masks and an assortment of small household
\nitems like ashtrays made from coconut trees.<\/p>\n
As a young dentist just graduated from Airlangga University in
\nSurabaya, Jongky moved to Manado in 1970. And never looked back.<\/p>\n
On a small rack in his shop there are batik clothes with
\nMinahasan paintings emblazoned on them.<\/p>\n
\"I hope to put Manado on the map of Indonesia's must-see
\nhandicraft centers,\" he said, adding that the number of cities in
\nIndonesia known for handicrafts could be counted on the fingers
\nof one hand, despite the country's widespread talent.<\/p>\n
He said the local government had tried to develop North
\nSulawesi as a handicraft center.<\/p>\n
\"But I think they could have done more than what they have
\ndone so far,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Jongky said he believed it would do the government a service
\nif the province emerged as a handicraft center, since it would
\nmean extra tourism dollars, employment as well as a promotional
\ntool for the province.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/creating-a-major-handicraft-center-one-mans-quest-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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