In search of a noble heritage<\/p>\n
The week-long National Keraton (Palace) Festival in Cirebon,
\nWest Java, which ends tomorrow, may seem no more than a cultural
\nfestival, a remembrance of a feudalistic culture most Indonesians
\nnever experienced. But attitudes at the festival run the gamut
\nfrom unreserved reverence, to apathy to practical uses for royal
\ntitles. The following stories were prepared by The Jakarta Post's
\nteam of reporters Devi M. Asmarani, Imanuddin, Riyadi, Listiana
\nOperanata, Kosasih Deradjat, Primastuti Handayani, K. Basrie and
\nIGGP Bayu Ismoyo. More stories are on Page 2 and Page 9.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian royalty may seem on the brink of
\nextinction, with many royal courts almost reduced to tourist
\nattractions. Despite the shift in values, thousands of people
\nstill have titles of nobility.<\/p>\n
Take the descendants of the Mangkunegaran royal court of
\nSurakarta in Central Java.<\/p>\n
Surarmo Suryosurarso, the head of the Association of the
\nMangkunagaran Royal Court Families, Himpunan Kerabat
\nMangkunegaran Surya Sumirat (HKMNS), said there were more than
\n2,000 royal court members including children.<\/p>\n
About 1,000 of them live in the Central Java city of
\nSurakarta, popularly called Solo, and the rest live in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Surarmo inherited the title of Raden Mas, a title given to
\ndescendants of the first four generations.<\/p>\n
But people with royal titles are unlikely to use their titles
\non their business cards, particularly those who have become
\nbusiness executives or professionals.<\/p>\n
Imanuddin, a prince from a West Java's Cirebon Sultanate and a
\nconstruction supplier, said a title nowadays did not win favors
\nin business \"except for a renovation project for the palace\".<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, there is a long list of well-known figures who
\nare royal descendants.<\/p>\n
This list includes the late first lady, Tien Soeharto, who was
\nthe great grandchild of the Mangkunegoro V, businesswoman
\nMooryati Soedibyo, and former forestry minister Soedjarwo.<\/p>\n
Some popular figures outside royal families have earned
\nhonorary titles like soothsayer Permadi Satrio Wiwoho and painter
\nSrihadi Soedarsono.<\/p>\n
Understanding nobility requires a look at history.<\/p>\n
Indonesia once had hundreds of royal courts, stretching from
\none end of the archipelago to the other.<\/p>\n
Only 23 of these survive, and all but one, the Yogyakarta
\npalace, have been stripped of their power and privileges since
\nindependence in 1945.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta gets special status because the Sultan has taken an
\nactive part in Indonesian politics. Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX was
\nvice president from 1972 to 1978.<\/p>\n
Royal courts played a big role in legitimizing the power of
\nthe new Republic of Indonesia when it gained independence.<\/p>\n
Natural<\/p>\n
This might have been natural because palaces were very
\naffluent and were centers of power and many families had business
\nrelationships with the Dutch colonialists. These were things like
\npartnerships to build sugar factories and plantations.<\/p>\n
The kings were not only political leaders, but also cultural
\nand religious leaders.<\/p>\n
Historian Ong Hok Ham said the annual tradition of bathing the
\nthrones in West Java's Cirebon courts, after which local peasants
\nswarm to get the bath water to irrigate their paddy fields,
\nshowed some people still revered the old ways. The water is
\nbelieved to be sacred and able to fertilize the soil.<\/p>\n
Ong said the power of kings now is only \"as wide as their
\numbrellas\".<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, there remain loyalists like those dedicated to
\nserving the Yogyakarta palace for monthly salaries of between Rp
\n2,500 (US$1.02) and Rp 25,000.<\/p>\n
Not everyone is eligible for a title of nobility, but that has
\nnot stopped many people from trying to get one.<\/p>\n
Ong said many of the new rich now tried to form legitimate
\nconnections with palaces to get titles of nobility.<\/p>\n
\"The old keraton elites and the new rich are both looking for
\nthese connections. They need each other's support,\" Ong said.<\/p>\n
Marriage is a common way to establish a connection.<\/p>\n
Surarmo said people traced their family lines in search of
\neven the most distant association to royalty in order to get a
\ntitle of nobility.<\/p>\n
\"People will go to a genealogist, for example, and say 'I
\nthink my great, great grandfather is a descendant of Mangkunegara
\nthe first, will you trace my family line?',\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"The genealogist could be commissioned to trace the family
\nline in order to find a connection with the royal family,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
One person even tried to join HKMNS by pretending he was from
\na noble family, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The person's mistake was claiming to be a descendant of
\nMangkunegoro VII, which is quite recent, and everyone in the
\nfamily knows all his descendants,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A scholar on Javanese culture, Singgih Wibisono, said royalty
\nand the interest in becoming part of nobility was still a big
\npart of Indonesian culture.<\/p>\n
He attributes Indonesia's feudalistic culture to Hindu
\ninfluences.<\/p>\n
\"Javanese sultanates are strongly influenced by the Hindu
\nculture which has the caste system,\" Singgih said.<\/p>\n
\"In Javanese culture, for example, the Sultan is considered
\nthe center of the cosmos and a messenger of God,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sultans' names, like Yogyakarta's Hamengku Buwono (owner of
\nthe world) and Surakarta's Paku Buwono (the nail pinning the
\nentire universe) reflect this.<\/p>\n
But nowadays the search for a title is no longer driven by
\nfeudalism but a desire to improve one's social status, Singgih
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"Having the title makes one part of a vast family, some of
\nwhich have influential people as members,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Singgih said the aristocratic culture would remain for at
\nleast two or three more generations, until a major shift occurred
\nin Indonesian culture.<\/p>\n
In colonial times, soldiers and court officials were
\nrecipients of honorary titles.<\/p>\n
Today, many public figures or those who have been committed to
\nhelping courts are often recipients.<\/p>\n
In 1982, Joop Ave, now the Minister of Tourism, Post and
\nTelecommunications, was given the honorary title of Kanjeng Raden
\nHario. Businessman Sukamdani S. Gitosardjono received the title
\nfor helping build the Mangkunegaran cemetery. The first non-
\nJavanese to get an honorary title from the Surakarta palace was
\nSumatran businessman Tarnama Sinambela in 1985. He donated Rp 200
\nmillion to the court which was gutted by fire.<\/p>\n
Apart from the higher status, royal descendants or those
\nbestowed honorary titles, feel a sense of obligation to preserve
\nthe rich palace cultures.<\/p>\n
Hadiprabowo, a businessman and son of Surakarta Sultan Paku
\nBuwono XII, said that as a bearer of the title Gusti Pangeran
\nHaryo \"it is my duty to preserve Javanese culture.\" (team)<\/p>",
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