'Lontar' leaf engravings stuck in creative rut<\/p>\n
By Putu Wirata<\/p>\n
DENPASAR (JP): Tenganan, five kilometers north of the famed
\nCandidasa beach, is well-known for its ritual called
\nperang pandan, in which adult villagers beat each other with
\npandanus leaves until they bleed all over their bodies.<\/p>\n
It is equally renowned for its locally made cloth, gringsing,
\na top tourist draw, and engravings on palmyra palm (lontar)
\nleaves.<\/p>\n
Considered sacred, the cloth is made from natural materials
\nand is the only one woven with double ikat in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
"In fact, our people also inherit their ancestors' painting
\nskills," said village chief Wayan Wartawan.<\/p>\n
"It's a shame that people are more drawn to the gringsing
\nbusiness because the thousands of tourists streaming to Tenganan
\nevery month are more interested in the cloth."<\/p>\n
Swiss anthropologist Urs Ramsayer has written a book about the
\ncloth, which has become one of Bali's main attractions in various
\nexhibitions in Japan, America and Europe.<\/p>\n
But the Tenganan villagers' painting skills have not developed
\nas well, apparently because they have not been exposed to contact
\nwith foreign artists.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Kamasan village in Klungkung kept its fame for
\nits once-endangered unique puppetry thanks to the innovations
\nintroduced by artist Rudolf Bonnet during the 1930s. So did
\ntraditional arts in Ubud and surrounding regions, which
\nprogressed because of ideas from Bonnet and his German
\ncontemporary Walter Spies.<\/p>\n
Tenganan's savior was not a painter but a scientist who loves
\nart, Ramsayer.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that many Tenganan villagers are talented
\npainters.<\/p>\n
"We have inherited this (skill) from our ancestors," said Made
\nPasek, 65, a retired policeman whose engravings are among the
\nbest in the village.<\/p>\n
He does not know for sure why his ancestors began to make
\npictures on palm leaves, but he theorizes that it has to do with
\nthe Tenganan villagers' specific way of setting their holidays.<\/p>\n
The villagers determine them based on the lunar calendar, or
\nsasih system, while Hindus in other parts of Bali designate their
\nholidays based on the pawekon system that falls every 210 days.<\/p>\n
As far as Made Pasek can remember, the engravings on palmyra
\npalm leaves are mostly symbols of the sasih calendar system. Over
\nthe past year, the villagers have chosen the Ramayana and
\nMahabarata epics as themes of their paintings. Tourists are their
\ntarget.<\/p>\n
Wearing a sarong and bare chested, Pasek is mostly available
\nat his home in front of his house. Passersby can observe the old
\nman with thick glasses hard at work.<\/p>\n
He has inspired other villagers to revive their talent.<\/p>\n
"I have studied a little with Pak Pasek, but my grandfather
\nwas a palm leaf engraver, too," said Komang Joni, 20, a high
\nschool graduate who paints on palm leaves to earn his living.<\/p>\n
"I have no other sources of income. It is impossible for me to
\nbecome a civil servant because I don't have connections with
\ngovernment officials. Neither do I have the grease money."<\/p>\n
Scores of Tenganan inhabitants engrave on palm leaves to
\nsurvive. In front of more than 60 percent of the houses, there is
\na man sitting in front of a table where artworks are displayed.
\nIt is an inviting sight.<\/p>\n
A set of lontar usually has between six and 12 leaves. They
\nare connected with thread. To show them at their best, the leaves
\nare attached to two bamboo poles decorated with pictures before
\nthey are painted brown to give them a timeworn look.<\/p>\n
"I finish one palm leaf in three to seven days," Joni said.<\/p>\n
How much can he make?<\/p>\n
"It depends. If the client is highly interested, I will ask Rp
\n250,000 (US$23). If I see that the client is doubtful, I charge
\nas low as Rp 50,000. I sell most of them for Rp 75,000."<\/p>\n
In a month, Joni sells not more than five pieces.<\/p>\n
The production process relies on tradition. Mature palm leaves
\nare soaked in warm water mixed with traditional herbs for 24
\nhours. The next day, leaves are dried under the sun. It is on the
\ndried leaves cut into pieces measuring 15 centimeters that they
\nstart engraving with a very small knife.<\/p>\n
"In the long run, our sight will be impaired like Pak
\nPasek's," Joni said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
When the engraving is finished, a solution made from candlenut
\nand charcoal is applied. The black substance will stick to the
\ncurves of the lines, providing a contrast between black and the
\nlight yellow of palm leaves.<\/p>\n
Very few engravers dare to go their own way in choice of
\nsubjects. Each offers a representation of puppets, the same
\ncalendar symbols, the Nine deities (dewata nawa sanga) and a
\nscene from Ramayana and Mahabarata epics.<\/p>\n
When asked why artists did not draw I Tundung, a mythical
\nfigure in local folklore who protects the Tenganan forest from
\npoachers, Joni said: "It would take a long time and great effort
\nto create something new. These ones are easy. The samples are
\nthere. All we need to do is copy them."<\/p>",
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