Pujiono: 'Kendang' maker with a modest life<\/p>\n
By Singgir Kartana<\/p>\n
BANYUWANGI, East Java (JP): To many, the kendang, a small drum
\ncovered with leather at each end, is just another musical
\ninstrument. To Pujiono, 44, however, it signifies life itself.<\/p>\n
Thanks to this musical instrument, which is made of wood and
\ncow hide, he can feed his family. So when a kendang is played in
\nthe morning, his life spirit soars to welcome another day.<\/p>\n
Thick-set Pujiono lives in a small village in Jepit, Genteng,
\nBanyuwangi. He spends his days absorbed in the kendang and he is
\nwell-known in Banyuwangi not only as an outstanding player but
\nalso as an excellent kendang maker. Not only are his products
\nused by arts troupes in East Java, but they have also been
\nexported to such places as Malaysia, Thailand, the Netherlands,
\nBelgium, France, Brazil and Australia.<\/p>\n
\"Every week there are always some tourists coming to my house
\nto purchase or order kendang. At present I am making 12 which a
\nDutchman has ordered,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The kendang made by Pujiono are known for their neat and fine
\nworkmanship and durability. A buyer can ask him to make a kendang
\nto his\/her own taste. Pujiono does not set a high price for his
\nproducts which may be part of the reason his drums are so popular
\namong tourists.<\/p>\n
\"I love this musical instrument. The sound it makes is loud
\nand shrill. I will take it home as a souvenir for a friend of
\nmine, a choreographer now creating a blend of Indonesian and
\nAmerican dances. She would love to have this,\" said Rob van Renn,
\na Dutch tourist.<\/p>\n
Pujiono has won acclaim from Banyuwangi traditional dancers
\nand musicians as an outstanding kendang player. He has played his
\nkendang for nearly all the traditional arts troupes in
\nBanyuwangi.<\/p>\n
\"It is true that Puji is not the only kendang player in
\nBanyuwangi. However, no other kendang players can compare with
\nhim in terms of technique and improvisation and the dynamics of
\nhis playing,\" said Edy Purwanto, an artist who is also a senior
\nat secondary school in Banyuwangi.<\/p>\n
Puji has a lot of experience as a kendang player. He may be
\nasked twenty times a month to accompany a musical or dance
\nperformance. During the season of festivities, such as the Besar
\nor Maulud months of the Javanese calendar, he plays his kendang
\nfor a performance practically every day.<\/p>\n
An elementary school drop-out, Puji says that he learnt how to
\nplay kendang at the age of 16. Before this he used to frequently
\njoin troupes of gandrung dancers in their performances. After
\nsome time, he began to feel like playing all kinds of musical
\ninstruments and to accompany gendhing, Javanese gamelan musical
\ncompositions.<\/p>\n
In less than a year, thanks to his great love of the
\ntraditional musical instruments and his perseverance in learning
\nhow to play them, Puji could play various traditional musical
\ninstruments such as rebab, a two-stringed musical instrument,
\nsaron, one of the metallophone instruments of gamelan, as well as
\nthe violin and kendang.<\/p>\n
Play it with feeling<\/p>\n
In May last month, he was asked to perform in a number of
\nhotels in Bali over the course of a week. Apart from playing
\nmusic unique to Banyuwangi and Bali, he was also asked to play
\nkendang to accompany Western songs along with the hotels' musical
\nbands. Funnily, he did not even know what Western compositions
\nthe bands were playing when he began to accompany them. No
\nwonder, since he is completely ignorant of Western music.<\/p>\n
\"I felt a bit nervous because there were quite a lot of
\ntourists in the audience. In the end, I had to fully rely on my
\nfeeling when I played my kendang. Unexpectedly, the audience
\nloved my performance style. The performance became enjoyable and
\neverybody in the audience started dancing to the tune of my
\nkendang,\" said Puji, a father of two.<\/p>\n
His intimacy with kendang means that he knows practically
\neverything about this musical instrument. One day in 1989 his
\nfavorite kendang fell off the cupboard and the drum's wooden tube
\nwas broken. This was a great disappointment because he needed the
\ninstrument for a performance at the office of the ministry of
\neducation and culture in Banyuwangi. Not knowing where to find a
\nreplacement, he became bewildered. It struck him, however, that
\nhe could always try to make the wooden tube himself. And he
\nsucceeded.<\/p>\n
This success later encouraged him to make his own kendang.
\nWith only about Rp 100,000 on hand, he bought the raw materials:
\nwood, cow hide and rattan. He was quite lucky because he found a
\nbuyer for his initial products.<\/p>\n
Today Puji can make an average of four kendang a month. He
\nonly makes kendang to order. If there are no orders, then he will
\nhave nothing to do. In fact, a kendang can take only three to
\nfour days to make. And orders keep arriving, although not as
\nfrequently as before. Most of his buyers come from abroad. They
\nare either tourists on holiday or those who have just returned
\nfrom Bali.<\/p>\n
He completes every stage of the drum-making process himself,
\nwith the exception of cutting the wooden logs for the tubes. He
\nrelies on a specialist to do this.<\/p>\n
Puji's kendangs are sold for between Rp 350,000 and Rp
\n600,000. The price depends on the type of wood used for the tube
\nand the size. The most expensive kendangs are those with teak
\nwood tubes.<\/p>\n
Apart from making kendang, Puji also repairs them. He will
\nprovide the raw material and charge some Rp 150,000 a piece.<\/p>\n
According to him, the most difficult and time-consuming aspect
\nof kendang making is to make a round hole and tube from one end
\nof the log to the other and then smoothen the surface of the
\ninside part to create the right shape. The inside part is removed
\nby scraping it with a carving instrument until the wooden tube is
\nabout 3-4 cm thick.<\/p>\n
Despite his success, Puji and his family do not lead a life of
\nluxury, even though he always sells his kendangs and accepts
\ninvitations to play the kendang. Although not poor, their lives
\nremain very modest and their house reflects this as well. The
\nwalls are yet to be plastered. The windows are covered with dull
\nbamboo plaited pieces. And the floor is still without floor
\ntiles.<\/p>\n
Where have his earnings gone, then? He says that part of his
\nearnings from making and playing kendang are set aside to help
\nhis fellow artists who lead poorer lives than him.<\/p>\n
Despite his modest living, he always feels happy making and
\nplaying kendang. Puji is a genuine artist faithfully devoted to
\nhis life in the traditional arts community of Banyuwangi.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pujiono-kendang-maker-with-a-modest-life-1447893297",
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