The festival presents two distict cultures<\/p>\n
Text and photos by Mulkan Salmona<\/p>\n
TENGGARONG, East Kalimantan (JP): Saturday, Jan. 21. An
\nunusual air of festivity hangs over Tenggarong, the normally
\nplacid capital of the regency of Kutai on the banks of the
\nMahakam River in East Kalimantan. People mill about in streets
\nand fields surrounding the town's boat landing, their number
\nswells into the thousands as the morning advances.<\/p>\n
At about noon, a hush falls over the crowd. Born aloft by
\ndozens of attendants, two dragon effigies, each about six meters
\nlong, are carried out of the old Sultan's palace across the
\nstreet and taken to the landing. Boats are ready to carry them to
\nKutai Lama (Old Kutai). There, they will be delivered to the
\nriver in order that peace and prosperity may be secured in the
\nyear that lies ahead.<\/p>\n
As the dragons reach the mooring, the excitement reaches its
\nclimax. Using tin cans, pails and plastic bags, people begin to
\ntoss water at each other. A nearby fire-engine soaks the masses
\nof onlookers. Even boats on the river join in the fun and spray
\ntons of river water on the hordes of people along the bank with
\ntheir jet pumps.<\/p>\n
With this re-enactment of an old purification ritual, the
\nweek-long erau feast has reached its culmination. Soon, the
\nlittle town will fall back into its usual slumber.<\/p>\n
A tradition that dates back to the heyday of the sultanate of
\nKutai Kertanegara, the erau feast is said to have begun as a
\nritual to accompany various court events such as the bequeathing
\nof honorary titles to members of the nobility and worthy
\ncommoners. Dignitaries and leading personalities from the
\nkingdom's provinces and dependencies were required to attend.
\nArriving from all corners of the kingdom, they brought with them
\nmusicians and dancers as well as crops and cattle. In those days
\nit was not unusual for the feast to go on for 40 days or more.<\/p>\n
The erau tradition died with the passing of the Kutai
\nsultanate. Established in 1782, the kingdom was abolished in
\n1960, and so was the erau. It was considered a useless relic of
\nfeudalistic days.<\/p>\n
In 1971, however, after a new era of pragmatism set in, a new
\nwisdom dawned. The authorities began to realize that, stripped of
\nits obsolete feudalistic trappings, the erau could be a perfect
\nway to preserve the province's rich cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
The tradition was reinstated, but its spirit had changed. It
\nmoved from being a court ritual to a cultural pageant designed to
\npresent the arts and traditions of the entire Kutai regency to
\nthe world outside. The tourism potential was not overlooked.<\/p>\n
The erau feasts present two widely distinct cultural heritages
\nat the same time: that of the Dayak peoples of the hinterland and
\nthe coastal Malay population in the area. Both have coexisted in
\ncomplete harmony for centuries.<\/p>",
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