Workshop carries the torch for Javanese culture<\/p>\n
By Muhamad Achadi<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): In the sedate Suryodiningratan neighborhood,
\na bulwark against outside encroachment on Javanese culture has
\nbeen set up.<\/p>\n
It is found in a nondescript Javanese-style house on a 4,000-
\nsquare-meter plot. The main area of the pendopo -- the front
\nsection of a traditional Javanese home -- is resplendent with
\ncarvings of sun symbols. Its assortment of gamelan instruments,
\nclassic paintings, wooden masks and several wooden sculptures
\nharks back to the stately homes of Javanese nobles.<\/p>\n
Welcome to Padepokan Puser Widya Nusantara, a nonformal
\neducation institute aimed at conserving Javanese culture or, in
\npopular parlance, the kejawen values. In this padepokan, or
\nworkshop, Prof. R.M. Wisnoe Wardhana is fighting the strong wave
\nof modernization eroding traditional Javanese cultural values.<\/p>\n
\"Many Javanese no longer know Javanese culture,\" said the 66-
\nyear-old professor of Javanese dance at the Yogyakarta teachers'
\ninstitute.<\/p>\n
\"There are few Javanese who can lead a traditional ceremony.\"<\/p>\n
Wisnoe founded the workshop in October 1991 to allow people to
\nimmerse themselves in all things Javanese. \"I endeavor to provide
\na study of the Javanese culture at its roots, without influences
\nfrom any religion.\"<\/p>\n
The 600 students receive in-depth study of reading and writing
\nJavanese, proper Javanese demeanor, the art of wayang shadow
\npuppets, batik, the creation and maintenance of sacred objects,
\nmastery of the special practice of plaiting young coconut leaves
\n(janur) and ancient Javanese customs.<\/p>\n
The courses are thorough; in learning about shadow puppetry,
\nstudents study the puppet family tree, tales, philosophy and the
\nmaking of the puppets.<\/p>\n
Ancient customs cover the simple -- such as the proper ways to
\nwalk and sit -- and the complex, such as mystical guidelines on
\npreparing offerings and recitation of accompanying mantras.<\/p>\n
Course graduates can fill traditional roles in ceremonies, and
\nsimultaneously act as agents for cultural conservation.<\/p>\n
The course, consisting of two lessons per week, lasts nine
\nsemesters. Students study the same subjects each semester, but
\nintensity of courses differs in each period.<\/p>\n
In the first semester, students learn basics in theory and
\npractice of the seven subjects.<\/p>\n
They study sacred objects and the method of maintenance as
\ngrounding. In the following semester, they learn the ritual
\nwashing of objects, like the kris dagger, complete with the
\nmantra.<\/p>\n
Students must wait until the final semester to learn how to
\nmake the objects.<\/p>\n
But they can consider themselves official students after
\ncompleting the second semester. By the third semester, they are
\nknown as cantrik (male students) and mentrik (female students).<\/p>\n
The task of teachers ends with completion of the course.<\/p>\n
\"From then on it is up to the students themselves to increase
\ntheir individual capabilities to become pendeta, resi and finally
\nmaharesi,\" said Wisnoe, identifying the titles of masters
\nof Javanese traditions who have supernatural powers.<\/p>\n
He added that a student must perform Javanese rituals
\n(nglakoni) to acquire the wahyu divine revelation to become a
\nmaster. A student can make a kris but is incapable of imbuing it
\nwith supernatural powers.<\/p>\n
All subjects are taught in Javanese and textbooks are written
\nin Javanese in the Latin alphabet.<\/p>\n
Lessons are held on Saturdays from 2 p.m to 9 p.m., and on
\nSundays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The majority of students have long
\nhair rolled into a bun on their heads, and the situation inside
\nthe classroom seems a throwback to the ancient Hindu Mataram
\nkingdom.<\/p>\n
Students are also taught tourism and English. \"Culture today
\nis strongly linked to tourism,\" Wisnoe said.<\/p>\n
Most students are farmers from villages around Yogyakarta and
\nin other places in Central Java. Many are members of Girinda
\nPancasila Mawahyu Buwana, a sociocultural organization founded in
\n1951 by GBPH Suryodiningrat, Wisnoe's father.<\/p>\n
The organization -- with 200,000 members in the Yogyakarta
\narea and Central Java -- holds spiritual gatherings on specially
\ndesignated Fridays. Most recruitment is done through the
\norganization.<\/p>\n
Students, aged between 14 and 60, are mostly farmers and pay
\nRp 5,000 for two sessions, including meals. Students from outside
\nYogyakarta stay at the house. The majority of students have only
\nfinished elementary school. A few are high school graduates.<\/p>\n
\"I joined the lessons because they will allow me to get
\nadditional income from the skills obtained here,\" said Senen, 55.<\/p>\n
The bachelor from Klaten, Central Java, can now assist in
\nJavanese rituals in his village. He knows how to ritually wash
\nthe kris.<\/p>\n
Wisnoe said someone skilled in cleansing sacred objects for
\nceremonies was paid Rp 100,000, a significant amount for farmers.<\/p>\n
But most students are motivated by thoughts of preserving
\ntheir culture, not dreams of financial gain.<\/p>\n
\"The Javanese community seems to have been stripped bare
\nbecause many do not know their own culture,\" said Harjono
\nArumbinang, who teaches the intricacies of the kris.<\/p>\n
The former director of Yogyakarta's Atomic Energy Agency
\nnuclear reactor said the younger generation was blind to the
\nmerits of their culture because of a Western educational focus.<\/p>\n
\"My children, too, know nothing about wayang, and cannot read
\nor write the Javanese alphabet,\" Harjono said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/workshop-carries-the-torch-for-javanese-culture-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}