Age old traditions thrive on secluded Roti Island

Age old traditions thrive on secluded Roti Island

By Dipika Ray

ROTI ISLAND, Nusa Tenggara (JP): The tiny southernmost
Indonesian island of Roti is home to the hermaphrodite gewang
palm, which flowers once during its one-hundred-year lifespan.
The flowering of a single gewang will induce other palms of the
same age to burst into towering canopies of ornate flowers, all
at once, after which they die. This is only one of the
extraordinary features of this island, which boasts a startling
number of beautiful bays, white sandy beaches and high waves,
ideal for surfing.

Roti has remained largely untouched since the first Indian
traders brought their weaving techniques and patterns to this
remote island. With little resources to attract the Dutch East
Indies Company, it escaped colonial domination, and was one of
the few islands to retain its structure of principalities until
independence, so much so, that at one time, it had the largest
number of rajas in the East Indies.

For a small island, covering only 1214 square kilometers, and
a population of less than one hundred thousand, Roti has a
remarkably well developed feudal hierarchy, which the people
attribute to early trade with the Indians, who introduced the
concept of kingship. They revel in their differences, which are
more pronounced because inhabitants of each of the seventeen
provinces speak distinctly different dialects. Conversing with
one another through the ages, particularly to arrange inter-clan
marriages, has made the Rotinese skillful negotiators, and today
they are prized throughout Indonesia as very capable lawyers!

Like many of the surrounding islands, the Rotinese have strong
animistic beliefs, which are closely related to ancestor worship.
In the open courtyard in front of every home is a family grave
where the elders rest, forever at hand to impart advise and look
after their children during their mortal life.

By virtue of its location in the Nusa Tenggara region, Roti's
terrain and climate are more closely related to Australia than
western Indonesia. The hard, chalky-white limestone soil can
support the growth of lontar palms, the gewang palm and
mangroves. The mangrove swamps surrounding the island are teeming
with birds and the waters that run through the elevated root
system are a breeding ground for all manner of wild life,
including crocodiles.

The Rotinese have learned to adapt to their harsh environment,
and live off the bounty of their palms and seas. They tap both
the lontar and gewang palms for their life giving sweet juice,
which is obtained by crushing the inflorescence that sprouts in
the crown of the palm. The gewang palm leaves in particular make
good fencing material and thatch for roofs. Its spiky fronds make
it difficult for both pigs and cattle to venture where they are
not wanted. As leafy vegetation is so scarce, the Rotinese are
allowed to exact the highest price for pilferage. Clan rules
permit the capture and killing of any stray animal that wanders
unwittingly into fields which do not belong to their owners.

The palms themselves are not cultivated by the people, who are
more gatherers than farmers. As a result of this, the island has
escaped deforestation and, from afar, looks deceptively lush.
Skilled honey collectors, Rotinese honey is considered a delicacy
on neighboring islands. The palms are the staple food supply,
which the Rotinese supplement with mung beans, corn and in areas
that are irrigated by small streams, rice.

Subsistence fishing of the rich inlets is also common, for
which the Rotinese use unique Chinese fishing nets that stand out
in the sea like giant spiders. They also raise pigs (which in
turn are fed the soft inside of the gewang palm), sheep and
horses. The small statured sandal horses, which were introduced
to the island from Sumba, became extremely important to life on
the island.

Today, the sandal horse is the widest used mode of transport
on Roti, as it is the ideal vehicle for a terrain which has few
roads. The horses are cherished by the Rotinese, and their love
and respect for them is evident in their dances and songs, which
venerate their animals. Rotinese are taught to ride very early in
life, and more importantly, are taught the unique horse dance,
which entails repeated quick steps in tune to the sasando, the
musical instrument made of the lontar palm. Egged on by the
enthusiasm of his peers, the dancer with the fastest movement
wins. Often during these events, the men support delicately woven
tilanngas, jaunty lontar leaf hats that are crowned by a single
plaited horn.

The Rotinese are considered among the most beautiful people in
Nusa Tenggara. Their Aryan features are distinctly different from
their Malay cousins. Though they attribute this characteristic to
their ancient association with Aryans from India, and
interbreeding, there is little evidence to support this theory.

There is one aspect where the traders did leave their mark; in
the patterns on their textiles, which strongly resemble the tie-
dyed ikat of Patola, Gujerat, in color and design. Dyed in hues
of black, yellow and red, the ikat of Roti support meandering
floral patterns and geometrical motifs. These beautiful creations
are extremely organic, made of natural kapok fibers and dyes
obtained from bark, roots and tubers.

For the Rotinese, their textiles, woven exclusively by the
women, have great spiritual and symbolic value. The women wear
their sarongs caught round their waists with exquisite silver and
tin belts, which are crafted by the famous silversmiths from the
nearby Ndao island.

Today, the majority of the Rotinese are Protestants, who
converted to Christianity in the 1600s upon their first contact
with the Dutch. However, the new faith seems to overlay an
earlier, more ancient bedrock of animistic beliefs, which are
evident in the construction of their houses. Courtyards are
constructed round ancestral graves and roof peaks are constructed
to resemble the horns of the water buffalo, still important as a
bride payment in certain principalities. This style was adopted
from the early schooners. Descendants of these traders still live
on Roti in the Papela village, whose harbor is crowded with the
modern versions of the ancient wooden pegged boats.

So much on Roti has remained unchanged through time. The
people, generous and fun loving by nature, are ever ready to
greet visitors to their far off beautiful isle. Though it is off
the beaten track, Roti is well worth a visit, if only to marvel
at the way the Rotinese have adapted to their extraordinary
landscape and vegetation.