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.