Are Javanese buggies riding into oblivion?

Are Javanese buggies riding into oblivion?

Text and photo by Singgir Kartana

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The clip-clop of andong (horse-driven
buggies) can still be heard on streets in Java, especially the
sedate world of towns in Central Java and the ancient royal seat
of Yogyakarta.

So some may be surprised to discover that the "traditional"
transportation means is actually a European import.

According to Javanese culture expert Suryanto Sastroatmodjo,
the buggies were a cultural import from the interaction between
Javanese sultans and the nobility, and the Dutch government and
members of other European communities residing here during the
colonial era.

The popularity of the buggies as a transportation means, said
Suryanto, was nothing but the result of a successful process of
adoption.

Antique horse-drawn carriages can be found in a number of
Java's stately palaces in Yogyakarta, Cirebon and Surakarta.
There is the Garudayaksa Gold Carriage, Nyai Jimat, Kyai
Mondrojuwolo, Landouer and Kyai Jongwiyat that belong to
Yogyakarta Palace. They were made in the Netherlands, but the
Kyai Manik Kumolo carriage that is presently kept in Pura
Pakualaman Palace, Yogyakarta, was made in England and given by
Stamford Raffles to Sultan Paku Alam I.

The decorations on Garudayaksa show that, despite the
carriage's beautiful Javanese name, it was not made on the
island. There are grapes, apples, even a Dutch king's crown.

Kratonkoetsen de Java, published by De Bataafsche Leeuw,
states that Garudayaksa was made in 1896 by Spyker Amsterdam, on
the order of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono VII. However, the
carriage, said to be made from Corsican teak, was only finished
during the reign of his successor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono VIII.

There is no clear historical explanation about when the horse-
driven vehicle was used for the first time. Some books only
mention that the transportation was already known during the
Majapahit Kingdom period. For most people, the andong were
nothing more than carts, and those bearing roofs and ornaments
reserved for the nobility.

Today, the andong traveling along Yogyakarta's streets conform
to a particular type. They are four-wheeled with canvas roofs.
The front wheels are smaller than the back, setting them apart
from other horse-driven carriages called bendi (the latter only
use one horse or pony, but andong can use two).

Popular

Suryanto said the buggies first became popular in Yogyakarta
in 1853. But, people began to use them as public transportation
means only about 1920, as Yogyakarta became a tourist city. The
number of andong here reached its peak from 1950 to 1960, when
there were about 3,000 buggies.

In 1979, a national equestrian association, Pordasi, was
formed. Besides horse riders, the organization was also meant to
accommodate horse breeders and andong drivers.

But one buggy driver, Wardi, grumbled that the organization
never conducted activities with the drivers.

"What they did was just accommodate us as members of the
organization. That's all," said the 58-year-old, who recently
gave up buggy driving.

Pordasi's Yogyakarta chapter chairman, GBPH Yudhaningrat,
countered that the organization often invited the drivers to take
part in parades and festivals held by the local government.

According to Pordasi data, there are currently about 700
buggies operating as public transportation means in Yogyakarta
municipality alone. The number excludes those operated in Bantul
(Bantul regency), Wonosari (Gunungkidul regency), Beran (Sleman
regency), and Wates (Kulonprogo regency). The buggies are
organized into 17 different groups, which are named after the
places where they are parked while waiting for passengers,
including the North Square, South Square, Beringharjo, Ngabean,
Pingit and Sosrowijayan groups.

Although the buggies continue to ply the city's streets, their
decline in number from their heyday is a worry to many, including
Yudhaningrat, who is one of the younger brothers of Yogyakarta
Palace king and Yogyakarta governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

The fear is that the rapid pace of development and the need of
people for quick transportation, could mean the buggies will
exist only in photos, in museum collections and as curiosities in
the yards of the wealthy in a few years time.

Yudhaningrat, who owns six beautiful andong made in the
Netherlands and England, said that finding a solution was not an
easy task.

"So far, we have yet to find a way to preserve andong. It's
not easy telling andong owners to take good care of their
property. But, I trust andong haven't yet disappeared from the
city. I believe they'll always attract people," he said.

The buggies' slower pace and the relatively high fares are
believed to be among the reasons for a drop in their popularity.
For instance, a trip from Jl. Malioboro to the sultan's palace
costs Rp 7,000 to Rp 10,000, compared to Rp 500 on a city bus.

Men are also reluctant to become buggy drivers, unless it is a
tradition running in their families.

Bowo, 24, from Bantul, said: "No one else has been running
this andong since my father died. I'm forced to run it to earn
some money. But once I get another job I will sell it."

Most drivers acknowledged a decline in their income.

Marsudi, 50, who has been a driver since 1965, said he could
only earn Rp 20,000 to Rp 25,000 a day. And he had to spend Rp
5,000 of that to buy horse feed.

"Nominally, it's bigger than I got years ago, but actually
what it can buy is less than what I got previously," said
Marsudi, who was parked on Jl. Malioboro.

Drivers also have to deal with the high cost of maintenance. A
shock absorber, for example, costs from Rp 300,000 to Rp 500,000.
A new andong made of teak, for example, costs from Rp 5 million
to Rp 10 million.

Buggy makers, like Paimin from Kauman village, Banguntapan,
Bantul, have felt the crunch of the downturn in business. Paimin
said that the last order he received was in 1980. Today, his only
activity is repairs to old vehicles on the road.

Key in the effort to preserve the buggies is defining their
status as tourist vehicles, not public transportation means. They
can be designated special routes and accorded status as tourist
vehicles, like the bendi, which are popular rides at Parangritis
beach, bringing in money for their drivers and others in the
tourist trade. In that way, the andong can avoid the sad fate of
becoming an object gathering dust in a museum.