Beating the drum of tradition in Bali

Beating the drum of tradition in Bali

By Benito Lopulalan

DENPASAR (JP): "In the old days, my grandfather was always bestowing his traditional service to the palace of Gianyar and Ubud," said Wayan Jendra, a drum maker in Getas Kawan, Gianyar. Next to him several unfinished drums await completion.

In Bali, art and everyday life are two sides of the same coin. In the old days, the aristocracy played an important role. In many communities, for instance, artistic skills have been bequeathed from generation to generation in order to maintain connections with a certain aristocrat. Recently, however, the world market has taken the palaces' place.

During feudal times, Jendra's family was granted rice fields for their skill at making drums. This traditional mechanism, called ayahan, gives the family special status in their neighborhood and the aristocracy the pride of preserving the arts. The relationship stems from the notion of the ideal king in Bali.

An ideal king must be a great lover, a great warrior and a great artist. To be a great artist, the king and his aristocracy must protect art and artist. The duty has been the primary reason for bequeathing artistic skill.

Wayan Jendra's family, the only drum making family in Getas, has maintained its skill and the village's gamelan drums for at least four generations. The skills are usually transferred from the father to whoever is considered the most talented son. Until the beginning of the 1960s, only one male in each generation was taught the trade.

After finishing elementary school in 1964, Jendra spent 3 months in junior high school and then started doing odd jobs around Bali and Java. After three years, he returned to his village to inherit the tradition. For Jendra the inheritance was a duty.

"My pekak (grandfather) only gave the skill to my father," Nyoman Jendra said. He then added, "My father then gave the skill to me. It was not because no one else was considered having talent, but I had to accept it as our family's tradition."

Jendra claims that by the late 1960s, only he and his father had the talent to make drums for the palaces and community.

"Then people from other countries started to ask us to make drums. I did it only out of respect for my father," Jendra insisted.

Unlike Jendra's grandfather, who lived within the strong economic power of the palaces, his father experienced difficult years when the aristocracy's political and economical power decayed. The traditional role of the palaces declined, followed by the sale of much of the aristocracy's land. Many Balinese satrias (nobles) could no longer patronize the arts.

At the same time, many new occupations, stemming from education, were introduced. Several traditional jobs became unattractive to younger generations.

"In the 1960s, no one wanted drum making skills, because we hardly made money," says Jendra. Some male members of family -- who usually inherited the skills -- left to look for a better life.

By the 1970s, the situation had changed. There was a growing number of buyers from outside Bali and the village began to industrialize through tourism. Two people were not enough, and other members of the family switched jobs to become drum makers.

Now, 26 people work in the cottage industry, 20 of whom are in Jendra's immediate family. The rest are not outsiders since two are married to women in the family and four others are neighbors.

Making drums is complicated. Good drums need perfect tewel (jackfruit wood) but are sometimes made from waru (hibiscus) or intaran. The drumhead is made of tanned cowhide.

"The selection of materials takes skill," says Jendra.

He usually selects the materials. If the wood isn't dry enough, they process it in the family compound. "We lie it in a exposed dry and windy spot," explained Jendra. They keep both the wood and hides away from direct sunlight.

A set of big drums takes two weeks to finish and a small one requires a week. The big drums sell for Rp 350,000 (US$153) and the smallest drum for Rp 75,000. Some customers bring their drums to be repaired, which usually costs Rp 50,000. The family makes traditional Balinese drums as well as Sundanese and Javanese kendang (drums). They even have made-to-order African drums for export.

"It's depends on the order," is all Jendra will disclose.