Glimpses of past and present at the Imogiri market

Glimpses of past and present at the Imogiri market

By Angger Jati Wijaya and Gin Kurniawan

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Words pale before the beauty of a dusky
evening at Imogiri market in Bantul. It is as though the nuances
of times long past return as the kerosene lamps are lit, sending
out their dim illumination.

The traditional market is located some 30 km southeast of
here. Geographically, it is situated on the fertile mountain
foot, flanked by the Opak and the Oya, two rivers that flow all
year round. A historian from Gadjah Mada University, Joko Suryo,
said the market was established in the 17th century, or, to be
exact, in the early days of the most influential Mataram king,
Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusumo.

There is nothing special about the Imogiri market's structure.
It occupies about 4,500 square meters and moss covers parts of
its walls. Thousands depend on the market for their livelihood.
All sellers are indigenous, some inheriting drinks stalls which
existed in the time of Sultan Agung.

Yogyakarta natives have their own fond impressions of the
taste of the famed tea mixed with sugar cubes sold at the Imogiri
market in the evening. Artists, activists, lecturers, university
students, local bureaucrats, journalists and people from other
walks of life all share memories of sipping the brew.

In accordance with the Javanese calendar, Imogiri market has
its markets on the Javanese days of Wage, Legi and Pahing. On
these days, the market is hectic with activities.

"The market is open 24 hours. It is always busy day and
night," said Murjiyo, 45, one of the tea sellers. He has been
selling tea in this market for 30 years, never missing a single
day. He learned to sell the tea from his great grandfather, also
a trader in this market.

Like Murjiyo, many sellers hailing from areas around Imogiri
inherited their selling skills from their parents and
grandparents, who were also merchants in this market. They claim
to be fourth generation sellers.

According to Joko Suryo, the name Imogiri is morphologically
derived from the hima, Javanese for cool, and giri (mountain),
the reason why Sultan Agung's decided to make Imogiri the burial
place for Mataram kings. It was at the same time as the building
of this royal burial place that Imogiri market, then only a place
where tea was sold, was turned by the then Mataram ruler into a
permanent market place.

In addition to its use to accommodate the social and economic
potential of the community around it, Imogiri market was also
intended as part of the kingdom's defense fort.

When Mataram was under the rule of Panembahan Senopati,
Imogiri, which is part of Bantul, was known as an opposition
region. At that time, a famous local ruler, Ki Ageng Mangir
Wonoboyo, once demanded autonomy and staged an armed rebellion.
However, the region proclaimed by Mangir was finally subjugated
by Mataram.

"Afterwards, Mataram established Imogiri market as a melting
pot for both laymen and the kingdom's informers in order that any
indication of a possible rebellion, coup d'etat, subversion and
the like could be detected as early as possible," said Joko
Suryo.

Imogiri was strategic to Mataram because it was located
between the seat of Mataram kingdom in Plered and Parangtritis.
Mataram kings would stop here on their spiritual journey to the
seat of a supernatural kingdom of the South Coast.

According to RPA Suryanto Sastro Atmojo, a cultural observer
who has extensively studied the cultural shift that the Javanese
community has undergone, the presence of kraton, the royal
palace, is inseparable from the life of a Javanese because of
four reasons.

First, a palace is the center of power. Second. the alun-alun,
the square of the palace, is a place where the masses can be
mobilized. Third, the grand mosque symbolizes the spiritual
essence. Fourth, the market serves, in the perspective of the
power of a Javanese king, as a place to accommodate diverse
people.

It was in the market, Suryanto said, that the dynamics of
democracy of the power of a feudalistic king took its own course
with its own uniqueness. Various interests would come to a market
and would then be absorbed by different parties. This would be
input to the king before he drew up a policy.

Remnants of the past are still visible in the present Imogiri
market. It is still a gathering spot for different types of
people. They get together at tea stalls, talking about various
things, even though the kingdom is no longer there.

But the market cannot be impervious to the influences of
capitalism.

"Now the market is no longer a cultural area. Rather, it is a
place for economic activities with capital-related calculations,"
said Suryanto.

This actually began about 200 years ago when the function of
market changed because of capitalism. It was predicted in oral
verses that the culture of the Javanese in its entirety would
undergo a shift. The shift is one of the three signs of shifting
as illustrated in the following classical Javanese verse: /Wong
Wadon Ilang Wirange/Kali Ilang Kedhunge/Pasar Ilang Kumandhange/
(Women will no longer have their shame/Rivers will no longer have
their bilabongs/Markets will no longer have their echo).

The sign of the decline of the Javanese culture is indicated
by the shift in the origin and the foundation of the philosophy
of the community's culture symbolized by women. Then, the river
symbolizes the shift in the flow of life and the market is a
symbol for the shift in the center of interaction for the dynamic
sector in the society.

In the context of the adiluhung (noble) culture in Java, just
a little shift in women's noble behavior -- explainable, among
others things, through the popularity of a pop culture exploiting
women -- is understood as a symptom of a significant cultural
shift.

Then the line reading "rivers will no longer have their
bilabongs" can be understood literally as rivers sustaining
serious ecological damage. Symbolically, the currents of water
are the way of life itself. The line hints that there is no more
room for reflection. Spiritually, this means there is no longer
any control over man's behavior, allowing it to deviate from the
currents of truth.

"Markets will no longer have their echo" refers to the shift
in the function of a market, a change from the melting pot for
thousands of diverse aspirations to a capitalistic area. A market
is no longer a place where diverse sounds collect to form an
echo, but it has degenerated into a place merely for capital
owners to seek profits. The lesson is that markets do change
everywhere.