Gong-making tradition still alive in Tihingan

Gong-making tradition still alive in Tihingan

I Made Sujata, Contributor, Tihingan, Bali

For centuries, the people of Tihingan, Klungkung regency, managed
to sustain the ancestral legacy of gong-making at their small
village, some 40 kilometers northeast of Denpasar. Unfortunately,
the combined threat of decreasing demand and lack of skilled
workers has placed the future of its gong industry in grave
danger.

The gong, the generic term for traditional Balinese musical
instruments, was a permanent feature in Balinese cultural life.
Since ancient times, it evolved into various forms and served
numerous functions -- from the simple and sacred Selonding of
primitive Bali to the intricate and profane Gong Kebyar of
contemporary times.

It was the primary musical element at Balinese Hindu rituals,
social events and traditional entertainments.

Nowadays, only a few gong-making villages survive in Bali, and
Tihingan is the most famous. During its productive years, when
the majority of its 238 households were involved in the industry,
Tihingan not only marketed its gongs in Bali but also shipped
them to Japan, Germany and the United States, where numerous
sekeha gamelan (gong ensembles) were established by arts students
and Balinese communities.

"Unfortunately, local market demand has decreased by 20
percent, while the demand from the foreign market plunged by 60
percent," gong-maker I Wayan Widnya said.

Widnya blamed various crises that have befallen the island in
the last five years as the primary culprit behind shrinking
demand. However, another factor--- the durability of the gong --
also contributed significantly. If properly maintained, a set of
gongs can last for decades, or longer.

The decrease in demand was further aggravated by the dwindling
productivity of the industry. A large number of Tihingan youths
were lured away by more "prestigious and modern" jobs in the
cities, thus robbing the industry of the skilled workers it
desperately needed.

The fact that being a gong-maker was a lowly paid job -- a
worker received around Rp 150,000 to Rp 300,000 (US$ 18.8 to
37.50) per month -- certainly did not increase the job's stature
in their eyes.

"In the old days, I could deliver four gong sets to my
customers in Gianyar. Nowadays, I simply don't have enough
workers to do that," Widnya said.

Currently, it took Widya two to three months to finish one
gong set. A complete set, comprising around 40 instruments,
carries a price tag of up to Rp 70 million, while a 20-piece gong
is sold for about Rp 15 million.

It was no wonder then that several gong-makers compensated for
the diminishing productivity by buying gongs from Surakarta,
Central Java, and reselling them in Tihingan.

The disenchantment of youths with gong-making might also have
been caused by the difficult nature of the work itself. Gong-
making required a combination of intensive manual labor and
sensitive aural abilities.

Widnya motioned toward his spacious workshop, where around 15
heavily-perspiring workers were toiling at various stages of
gong-making. Before the burning perapen (hearth), two workers
were manipulating and forging the kerawang (a mixture of copper
and lead) liquid into the various gong instrument shapes. Next to
them, several workers were carefully fine tuning the gongs to
their designated tones, while the rest of the workers were
carving intricate designs on wooden gong holders.

Extreme heat, a lot of sweat and a dirty working environment
have surely scared away many youths, who dream of working in a
sharp suit in a cool office.

The origins of the gong industry in Tihingan can be traced
back to the 19th century, when the King of Klungkung,
anticipating a war against the neighboring kingdom of Gianyar,
ordered several dozen of his best men to build and man a
fortification at the kingdom's western border.

The area was thickly colonized by bamboo groves, known in
Balinese language as tihing; hence the origin of its current
name, Tihingan.

"Those men were of the Pande clan in Pangi village. No sharp
weapons could penetrate their bodies; that's the reason why the
king chose them to guard the area that bordered Gianyar," village
elder Ida Bagus Ngurah Parwata said.

Under the ancient Balinese method of task distribution, the
Pande clan's main responsibility was supplying and maintaining
weapons to the royal armory. It also served as the public's sole
source of iron tools and instruments. Since they were working
under the divine guidance and blessing of Brahma, the lord of
creation and fire, these ironsmiths were eventually bestowed a
supernatural power of invincibility against any man-made metal
weapon.

Fortunately, the Pande of Pangi did not have to prove their
invincibility against Gianyar troop weaponry. Both kingdoms
backed off from the imminent, violent showdown.

"However, the Pandes, probably out of their love for the
scenic beauty of the area, chose to stay in Tihingan, instead of
returning to Pangi," Parwata said.

In the ensuing peaceful era, these ironsmiths turned their
attention to the abundance of bamboo plants in their new village.

"The King asked them to make one set of traditional bamboo
musical instruments, known as rindik. Gradually, they became more
immersed in the art of producing musical instruments than in
producing weapons," he said.