Gunungkidul's 'Penthul Tembem' Creative Gymnastics Sets MURI and World Record
Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - The Penthul Tembem Creative Gymnastics, which showcases the local wisdom of Gunungkidul Regency, has achieved a milestone by breaking the Museum Rekor Indonesia (MURI) record as well as a world record for the creative gymnastics category with the largest number of female participants.
Senior MURI Representative Ari Andriani in Gunungkidul said on Friday that the achievement constitutes a new record, as it combines sport with distinctive local cultural art that has never been seen before.
“This breaks the record for creative gymnastics with the most female participants,” said Ari.
“Because it promotes local wisdom, the record reaches the national level,” she added.
Ari went on to say that the record has also been established as a world record, because the number of women taking part in the Penthul Tembem Creative Gymnastics is the largest ever. “So, this has the most participants anywhere in the world,” she said.
MURI recorded a total of 1,588 female participants in the activity, drawn from 18 kapanewon (districts) across Gunungkidul Regency, comprising members of the Indonesian Women’s Sports Association (Perwosi), members of the general public, and policewomen (Polwan).
“There were 1,588 participants from 18 kapanewon, consisting of residents, Perwosi Gunungkidul members, and Polwan officers,” she said.
Ari explained that MURI’s assessment was based on quantitative aspects, namely the number of participants, rather than the quality of the performance, since judging artistic elements would be subjective.
Meanwhile, Gunungkidul Regent Endah Subekti Kuntariningsih said the 1,588 participants comprised 102 members of Perwosi Gunungkidul Regency, 900 Perwosi members from the 18 kapanewon, 504 members of the Indonesian Kindergarten Teachers Association (IGTKI) and the Indonesian Early Childhood Educators Association (Himpaudi), 24 Polwan personnel from the Gunungkidul Police Resort, 30 members of the Bobung Kalurahan Community/Bobung Volunteers, and 14 members of Omah Trengguli.
“This creative gymnastics is a manifestation of the sport tourism strategy currently being promoted in Gunungkidul,” said Endah.
She explained that the uniqueness of the Penthul Tembem Creative Gymnastics lies in the use of masks depicting the white Penthul character and the black Tembem character, which are rich in philosophical meaning and are packaged into fitness gymnastics movements without abandoning traditional cultural values.
“The Penthul Tembem characters were chosen because they symbolise cheerfulness and simplicity, which are then creatively packaged into fitness gymnastics without leaving behind traditional values,” she said.
Endah said the success proves that Gunungkidul’s local culture is capable of performing on the national and even world stage through innovation that blends art, sport, and cultural preservation.
“Today Gunungkidul has proven that with its authentic culture and local wisdom, it can break national, and even world, records,” she said.
The Gunungkidul Regency Government also received a Record of Creation Certificate for the Penthul Tembem Mask from the Yogyakarta Special Region Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, as a form of copyright protection for the cultural work.
“This ensures that this original Gunungkidul cultural work has strong legal protection,” said Endah.