In search of a noble heritage

The week-long National Keraton (Palace) Festival in Cirebon, West Java, which ends tomorrow, may seem no more than a cultural festival, a remembrance of a feudalistic culture most Indonesians never experienced. But attitudes at the festival run the gamut from unreserved reverence, to apathy to practical uses for royal titles. The following stories were prepared by The Jakarta Post's team of reporters Devi M. Asmarani, Imanuddin, Riyadi, Listiana Operanata, Kosasih Deradjat, Primastuti Handayani, K. Basrie and IGGP Bayu Ismoyo. More stories are on Page 2 and Page 9.

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian royalty may seem on the brink of extinction, with many royal courts almost reduced to tourist attractions. Despite the shift in values, thousands of people still have titles of nobility.

Take the descendants of the Mangkunegaran royal court of Surakarta in Central Java.

Surarmo Suryosurarso, the head of the Association of the Mangkunagaran Royal Court Families, Himpunan Kerabat Mangkunegaran Surya Sumirat (HKMNS), said there were more than 2,000 royal court members including children.

About 1,000 of them live in the Central Java city of Surakarta, popularly called Solo, and the rest live in Jakarta.

Surarmo inherited the title of Raden Mas, a title given to descendants of the first four generations.

But people with royal titles are unlikely to use their titles on their business cards, particularly those who have become business executives or professionals.

Imanuddin, a prince from a West Java's Cirebon Sultanate and a construction supplier, said a title nowadays did not win favors in business "except for a renovation project for the palace".

Nevertheless, there is a long list of well-known figures who are royal descendants.

This list includes the late first lady, Tien Soeharto, who was the great grandchild of the Mangkunegoro V, businesswoman Mooryati Soedibyo, and former forestry minister Soedjarwo.

Some popular figures outside royal families have earned honorary titles like soothsayer Permadi Satrio Wiwoho and painter Srihadi Soedarsono.

Understanding nobility requires a look at history.

Indonesia once had hundreds of royal courts, stretching from one end of the archipelago to the other.

Only 23 of these survive, and all but one, the Yogyakarta palace, have been stripped of their power and privileges since independence in 1945.

Yogyakarta gets special status because the Sultan has taken an active part in Indonesian politics. Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX was vice president from 1972 to 1978.

Royal courts played a big role in legitimizing the power of the new Republic of Indonesia when it gained independence.

Natural

This might have been natural because palaces were very affluent and were centers of power and many families had business relationships with the Dutch colonialists. These were things like partnerships to build sugar factories and plantations.

The kings were not only political leaders, but also cultural and religious leaders.

Historian Ong Hok Ham said the annual tradition of bathing the thrones in West Java's Cirebon courts, after which local peasants swarm to get the bath water to irrigate their paddy fields, showed some people still revered the old ways. The water is believed to be sacred and able to fertilize the soil.

Ong said the power of kings now is only "as wide as their umbrellas".

Nevertheless, there remain loyalists like those dedicated to serving the Yogyakarta palace for monthly salaries of between Rp 2,500 (US$1.02) and Rp 25,000.

Not everyone is eligible for a title of nobility, but that has not stopped many people from trying to get one.

Ong said many of the new rich now tried to form legitimate connections with palaces to get titles of nobility.

"The old keraton elites and the new rich are both looking for these connections. They need each other's support," Ong said.

Marriage is a common way to establish a connection.

Surarmo said people traced their family lines in search of even the most distant association to royalty in order to get a title of nobility.

"People will go to a genealogist, for example, and say 'I think my great, great grandfather is a descendant of Mangkunegara the first, will you trace my family line?'," he said.

"The genealogist could be commissioned to trace the family line in order to find a connection with the royal family," he said.

One person even tried to join HKMNS by pretending he was from a noble family, he said.

"The person's mistake was claiming to be a descendant of Mangkunegoro VII, which is quite recent, and everyone in the family knows all his descendants," he said.

A scholar on Javanese culture, Singgih Wibisono, said royalty and the interest in becoming part of nobility was still a big part of Indonesian culture.

He attributes Indonesia's feudalistic culture to Hindu influences.

"Javanese sultanates are strongly influenced by the Hindu culture which has the caste system," Singgih said.

"In Javanese culture, for example, the Sultan is considered the center of the cosmos and a messenger of God," he said.

Sultans' names, like Yogyakarta's Hamengku Buwono (owner of the world) and Surakarta's Paku Buwono (the nail pinning the entire universe) reflect this.

But nowadays the search for a title is no longer driven by feudalism but a desire to improve one's social status, Singgih said.

"Having the title makes one part of a vast family, some of which have influential people as members," he said.

Singgih said the aristocratic culture would remain for at least two or three more generations, until a major shift occurred in Indonesian culture.

In colonial times, soldiers and court officials were recipients of honorary titles.

Today, many public figures or those who have been committed to helping courts are often recipients.

In 1982, Joop Ave, now the Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications, was given the honorary title of Kanjeng Raden Hario. Businessman Sukamdani S. Gitosardjono received the title for helping build the Mangkunegaran cemetery. The first non- Javanese to get an honorary title from the Surakarta palace was Sumatran businessman Tarnama Sinambela in 1985. He donated Rp 200 million to the court which was gutted by fire.

Apart from the higher status, royal descendants or those bestowed honorary titles, feel a sense of obligation to preserve the rich palace cultures.

Hadiprabowo, a businessman and son of Surakarta Sultan Paku Buwono XII, said that as a bearer of the title Gusti Pangeran Haryo "it is my duty to preserve Javanese culture." (team)