International kites fly over Indonesia
JAKARTA (JP): Go to Ancol in North Jakarta and check the sky. There are dragons, birds, snakes, butterflies, lobsters, sailing boats and just ordinary kites flying aloft.
Ancol's Marina beach has been full of color since two days ago. Kite flyers from all over Indonesia and 13 other countries have gathered there for the 1995 International Kite Festival.
The variety of kites may be the most interesting thing to see.
Traditional kites made from dry leaves from the Muna regency in South East Sulawesi are one example. Known locally as khagati, the handmade kite with a string made from pineapple fiber is not only different because of the material it is made from, but it also has a bow-like attachment which produces sound when wind blows through it.
All the materials used in this kite are native to Muna regency, said Lasjkar Koedoes of South East Sulawesi local authority's office.
Lampung also produces a whistling kite. A delegation of this southern Sumatra province has attached a variation of the whistling bow made from cloth on their kites. The difference between Lampung's bow, locally known as uli-uli, and that of South East Sulawesi is that the Lampung one can produce three to seven pitches, while the Sulawesi one is more like the sound of wind.
The Lampung kite has previously participated in international kite festivals overseas, such as in the United States, France and the Netherlands.
Mascot
The Baru Klinting three dimensional kite made by a team of kite lovers from Muntilan, Central Java, is another variety. A 17 meter dragon kite is their mascot. It takes four persons to launch it and two persons to handle it once it is airborne.
Participants of 13 countries: Australia, Austria, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, Sweden and the United States, are bringing with them modern kites.
Three Australians, for example, demonstrated yesterday their skill in kite-flying using double-directing ropes. With good teamwork and surely a lot of practice, the two men and one woman team made their tailed-stunt kites perform airplane-like maneuvers. Stunt kite-flying is really hard work, because not only two hands are needed to skillfully handle two ropes, but a person is required to run back and forth all over the field as well.
The festival, which will be opened officially by the Governor of Jakarta today and has its last day in Jakarta tomorrow, will today hold competitions in kite fighting, creative kites, rokaku (six angular kite) challenge, display of international and nationally made kites, attraction of stunt kite-flying and revolution kites, a kite that uses four-directing ropes and a workshop.
Tomorrow, programs will include rokaku challenge for youngsters, national kite making competition, international creative kite attraction, national kite fighting competition, national stunt kite competition, workshop and night flying attraction.(als)