'Keduk Telaga' shows villagers how to preserve environment

'Keduk Telaga' shows villagers how to preserve environment

Singgir Kartana, Contributor/Yogyakarta

The sun has just come up in the East and hundreds of villagers gather on the banks of Lake Saga in the Bareng hamlet of Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta to participate in what is locally known as the keduk telaga ritual, held last month.

Keduk in Javanese literally means to scoop up, while telaga is the Javanese word for lake. Keduk telaga, therefore, literally means to scoop up the lake; to remove sediment to cleanse it.

Culturally, however, it refers to a tradition that has been carried out for generations in Gunungkidul, especially in those regions that have lakes.

"We perform it in anticipation of drought. It is conducted ahead of the dry season, usually after the harvest time," said villager Parmorejo, 67, who led the prayers performed ahead of the keduk telaga ritual that day.

Gunungkidul indeed is home to numerous lakes. Among the biggest are Lake Saga, Lake Jonge in Semanu sub-district, Lake Depok in Tanjungsari sub-district, Lake Ngomang in Saptosari sub- district, and Lake Kepuh, Lake Bulu, and Lake Pengos in Trowono sub-district.

Performed as an expression of gratitude to God, keduk telaga is also an expression of hope for God's protection of the people's wealth. Wealth for them often means sufficient water, and the hope is fulfilled only when the lake is full of water.

"That's why the lake must be well maintained," said Parmorejo, adding that it was also through the tradition of keduk telaga that local villagers undertook maintenance on the lake.

The mass prayer that Parmorejo led initiated the whole procession. It was then followed by a brief explanation of the lake, its existence, and its benefits to the community, before they started cleaning it by scooping up bottom sediment.

Other villagers can also be seen preparing food near the lake. They were tasked with preparing the meal for the thanksgiving ceremony, or kenduri as it is locally known, held at the end of the ceremony during which people enjoy the meal together.

"Each of the hamlets in the surrounding area sends its representatives to the thanksgiving ceremony. They are also involved in preparing it," Parmorejo explained.

Parmorejo, who is also head of Bareng hamlet, also said that the ritual was a means to educate local people about the importance of preserving the environment.

Through the ritual they acknowledge that removing sediment from the bottom of the lake increases the lake's water holding capacity. They also learn that apart from its economic benefits, putting fish into the lake can also prevent mosquitoes from breeding in it.

Similarly, they also learn that planting trees around the lake and avoiding cutting down big trees is significant in maintaining and increasing water springs and making water clearer as well.

For villagers in Gunungkidul, especially those living in the southern areas like the subdistricts of Tepus, Tanjungsari, Jepitu, Kemadang, and Semanu, water has always been a big problem. Almost every year they experience drought, forcing them to purchase water during the dry season.

Head of Kemiri village Kirdi, 44, said that before most of the families in his jurisdiction did not have their own water reservoirs, and they were therefore completely dependent on the lake for their water supply. The lake was their only source of water.

"Since four years ago, however, we use it only for washing and bathing purposes. For cooking and drinking we use rainwater or buy clean water when we run out of rainwater," Kirdi said.

Lake Saga, according to Kirdi, is special because it is one of the few lakes in the region that rarely dried out even during prolonged drought. It also very scenic as it is located near dense forest. Various birds are also often seen perching on the trees there.

"Pak Amien (former speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly Amien Rais) once expressed his admiration of the lake while visiting here to deliver fish to breed," a villager of Bareng recalled.

Still, people still express concern over the significant decrease in the water level of the lake lately. They say the decrease has never been so big.

Measuring a kilometer in length and 200 meters wide, the lake, according to locals, was formerly six meters deep. Currently, it is only 2.5 meters deep.

In fact, 4,000 families in 13 hamlets are very dependent on the lake for their water supply.

"We fear the lake would completely dry up if we don't remove the sediment as we are told that it is the main reason for the sharp decrease in the water level," Kirdi said, explaining why the removal of the sediment was conducted last month through the keduk telaga tradition.

"We have been buying clean water since the beginning of May for consumption purposes," Supiyo, 40, a teacher in the village said.

A tank of clean water that he normally buys for Rp 60,000 usually lasts for half a month. He will have to spend much more of course if the lake dries up.

That's why increasing people's awareness over the importance of preserving nature is considered urgent. One effective way of doing this is through the keduk telaga tradition that formerly was rich in superstition, but now is held more to convey rational explanations about preserving the environment.

Formerly people were afraid to cut down trees because of what they believed to be the sacredness of the trees. Now they are afraid to cut down trees because they know that doing so can threaten their water supply.

"There was once a rumor that the government would ban the tradition from being conducted, but we keep performing and tried to use it to explain things that formerly were considered mystical with rational explanations. It turns out that it's worth maintaining (this tradition)," Kirdi said.