Local kite makers still favor bamboo frames

JAKARTA (JP): What makes Indonesian kites different from their foreign counterparts? Their frames. While most kite makers from overseas have started using fiberglass, Indonesian kite makers still favor bamboo.

The result is Indonesian kites aren't as strong. When the wind blows hard, not many survive.

Some Indonesian kites flown at the International Kite Festival 1995 in Ancol, North Jakarta snapped in 18 kilometer per hour winds.

The Ancol park was one of six sites the International Kite Festival will visit before it ends on July 15. The festival will also take place in Lampung, South Sumatra; Pangandaran beach, West Java; Parangtritis beach, Central Java; and Mount Bromo in East Java.

In terms of creativity, Indonesian kite makers are quite progressive. They create not only three-dimensional and stunt kites with bamboo frames but also traditional kites made from palm leaves.

A team from Muntilan, a small town in Central Java, produce three-dimensional kites known as Baru Klinting, and have adopted it as the name of their club. The kite enthusiasts design and produce the difficult to make three-dimensional kite. In Indonesia, the tradition to make three-dimensional kites is found only around Jepara and Kudus, both in Central Java. Outside the country, three-dimensional kites which have complicated frames like Baru Klinting are hard to find.

The team was officially founded last year when Baru Klinting's mascot dragon-shaped kite was created. In the same year the dragon flew in a local kite festival held at Parangtritis beach in Yogyakarta.

"Initially, it was Usman Dimyati who flew his kite in front of his house. Watching him, we became interested in flying kites, then we played together and later we founded this team," said Irham Suharmono, one of Baru Klinting's members.

Currently, the team has 20 members from different backgrounds but all are residents of Muntilan. Usman owns a garment factory, another member is a tobacco trader, there is also a shop owner and a master of ceremonies.

The group created an airplane-shaped kite in 1988. At that time, however, they were not officially established and had trouble producing good three-dimensional kites.

The team used to cover their kites' with paper but switched to parachute silk because the paper kept ripping. To solve the problem of transporting their 17-meter or longer Baru Klinting kites, the team decided to make separate frames for the dragon's head, body and tail. The framework is made from bamboo from Purworejo, Central Java.

"We tried to use other bamboo once, but it broke when we wanted to fold it," said Usman, adding that he doesn't know why Purworejo's bamboo is more flexible.

The team has since created kites in various forms, including a zebra and a bird. They also make many flat kites illustrated with Javanese wayang puppet show characters.

Dragon kites are their trademark and the team always brings one along, said Irham. The team has five dragons. The 17-meter one they flew at the International Kite Festival 1995 early this month in Jakarta is the smallest of the five.

Usman said it took a month to make the 17-meter dragon which weighs approximately 100 kilograms. It takes four people to launch it and two other people to fly it.

The team has never sold any of its three-dimensional kites.

"We made them because we love kites. We have never sold any, although one day it may be possible. But for the time being, instead of selling them we gave several of them to some people," said Irham.

The team sells their stunt kites with double-directing ropes and bamboo frames for about Rp 50,000 (US$22.5) each.

The team has won several prizes for their creativity and skill. The organizers of 1993 International Kite Festival in Lampung, southern Sumatra, for example, presented the team with the Most Unique Kite award for their dragon kite.

Making kites and preserving traditional culture are two different things, but inhabitants of Muna regency in South East Sulawesi can do both things at the same time. The Kaghati kites of this area are made from dry leaves of a kind of cassava plant locally known as ubi gadung (Dioscorea hispida), which is native to the area. The handmade kite is also furnished with a bridle and flying line made of pineapple fiber (Agave cantala).

To make the kite, a bamboo frame is shaped and covered with netting made from pineapple fiber. Then ubi gadung leaves, which have been dried under the sun or on a small fire, are sown together with very fine bamboo fiber to cover the frames. It takes a day to produce a one-by-one meter kite.

The khagati has a bow-like attachment locally known as kamuu, which produces sound when wind blows through it. Kamuu's bow is made from bamboo, while its string is made from either rattan or leaves from palm leaves known as agel.

Khagati is usually flown during the dry season for fun and competition. Factors considered during the competition are flying time, neatness of the kite and the sound of the kamuu.

"Sometimes we keep a khagati airborne for a week by tying it to a tree. If it is intact after one week, we release it as a thanksgiving," said Lasjkar Koedoes from South East Sulawesi's local authority's office.

Khagati kites will participate in the International Kite Festival for the first time this year.

Lampung in southern Sumatra also produces a whistling kite. The whistling bow, known as uli-uli, is also made from bamboo and rattan. The difference is that uli-uli can produce three to seven pitches, while the Sulawesi version is more like the sound of wind.

Not all Lampung kites have uli-uli, only those made by the Bugis, an ethnic group of South Sulawesi who immigrated to Lampung.

"We consider uli-uli as part of Lampung's culture," said Supratman Puasa, an uli-uli maker, adding that it takes three hours to produce an uli-uli.

The Lampung uli-uli kite has participated in international kite festivals in the United States, France and the Netherlands, even though the frames are made of bamboo. (als)