Mysticism still prevails in the shadow of Mt. Merapi

Mysticism still prevails in the shadow of Mt. Merapi

By A. Solikhan and Tjahjono EP

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Just like any other community living in the
midst of distinctive natural phenomena, residents at the foot of
Mt. Merapi have their own mystical beliefs. These vest the people
with a unique attitude toward natural phenomena, including
disasters.

Most of them believe that the foot of Mt. Merapi was the seat
of the Sapu Jagad Kingdom (the Kingdom of Annihilation) with Nyai
Gadung Melati as its most famous ruler. She is believed to have
possessed full control over Mt. Merapi, the most active volcano
in Java.

The superstition is closely related to the view that the
Mataram Kingdom, historically linked to the present-day
Yogyakarta Sultanate, is the center of authority in Java. As
such, it is flanked by the Sapu Jagad Kingdom to the north and
the kingdom ruled by the Queen of the South Coast in the
Indonesian Ocean.

Owing to this entrenched belief, Mt. Merapi residents are
always reluctant to leave their birthplace even when the volcano
poses a great threat to their safety. They are not deterred by
the volcanic lava and fumes, which may suddenly wreak havoc in
their villages. They strongly believe that it is impossible for
Mt. Merapi to claim victims among community members who have
always cared for nature as the source of their lives.

"Mt. Merapi is not something to be afraid of. As long as we
regularly give offerings, no disaster will happen," said Ibu
Ngatini, 45, who runs a stall at a Merapi tourist resort in
Bebeng, Kepuharjo, Cangkringan, Yogyakarta.

Ngatini and many other community members like Paiman, 60, and
Sutini, 32, claim an eruption means Nyai Gadung Melati is engaged
in a particular undertaking. In the case of the major eruption of
1994, which claimed 64 lives, local people believed that the
volcano erupted because a palace was being built at the Sapu
Jagad Kingdom.

Heeding the advice of Mbah (Grandpa) Maridjan, 70, a community
elder, local people conduct a rite in which offerings are
presented, in the manner of the ritual procession of Yogyakarta
Palace in the Javanese month of Suro. This ritual procession is
always led by Maridjan.

Locals depend a lot on this old man when it comes to volcanic
eruptions. If the volcano shows signs of activity, they will wait
for his instructions. When Mt. Merapi erupted on July 11 and July
19 this year, for example, the people were hesitant about leaving
their villages although the area was then classified as an alert
disaster area. They preferred to stay because Maridjan continued
to take care of his garden and his livestock.

Maridjan, a father of four, is not a village official. But
local people consider him the mediator between them and Nyai
Gadung Melati. In 1983, the late Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX as
the ruler of Yogyakarta conferred on him the title of Mas Ngabehi
Surakso Hargo, or mountain caretaker.

"This title makes me responsible for the balance in the
relationship between the community and the ruler of Mt. Merapi."
He claimed that before a disaster struck, he would receive
divination from Nyai Gadung Melati. In 1994, he said he knew of
an impending volcanic disaster and he meditated at the highest
climbing station to obtain advice from the ruler of Mt. Merapi.

He said one must believe that God determines life and death.
Merapi is a place where the souls of one's ancestors will pay a
visit. If the volcano erupts, the villagers should not move to a
safer place so that the government will be saved the trouble. The
eruption will not claim any lives as long as people are calm and
are discreet about what they say. Basically, he said, nature is
not man's foe unless man treats it as one. "In fact, some power
moves the volcano to spew its lava."

Maridjan always advises his fellow villagers not to be hostile
to nature if they wish to avoid disaster. Several trees and
stones believed to possess mystical powers must be well looked
after.

Take, for example, a slab of stone the size of an elephant in
an area called Kali Adem, discovered in 1970 by Romo Warsono
Notoprajan, a member of the Yogyakarta nobility.
Locals believe good care must be take of the stone, appropriately
known as watu gajah (elephant stone). They also believe that the
same treatment must be accorded to the white banyan tree growing
to the north of the stone.

Tales serve as the background to this wealth of nature and the
spirit of conservation. There is a cone-shaped stone believed to
be able to return to its original place after it is moved. The
stone is believed to serve as the border fort of the Sapu Jagad
Kingdom. Locals have sanctified the stones and some other natural
shapes and have made them places where they give their offerings.

Argo Triwikromo, an anthropologist from Gadjah Mada University
in Yogyakarta, said the animistic concept shaped the culture of
the people at the foot of Mt. Merapi.

It follows that the people must be approached in terms of
their beliefs whenever outside intervention is needed. According
to statistics, Mt. Merapi has claimed about 2,600 lives since its
biggest eruption in 1672. Losses are even greater if material
damage is included.

Vulcanologist Dr. Atje Purbawinata predicts that in the middle
of 1999 there will be a bigger eruption than the two which
occurred this year.

Has Maridjan obtained divination about what Purbawinata has
predicted? "A disaster is nature's will. God determines life and
death. As long as my grandchildren never forget to give offerings
to Mt. Merapi, the mountain will continue to bestow its blessings
and be the source of living."

Maridjan lives on to guide the people at the foot of Mt.
Merapi. His words are heeded faithfully as the residents continue
to live in the shadow of the volcano.