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.