Petulu villagers live in harmony with birds

Jagadhita, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Long-legged birds that are similar to herons or storks are held in special affection at Petulu village, Gianyar, as they are believed to be sacred and can bring good fortune.

Thousands of these birds, locally known as kokokan, live in harmony with local people, who dare not disturb, let alone kill, them.

Their presence has helped contribute to the locals as the birds have become a unique tourist attraction in the village, adding to the charm of Gianyar, which has long been known for the arts as world-famous Ubud. In fact, the kokokan has become the tourist mascot of Petulu village.

The villagers believe that the birds are a form of blessing from Ida Bharata, one of the gods on the island.

An official from the traditional village organization, I Wayan Beneh, said that the birds started to arrive in the area in 1965.

At that time, the village was holding a series of traditional ceremonies, Karya Agung, Nganteg Linggih, Balik Sumpah, Ngusaba Desa and Ngusaba Nini. The events centered on the village temple.

Eleven days later, a group of kokokan appeared. They came to the place where the rituals were held, as if someone had invited them. Noting the unusual occurrence, some villagers believed that the birds had been sent by Ida Bharata for Petulu village.

The locals later decided to hold a ceremony to welcome the birds, known as pamagpag, and built a pelinggih (sacred structure) adjacent to the temple. The structure was named Ida Ratu Kokokan.

Wayan, who is also a former village chief of Petulu, added that the word kokokan was derived from kok, meaning pokok or capital. The locals believed that kokokan represented capital for them to improve their welfare.

Some groups of the birds used to live in nearby villages like Kliki, Junjungan and Petemon, and even in a faraway place like Lepang, Klungkung. After the new pelinggih was built, however, all of the birds gradually moved to Petulu village.

"The kokokan population is about 5,000," he said.

Wayan said that it had been proven that the birds brought good fortune to the villagers. Before they had arrived at the village, the locals were mostly poor and many had to seek work as far afield as Singaraja on coffee plantations.

But since the birds came to the village, their economic lives had improved, little by little.

In the beginning, the people who were working outside their village returned home. They collected para (stones) and created frames for paintings. The frames were put on display in front of their homes or at the roadside.

It turned out that many were interested in the handicrafts, and orders from buyers started to pour in. More and more tourists came to Petulu along with the rising popularity of Ubud, located nearby.

"The residents of Petulu village have since led better lives and have enjoyed an improvement in their welfare," Wayan said.

People treat kokokan with respect and are afraid that something bad might happen to them if they create trouble for the species.

Wayan said that once a villager became angry and chased away the birds that had come to his yard where he grew cassava, because their excrement was all over the plants.

What happened next? Hundreds of kokokan went to the yard and nested there, according to Wayan.

"Upon witnessing the incredible event, the villager made an offering, Guru Piduka, to express his apology," he said.

Strangely, the birds left after the villager had performed the prayer, he added.

Once, he said, another villager saw a baby kokokan, which had fallen to the ground, so he took it home. In the night, a dark- skinned man came to him and threatened to take his child if he did not return the bird to nature.

Wayan also told a story about a Denpasar resident who shot a bird, even though some villagers had warned him not to. As a result, he had an accident to the north of Petulu village while on his way home to Denpasar.

The birds also know where to make their nests. They do not want to nest near a temple, even though there are many big trees there. "They do not want to make the temple dirty," Wayan said.

In September 2002, however, the villagers were shocked, as half of the birds suddenly disappeared. They flew round the trees several times as if scared and then flew away.

Wayan and some public figures in the village then sought help from a balian (religious figure with supernatural powers) in Sekan village, Tegallalang.

According to the balian, a wicked man had buried a bone at the sacred structure of Ida Ratu Kokokan. The man, who also had supernatural power, tested his power by trying to chase away the birds. Even though he failed to drive all of them away, his action worried the locals.

In order to neutralize the negative influence, the village of Petulu held Rsi Ghana and Pamendak ceremonies that lasted for several days in the temple and the Ida Ratu Kokokan sacred structure. The first was to clean the area, while the other was meant to invite the birds to return to the place.

Before the rituals ended, thousands of kokokan that had left the village returned peacefully.