Pilgrimage to the west: When spirit of Earth, sky is awakened
Pilgrimage to the west: When spirit of Earth, sky is awakened
By Wawan S. Husin
BANDUNG (JP): Suprapto Suryosudarmo had traveled to Bandung,
Ciamis and Padang in his journey to the west from Padepokan Lemah
Putih in Surakarta, Central Java. After his rituals in Samuan
Tiga Ritual Besalen in Bali last February, he continued his
journey to Bandung where he performed rituals at the Bandung
Institute of Technology (ITB), Rumah Nusantara, Gallery 66,
Gallery Pohaci, Sendratasik-UPI Bandung and Astana Gede in
Kawali, Ciamis.
In Padang, West Sumatra, he performed rituals in Taman Budaya
Padang and Pariaman.
In Bandung, the trio of Suprapto cs. (Suprapto, Mamiek -- a
lecturer at the Surakarta Arts Institute (STSI) and Jean-Paul
Dandin, an African drum artist) performed with local artists,
such as Inne "Ronggeng Gunung" Arini, Toni Kanwa, Tisna Sanjaya,
Jamal cs., Dedi, Tohari, Aming and Harry Pocang (a musician).
The themes of the performances (Suprapto calls them rituals)
are: Candra Semi (Welcoming the Moon) at ITB, Ruwatan-Rawatan
Bhumi (Vanishing the Bad Aura and Taking Care of the Earth),
Welcoming the Mother Sky in Gallery 66, Energizing the Venues,
Harmonizing the Power in Gallery Pohaci and Lembur Bitung UPI-
Bandung and in Astana Gede Candra Surya (From the Moon to the
Sun) or Welcoming the Dawn, Jean-Paul called the rituals From The
Dark of The Night to The Bright Sunny Day.
The rituals
In Gallery 66, (Welcoming Mother Sky), Suprapto included the
tradition of Sunan Ambu (the Mother Sky) as a goddess in an old
Sundanese folk story as a point of departure. The earth is then
made a symbol of Man. He stated that with womanhood, the mother
should come to the front to harmonize the world.
In Astana Gede Ciamis, the Candra Surya ritual started at
about 4.30 a.m. (after the dawn prayer) and continues until about
7 a.m. The ritual began at the gate of Astana Gede (an ancient
cemetery of the King of Galuh).
Followed by bamboo flute and kecapi of Yaya and Ojay, and
aluminum pipes by Godi Suwarna, the dancers (Neneng and friends)
opened the gate of the cemetery. All was dark, except for the
small torches dancing in the wind. The old trees, high and
gigantic, stood out, witnessing the people. Insects were
whispering. Once in a while nocturnal birds and bats chirped.
The cold wind swept the dawn, and the roosters crowed at a
distance. Suprato whispered mantras and Jean-Dandin moved
together with Pandu Ra Dea and Ogi and Pa Jeprut. Having entered
the gate, they carried out a kind of moving meditation at the
center of this cemetery. This took about 40 minutes. The dancers
and other participants moved to the water -- the spring of
Cikawali.
Crossing a path, the day began to break and reddish clouds
appeared to the east. The well-spring was surrounded by old trees
and bushes. Some fish were swimming, and the whirlpools came up
time and again.
The dancers moved around and splashed some water on their
faces. The journey continued to pesanggrahan (the resting area).
The area is surrounded by the rice fields, Ogi and Ra Dea
performed in the rice field and their bodies were buried in mud,
sometimes they moved near young paddy as though they wanted to
remind the people of the valuable gift the Earth provides. At the
pesanggrahan the movers, dancers, performers and participants sat
and prayed. The sound of terebang (a kind of small percussion)
filled the air.
The area was directly open to the sun which then appeared in
full, showering the audience and performers with bright rays. The
sun slowly and patiently rose up, second by second, minute by
minute. Like a lullaby, birds chirped and the river flowed, the
sound of the water clear and precise.
The Candra Surya took about two and a half hours. I did not
feel tired after moving around and maintaining a tight breathing
pattern. The dew was on the leaves and ants were busy on the bark
of trees. The freshness of the air met the freshness in my heart.
Returning to the camp and sitting down to rest and have a sip
of tea, I realized that the day had changed. In my loneliness --
among the crowd -- I remember Suprapto saying, "Possibly we will
have a time when 'Teos, Therapy and Theater' will mix and combine
in one." Yes, possibly in the near future Prapto.