Special tree makes long journey to Jakarta

Special tree makes long journey to Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): The carved inverted tree in the middle of the
Struggle Exhibition hall of the Purna Bhakti Pertiwi Museum took
a long and interesting journey from its natural home in East Java
to the President's museum.

The sawo kecik manila (Manilkara kauki) tree was uprooted from
Baluran National Park, known locally as Alas Purwa, in Banyuwangi
in 1987 on the order of the President's wife, Ibu Tien Soeharto.

The defunct Tempo weekly reported in its Sept. 12, 1987, issue
that many years ago the governor of East Java, the late Soenandar
Prijosoedarmo, promised to give a sonokeling tree (Dalbergia
latifolia) to Taman Mini. But for reasons unknown, the promise
was not kept. Years later, Ibu Tien met Banyuwangi Regent S.
Djoko Wasito and asked him about the sonokeling tree. Knowing
that there are no sonokeling trees in Banyuwangi, Wasito proposed
instead to donate one of the many sawo kecik manila trees in
Baluran National Park.

The First Lady gave the nod and special permission to uproot
the tree was obtained from the Directorate General of Forest and
Nature Protection and Preservation.

On Dec. 8, 1986, sawo kecik manila tree No. 110 was chosen
because its was growing only 60 meters from the Indian Ocean
which would ease transportation by sea.

"There was nothing mystical in the tree chosen," Tatang
Mulyana, Baluran Park's coordinator at that time, was quoted as
saying by Tempo.

However, since the 152 centimeter round and 25 meter-high tree
grew in the forest of Alas Purwa which is known as an eerie
place, a woman soothsayer who lived 20 kilometers from the 200-
year-old tree was consulted.

The soothsayer gave her permission and asked for an offering
of several animals for a successful tree uprooting. Chickens and
ducks were given and they were kept alive following the
soothsayer's order.

The tree was extracted in the middle of December, 1986. Every
step was carefully executed in order not to destroy any of its
roots. A number of residents from seven villages near the park
volunteered for the work.

The next task was to transport the tree to the port (which
port?), less than a kilometer away. A 800-meter-long railway had
to be laid to carry it, but transporting the tree to the port
still took two months.

A man reportedly drowned during the process. Banyuwangi
officials reported that the man drowned when swimming in the sea,
but rumors soon spread that Nyai Roro Kidul, the mythical queen
of the southern sea, was taking payment for the tree. The death
of two other residents who helped uproot the tree also
strengthened the belief.

A 25-ton crane broke when lifting the tree onto the Hang Tuah
II ship. Two other cranes, of 40 and 50 tons, had to be brought
from Surabaya to replace it. It was not until June 28, 1987 that
the tree was finally shipped to Jakarta.

The tree arrived at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah on July 17,
1987. According to people living near Taman Mini, the tree
sometimes produced yellow or bluish-green lights and a nice smell
before Central Java artist Agung B. Partawijaya finally carved
the Ramayana story on it. (als)