Tarto's jurnalistic tour through palace ritual

Tarto's jurnalistic tour through palace ritual

By Sri Wahyuni

YOGYAKARTA (JP): An old woman dressed in an abdi dalem costume
of a Javanese palace servant -- which consists of few pieces of
cloth wrapped around her legs and chest -- solemnly sits on her
knees before an old earthenware pot.

Her palms are pressed together in a respectful gesture with
her fingers pointing in the direction of the sacred pot.

The picture, showing an eight-year ritual held at the
Yogyakarta Palace, is one of the 60 pictures being displayed in a
solo photo exhibition by freelance photojournalist Tarko
Sudiarno.

Sponsored by the Indonesia-France Institution (LIP) and The
Jakarta Post, it is being held at LIP until Monday.

Through the exhibition titled The Guardian of the Culture
(Penjaga Budaya), Tarko wants to share his experience as a
journalist who has associated closely with the palace community
for years.

"I began to get to know the palace about 10 years ago when I
was with a local newspaper," Tarko told The Post.

In time became familiar with every nook and cranny of the
palace. He has even had the rare privilege of entering certain
parts of the palace -- such as the female royal family members'
special area, the Kaputren.

"I'm touched by the way the Sultan and the royal family, as
well as the abdi dalem are preserving Javanese customs," Tarko
said.

He said this was what led him to spend almost every spare hour
at the palace. Sometimes he goes there just to have a little chat
with the abdi dalem, or sometimes to have a serious talk with the
Sultan and Queen Hemas, his wife.

"It's amazing to find out that it's not merely Javanese who
are eager to became abdi dalem, a guard or a prajurit (palace
soldier)," he said, adding that among the Yogyakarta Palace
soldiers were Irianese and Flores natives.

He said there were also many young men -- mostly about 25
years old -- who were willing to wait for years and years before
they finally made it into the palace corps.

Familiar

Viewers of the photographs can not only feast on palace scenes
portraying the mystique and beliefs which may be difficult to
understand -- but also the informality and familiarity of the
subjects with Tarko.

Look at the elderly guard at the gate in Garda Depan -- a
contrast to palace guards in military finery elsewhere.

Rare rituals held on the palace grounds Tarko caught with his
camera include the washing of the sacred Kyai Plered spear and
the Liwet Windon, a rice-cooking ceremony. Both ceremonies are
held only once every eight years.

Nyai Mrica, the picture of the old female abdi dalem
respectfully greeting the sacred pot of that name, is also part
of the Liwet Windon ceremony in which the pot has to be greeted
respectfully before being used in the ceremony.

"These rituals are held only in the Year of Dal according to
the Javanese calendar which means once every eight years," Tarko
said.

Outside the kraton, Tarko photographed Labuhan, a special
ritual dedicated to Nyai Rara Kidul, the Queen of the Southern
Sea. it is usually held at Parangtritis Beach, 30 km south of the
palace.

His Labuhan Merapi documents a similar ritual held on the
slopes of Merapi Volcano.

Tarko says the photojournalistic work displayed is not
superior to other works, either technically or artistically.
"They are just personal mementos... which I would like to share
with others," he said.

Born on April 5, 1962, Tarko became interested in the world of
photography when he was a high school student. His skill improved
when he worked at the local dailies Kedaulatan Rakyat and then
Bernas.

As a freelance photographer his work has appeared in many
prominent publications, including Kompas and The Jakarta Post
dailies, D&R and Adil weeklies, Jakarta-Jakarta and Kartini
magazines.

In 1993, Tarko won the bronze medal in the Salon Foto
Indonesia competition. He was also runner-up in the 1996
Yogyakarta Tourism Photo Festival. His gold medal in the
journalism category of the 1996 Salon Foto Indonesia gave his
career another huge boost.

The Guard of the Culture is his first photojournalism
exhibition.