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.