Two protected Betawi houses in poor state

By Ida Indawati Khouw

While experts and scholars debate the history of Betawi and the role of Betawians in the early days of old Batavia, some Betawians continue to push for somebody with Betawi blood to become governor of Jakarta. This is the 29th article in a series on old and protected buildings and sites in Jakarta.

JAKARTA (JP): Betawians can of course boast that they are the original inhabitants of Jakarta.

For non-Betawians, it is quite difficult these days to locate this indigenous community in the capital, which has become home to so many skyscrapers.

The easiest way to get a glimpse of the Betawians is during festivities organized by the authorities or small events, such as kenduri, usually held at a few hamlets in Jakarta.

During celebrations such as the June 22 anniversary of Jakarta, the indigenous residents -- particularly the elderly -- are invited to take part in parades and shows dressed in their traditional Betawi clothes.

The women wear a long kebaya, a sarong and a head scarf, while the men dress in collarless shirts, brown batik trousers and a sarong.

They usually are accompanied by Gambang Kromong or the Portuguese-influenced Tanjidor musical groups.

But it is no longer easy to enjoy such romantic touches, as many of the musical instruments have worn out with time.

Similar to the fate of the original homes of natives in numerous large cities, the traditional houses of the Betawis have also disappeared.

Most of them were bulldozed at night in an attempt to cover the act, as several of the houses were protected by the city administration.

Currently, the Jakarta administration only includes two Betawi houses on its list of protected houses. Both buildings are located in Condet, East Jakarta.

However, the authorities apparently do not realize the protected house on Jl. Nunggang is dilapidated due to age, and the other house on Jl. Condet Raya has been renovated, destroying much of the home's original and historic characteristics. The changes include the earthen floor being covered by the owner.

The public, of course, cannot blame the owners of the homes for these developments. The fault clearly lies with the authorities, who merely announced the status of the buildings, without making any significant efforts to protect and preserve the properties.

Furthermore, owners of the houses did not even realized their homes were protected buildings.

"I just inherited it from my first husband," said Aminah, also known as Nya Antu, referring to the house on Jl. Nunggang.

The house, seemingly on the brink of ruin, is now occupied by Antu's mentally ill son, Muni, in his 30s, who has the habit of burning plastic inside the nine-meter by nine-meter house.

According to Antu, she was powerless to save the house from further damage.

"I have no money," said the Betawian widow, who lives in a separate house in the building's annex.

A book issued by the Jakarta Administration, Bangunan Cagar Budaya di Wilayah DKI Jakarta (Heritage Buildings in Jakarta), says the two protected houses were built in the early 20th century in the Betawi architectural style known as Bapang.

In the past, the book says, such houses were owned by Betawian farmers in Condet.

According to another book, Rumah Tradisional Betawi (Traditional Houses of Betawi), the community usually built their houses based on one of three traditional designs: Bapang/Kebaya, Joglo and Gudang.

The difference between the three is mainly in the style of the roof. The roof of a house in the Joglo style is in the shape of a pyramid, similar to those of Javanese Joglo houses.

The roofs of the other two styles have a shape similar to that of a saddle.

But the three architectural styles have the same open porch at the front of the house which was used to receive guests.

"Usually there was a (wooden or bamboo) couch on the porch used for the male members of the family to sleep," according to the book.

Some experts say the open porch reflects the openness of Betawians toward outsiders.

Another particular feature of traditional Betawi houses was the toilets, which were built outside the houses.

"Toilets were usually built in the backyard by digging a hole and then covering it with a wooden board with a hole in the middle," according to Rumah Tradisional Betawi.

Much like on the television series of a traditional Betawi family, called Si Doel Anak Sekolahan.

However, an expert on the history of architecture, Djauhari Sumintardja, said that what was called Betawi architectural style was merely ordinary houses, some of which still can be found in several places in West Java.

"From the architectural point of view, it is difficult to define the Betawian style, which is a mixture of various architectural styles," said the expert, who has extensively studied Betawi architecture.

Another expert, Wisnu Murti Ardjo, shared this view. "It is, indeed, a unique situation since there's no other ethnic group which has undergone such a mixed influence as the Betawians."

Debates on the Betawi identity continue today, and some people even question the community's claim of being the original group in Jakarta.

There are even several opinions about the root of the word "Betawi" itself.

Anthropologist Yasmine Shahab from the University of Indonesia said the word came from Bataav, the family name of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the founder of the old city of Batavia.

But historian Adolf Heuken said the word was used as a remembrance for the Batavians, the ancestors of the Dutch.

Another explanation of the word, Yasmine said, comes from local folklore. According to the story, Betawi came from the words Bau Tai (odor of feces) after Prince Jayakarta was defeated by Dutch colonial troops when he invaded Batavia in 1619.

"It is said that the prince was pelted with feces after he was defeated, while another version says the bad smell was from feces thrown by locals at the Batavia fort," she said.

Ninuk Kleden Probonegoro in her book Teater Lenong Betawi wrote that Betawians were not included in the 1673 census in Batavia.

Yasmine believes the Betawi community was first detected at the end of the 19th century, when the Betawi language began to be spoken among certain groups.

"But I still say that Betawi is the indigenous ethnic group of Jakarta even though they developed from a mixture of ethnic groups. They formed a new identity which is different from the others," said Yasmine.

She said Betawians were divided into three groups, namely Kota (City), Tengah (Center) and Pinggir (Rural), based on where they lived.

Those grouped in Kota lived around the walled city of Kota in West Jakarta and Weltevreden (now the Lapangan Banteng area in Central Jakarta). The Betawi Pinggir were those who lived in Tangerang and Bekasi, and were strongly influenced by Chinese culture. The Betawi Tengah community were those Betawians who lived between the two other groups and were mostly influenced by Arabs.

"That's why we see that there are Betawians who have a strong Islamic faith and those who give more attention to Chinese traditions," Yasmine said.