“Ngaguar”, the Local Wisdom of Galuh

KOMPAS/DEDI MUHTADI

Descendants of the Galuh kingdom perform the milangkala (anniversary) ceremony to mark the 1,405 years since the establishment of the Galuh kingdom in Jambansari Hall, Selagangga Sultanate site, Ciamis, West Java, Thursday (23/3). They hope the local wisdom of Galuh, such as not being greedy for power, will become a guide for social life.

The Sunda Galuh teaching, which promoted honesty and rejecting greed for power, had been synonymous with the Galuh kingdom since the early seventh century AD. The descendants of the original Galuh community in Ciamis are now trying to dig up this long-lost local wisdom, which is no longer in tune with the life of locals.

Seven leaders of the community of Galuh descendants took turns reading the history of the Galuh kingdom in the 1,405^th milangkala (anniversary) of the establishment of the Galuh kingdom at the Jambansari pavilion at the site of the Selagangga Palace in Ciamis, West Java, on Thursday (23/3/2017). The exposure of the royal family tree was held after the traditional bathing ritual of the Sunda Galuh heirlooms.

The milangkala ritual was attended by Galuh descendants from various rundayan, such as the descendants of the Tembong Agung kingdom, the forerunner of the Sunda Sumedang Larang kingdom in Sumedang. The milangkala of the Galuh kingdom was also attended by the caretakers of Galuh’s kabuyutan sites in Ciamis.

Galuh Pakuan Museum records show that the Galuh kingdom was first established in 612 AD with Karangkamulyan, some 15 kilometers to the east of downtown Ciamis, serving as its capital. King Wretikandayun was the first king to rule in the Galuh kingdom under the title of Maharaja Suradarma Jayaprakosa from 612 to 702. The kingdom was a continuation of the Kendan kingdom, a tribute state of the Tarumanegara kingdom.

Maharaja Suradarma Wretikandayun liberated the Galuh kingdom when Sri Maharaja Tarusbawa replaced Tarumanegara’s name for the Sunda kingdom in 670 AD. The name was replaced when, in 669 AD, Sri Maharaja Tarusbawa accepted the Tarumanegara throne from his father-in-law, Tarumanegara’s last king Linggawarman (666-669 AD).

Galuh Pakuan Museum director Ruyat Sudrajat hoped the milangkala ritual would promote long-lost local wisdom. He cited the wisdom contained in the expression nanjeurna di buana (making policies to achieve people’s welfare).

Other local wisdoms can be found in ancestral manuscripts such as those of the Kabuyutan Galunggung. Galuh descendants must ensure that the seuweu-siwi (descendants) do not forget their history, as was mandated by the Galunggung manuscript from the 11^th century. This wisdom was re-actualized by president Sukarno.

“Now, we see that many policymakers and communities are forgetting their history and, as a result, they cannot filter new cultures,” said Ruyat Sudrajat. This, he continued, was the reason the Galuh people wished to return to their roots.

Care for others

The universal teachings of Galuh are proven to be useful in improving people’s welfare. This was proven by Galuh king descendant RAA Koesoemadiningrat or Kanjeng Prabu, who served as Galuh regent (1839-1886). At the time, the Dutch colonial government implemented the forced cultivation (cultuur stelsel) system.

Galuh descendants must ensure that the seuweu-siwi (descendants) do not forget their history, as was mandated by the Galunggung manuscript from the 11^th century.

Kanjeng Prabu was squeezed between the interests of the colonial government and the condition of the people. The cultuur stelsel system forced the people to cultivate commodities that were popular in international markets, including sugarcane, coffee, tea and tobacco. However, the regent chose to put his title at stake by protecting the people from poverty resulting from not being able to develop local potential.

He then proposed the development of a locally managed coconut plantation in Galuh. That was the beginning of the development of locally managed coconut oil (kelentik) industry in the Tatar Galuh region (now comprising Ciamis regency and Banjar and Pangandaran cities).

Galuh Sadulur community chief RR Hanif Radinal said that Galuh wisdom passed down by local people included awareness of people’s welfare and saying no to the greed for power. The greed of those in power is proven to be the cause of corruption, collusion and nepotism. “The opportunity of commemorating Galuh’s anniversary is relevant to the condition of the nation’s moral decadence,” Hanif Radinal said.

Hanif cited the imported culture of hedonism that has shattered the life of communities, especially in Ciamis. The youths in Ciamis villages prefer to go to cities. They are far more interested by the glittering lights of urban centers than by efforts to maximize villages’ production resources (mainly land) to ensure the regeneration of agriculture.

Ciamis regency council (DPRD) speaker Nanang Permana said that rejection of greed or excessive behavior was a Galuh teaching that was still relevant today. The local wisdom is contained in the expression tong nyokot leuwih ti misti (never take more than what you need). Nanang said that communities and government administrations have strayed far from these behaviors.

When the Ciamis regency celebrated its 100th anniversary in June 2016, there was no significant changes to the life of the Galuh people in Ciamis. Its administrative region was becoming narrower as Pangandaran became a separate regency and Banjar a separate city.

“This is perhaps an indicator that the name Ciamis does not provide benefits and, therefore, the region and the people are not worthy of the name,” Nanang said.

In the 1,405th anniversary commemoration, Galuh Sadulur as a community of Galuh people gathered, held discussions and visited their ancestors’ graveyard. They tried to rebuild the awareness of the Galuh people in Ciamis in order to restore the universal Galuh identity. “We see the commemoration as a way to rejuvenate the identity of Galuh people, which was inherited with an ancient region and cultural identity, to live as equals with other ancient cultures in Indonesia,” Hanif added.