Purifying Memories

KOMPAS/SEKAR GANDHAWANGI

The Ruwatan Bumi event was held in the Borobudur Temple area, Magelang, Central Java on Tuesday (13/9/2022).

The sound of shrill wailing filled the night in the courtyard of the Lumbini Theater at the Borobudur on Sept. 13. The sounds of various cultures from across the archipelago penetrated the chambers of the soul, making the body tremble and the eyes tear up instantly.

In silence, the sound vibrations seemed to float in the frequency range of the universe, entering the realm of human consciousness.

This atmosphere greeted the essence of the existence of all beings who are important subjects at the 2022 Ruwatan Bumi, which held a series of performances as part of the Indonesia Bertutur Festival (Indonesia Storytelling Festival) at the Borobudur Temple in Central Java on Sept. 7-13. The event was attended by 900 artists from 17 countries with 116 works of art.

The sound of the traditional tarawangsa musical instrument from West Java resembles the harp, combined with the saluang musical instrument from Minangkabau similar to a flute, accompanied by dancing and singing of rites from various cultures in the archipelago, broke the evening atmosphere.

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Then came the art of ratok saluang from Pesisir Selatan regency, West Sumatra, the vocal art of royong from Gowa regency, the beluk art, a type of Sundanese chant that uses high notes with a twisting style, as well as the bonet dance, the oldest dance from the community of Timor Island.

Bi Raspi's voice singing the Ronggeng Gunung's wangsalan without any musical instruments broke the silence.

The ronggeng dance has been associated with the sensuality of female dancers. In fact, this dance has to do with religious mystical rituals in the traditions of Java from centuries ago. Bi Raspi's voice singing the Ronggeng Gunung's wangsalan without any musical instruments broke the silence.

How many of us are familiar with gayo folk art, didong, which combines elements of dance, vocals and literature? And also dideng krinok, the oldest traditional vocal art that still exists in several areas in Jambi, which has spread to Bangka, Pulau Penang, Johor and Malacca.

Can you imagine the atmosphere when the sounds of dideng and krinok were sung from a stage covered with stars, resonating to dondong from Baduy and Beluk?

It seemed, for a moment, the air was still.

Luh menek and desak chants brought Kakawin Mandamalon from Kakawin Arjuna Wiwaha to voice truth and virtue, continued by the traditional art of the bissu from South Sulawesi containing chants to the gods for the safety of all beings. Mama Kristina then chanted a mantra, followed by a macapatan song by Mbah Kamijam, praising the authenticity of our origins.

KOMPAS/SEKAR GANDHAWANGI

The atmosphere of the Ruwatan Bumi performance in the Borobudur Temple area, Magelang, Central Java on Tuesday (13/9/2022).

The prayers and mantras of Guru Sibaso from Tanah Karo, Sikerei, Mentawai, Apay Janggut from the Dayak Iban tribe as well as mantras from the Mulu tribe, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), closed the nearly two-hour show. The bonet dance was ushered in asap dupa (incense smoke) that floated in the air.

Memories of origins

Ruwatan is a tradition that is practiced not only by the Javanese, but also by other cultures in Indonesia, even ancient Greece. What is different lies in the history and the implementation of the ceremony. However, almost everything has to do with the history of origins, the history of places and ancestors.

People still practice ruwatan rituals and believe that it is a means of contemplation to hone human reason and awareness of their existence on earth and relationships in the universe.

In that regard, ruwatan is a rope or tool to build bridges and communication between the past and the present, between each other, between humans and creatures, with nature, with our ancestors and with the Owner of Life. The ritual contains expressions of feelings, wrapped in an effort to preserve the memory of our origins.

The Ruwatan Bumi, thick with the spirit of wisdom, specifically gave voice to all beings, those visible and invisible, calling for renewed love for the Mother of All Mothers who gave birth to so many wonders in this world. “This is also a good time to reflect on the entire process of Earth's recovery as a result of the global pandemic,” said Education, Culture, Research and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim.

The human body is between heaven and earth, sea and earth and various elements and sub-elements, such as air, wind, sound, water, earth, minerals, fire, life, death, light and darkness that accompany the symbols of the human psyche.

Human life depends on earth, water, air and fire. The human body is between heaven and earth, sea and earth and various elements and sub-elements, such as air, wind, sound, water, earth, minerals, fire, life, death, light and darkness that accompany the symbols of the human psyche.

In Javanese culture, ruwatan is a cleansing ritual for those who belong to the sukerta group or are contaminated with sesuker (dirt), in order to survive the giant predator, namely Batara Kala.

Ruwatan is also a ritual for the earth, sea, livestock and vows. In contrast to the traditional ruwatan, which features a shadow puppet performance with a special dalang (puppeteer), the Ruwatan Bumi with the theme “Experiencing the Past, Growing the Future,” explores the voices of traditions and the past.

The art of singing brings out voices from various cultures in the archipelago which have almost been swallowed up by the wheels of time. Many maestros have passed away without having had the chance to pass on their knowledge that they gained throughout their lives. The didong, for example, has only one maestro.

Saving identity

A total of 1,239 Indonesian intangible heritages, including traditional arts, have been recorded by the Education, Culture Research and Technology Ministry. However, the situation is quite worrying because not many young people are interested in the care or support of the heritages.

It is understandable that some traditional arts have been lost before being recognized as part of the cultural wealth of the archipelago. The same is true for local languages. Of the 718 regional languages recorded at the Education, Culture Research and Technology Ministry, 11 regional languages have become extinct with 25 more to follow.

However, the artists are not giving up. They continue to adapt and keep their ancestral artwork current in every era in the midst of rocketing technological advances and the tempest of globalization. Artworks that are maintained and renewed without leaving tradition, culture, history and beliefs continue to be born.

At the same time, artworks quench the inner thirst of artists. This was present in the traditional art performances in the Ruwatan Bumi. The event involved leading designers, Asha Smara Darra and Oscar Lawalata, as well as leading artists Ubiet, Melati Suryodarmo and Sha Ine Febriyanti.

KOMPAS/SEKAR GANDHAWANGI

The atmosphere of the Ruwatan Bumi event in the Borobudur Temple area, Magelang, Central Java on Tuesday (13/9/2022).

The heritage of the wealth of cultural objects and intangibles is a cultural identity which is the main strength of a nation, as stated by Juri Lina in Architects of Deception (2004).

The destruction of natural wealth is related to cultural identity because ancestral traditions are always related to nature.

Thus, efforts to subjugate a nation are carried out first by erasing the youth's memory of its history. This is done by obscuring and eliminating historical evidence, then breaking ties with their ancestors. This has happened throughout the history of human civilization.

And this continues. History lessons are increasingly considered irrelevant, obsolete or out of date. Many young people do not know what happened in May 1998, let alone events further back.

The matter of visiting graves is now increasingly being debated.

Historical evidence is confounded by claims that negate historical origins. Historical evidence has been destroyed, abandoned, lost, stolen or traded. Ties to ancestors have been broken by dogmas or teachings which state that ancestors are primitive because they worshipped stones and trees. The matter of visiting graves is now increasingly being debated.

At the same time as this decline, however, a new passion has emerged to return to the noble teachings of the ancestors, accompanied by persistent questions about the existence of all beings: sangkan paraning dumadi, where do humans come from and where will they return to?

In this context, the Ruwatan Bumi found a greater meaning in traditional cultural performances, namely the saving of the cultural identity of the archipelago in the midst of a storm of uniformity in the name of religion and saving Indonesia, whose strength lies in its cultural diversity. The Ruwatan Bumi was also an opportunity to tap into the consciousness of free souls to be freed from the dominant culture that marginalizes, attacks and destroys.

Maria Hartiningsih, Author, Journalist for Kompas Daily, 1984-2015

(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo)