The Messages of Punakawan
I am sure that times can change. Cultures can shift. Social structures can be corrected. Laws can be subjected to judicial reviews. But what will be eternal and hard to change are the values of life.
Amid the resounding big narrations, sometimes we need to go deeper into small versions in the cultural realm. They may take the form of sayings, proverbs, wise words, quatrains and the like.
I have often been fascinated by the messages in traditional glass paintings with the images of punakawan (court servants). Their words are simple but down to earth. Every time I see glass paintings portraying punakawan – Semar, Gareng, Petruk and Bagong – that are always coupled with wise advice, I am directly reminded of the official residence of cultural expert “UK,” (the late) Umar Kayam, in Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta.
In the 1980s the house practically served as a gathering place for college students, social activists, artists, journalists and intellectuals. It was a convenient place to chat about sociopolitical issues. And it was safe. UK became a magnet.
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Amid the talks that frequently overlapped, everyone would be entertained by UK’s clever and amusing jokes. Often written in his columns and related in various conversations was the scene of him dialoguing with a glass painting. On a wall near the sitting room hangs a small glass painting by Sastro Gambar, Muntilan.
It bore the image of Semar pointing his finger before his three sons, Gareng, Petruk and Bagong, and above them the words Sapa durung sholat? (Who has not performed daily prayers?). Every time UK came out of his room, he would face the question in the glass painting, Sapa durung sholat?, to which UK readily responded by raising his finger, “Kula!” (It’s me!) and we laughed when we remembered this scene. It was because of its interpretations, whether UK promptly took ablution water and performed his prayer, or if he just offered pleasantries to admit that he had not yet prayed.
Turning into a boomerang
The driving force of such inexpensive folk paintings is thus felt here. Paintings with punakawan images do not merely turn out to be a complement to interior elements, but convey instruction, advice and guidance. They originate in the crystallization of ancestral thoughts and wisdom. They constitute the essence of knowledge of life that is shared through the sense of artistry.
Today we may still be able to find the same things in remote village homes in Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java. On terraces, warm greeting words are often written, Sugeng Rawuh (Welcome). In sitting rooms, various themed punakawan scenes decorated with ribbons are frequently found.
There are many sayings, for instance Aja Dumeh (Do Not Be Conceited), Rukun Agawe Santosa (Harmony Creates Security), “Ajining Diri Seka Lathi (Respect Comes From Speech), Melik Nggendong Lali (Possession May Lead to Disregard), Aja Nguntal Negara (Do Not Eat the State) and many others.
What raises curiosity is why do the paintings use glass? Why do they borrow punakawan characters to convey the sayings that are full of wisdom and sagacity?
I guess that with the medium of transparent glass painted on the opposite side, the painting will always be clean. It is enough to wipe them when dirty. Their maintenance is easier than those of paintings on paper that are prone to the ravages of time. It seems that initiators of “providing guidance through glass paintings” intended to make the driving force last for a long time. They can thus be handed down through generations.
Why do they borrow punakawan characters to convey the sayings that are full of wisdom and sagacity?
Nearly all the guidance, appeals and advice conveyed are imbued with essential values of life. They are substantial. They always remind men of their human nature. Men are not gods, nor are they prophets. They do not own or monopolize truth. Men are limited. Self-exaltation and indulging in arrogance are forbidden.
If we, for instance, adhere to the punakawan suggestion Ajining diri seka lathi (Respect for us comes from speech), we will be careful and alert when talking. Accurate speech is maintained. Speaking certainly implies the articulation of thoughts, which should come purely from intellectual awareness. It is not due to satanic spells or devilish whispers.
The popular phrase is now “your mouth is your tiger.” Sometimes it’s just our own mouths that pounce on us. They become a boomerang that launches a return attack, even uncovering and revealing falsehoods so far hidden safely in the deepest inner selves.
Full of metaphors
The punakawan characters borrowed as a means of communicating messages in my view have gone through a tight selection. Punakawan were the servants, retainers and domestic workers of the Pandawa knights. They were tasked with caring for and attending to the knights. They reminded the knights of any deviation from the right path so as to return to the ideal direction. They were in charge of entertaining and gently cautioning the knights.
The task was also performed with humor and jokes. A lot of metaphors and semiotics were involved. Punakawan would pinch, but the ones pinched would never feel pain. They felt tickled at most and grimaced, swearing in their minds. Punakawan criticized, but the criticism, although very sharp, would not come out as remarks of hatred or insult. In this respect, critics have often become foolish, finding it hard to recognize simple cases. Punakawan representing the common people always upheld civility in offering social corrections.
The model of punakawan criticism would also be different when they faced the knights’ traits, especially the knights of Kurawa Astina, frequently described as temperamental, fierce and sensitive. Sarcastic moves could be launched, but they remained in the corridor of egalitarian civility. Unfortunately, strong sarcasm would be paralyzed when facing kind-hearted knights who from the beginning had assumed a humble attitude. Without needing pressure, without humiliation, they were already in the humble position of knighthood. It was open asceticism, being ascetic in public activity.
Personal fortune
At present, when the realm of democracy opens its doors widely and social media as the product of cultural change (from analog to digital) also apparently allow people with full freedom to let loose opinion, we reflect on this: are the wisdom and sagacity conveyed by the glass paintings still beneficial?
I am sure that times can change. Cultures can shift. Social structures can be corrected. Laws can be subjected to judicial reviews. But what will be eternal and hard to change are the values of life. The forceful messages of the glass paintings are understood as the essence of life that guides the direction of humanity’s journey. They have gone through the filters of dynamism of ancestral life.
The simple message Melik nggendong lali described by Petruk in his luxury attire, sitting on the throne and holding a woman on his lap, while Gareng, Bagong and Semar are cautioning against the behavior in panic, demands people to be alert against the temptation of a hedonistic and materialistic lifestyle. The desire for possessing wealth, position and power occasionally causes the fall of people who (in the public’s impression) are respectable and innocent.
I am sure that times can change. Cultures can shift. Social structures can be corrected. Laws can be subjected to judicial reviews. But what will be eternal and hard to change are the values of life.
Those who are now occupying Sukamiskin prison and the cells of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPU) and previously appeared as “respectable and innocent,” may have not had the opportunity to reflect on the advice of the wise punakawan. Their advice is simple and down to earth.
The same is true of the advice in the painting of the late Maryono, Muntilan, Central Java, Aja Nguntal Negara. Petruk is portrayed in an aristocratic costume sitting in a chair while holding a globe of the Indonesian archipelago with his mouth open as if wanting to swallow the state, while Semar, Gareng and Bagong are trying to warn him but are ignored. This message is clear. Whoever occupies bureaucratic and political positions must not be greedy or wishing to swallow the country. Never consider the regional budget and state budget as a personal fortune that can be squandered away at will.
So, if today thousands of people are anticipating their positions as legislative members, regents, mayors, governors, the vice president or president, I hope they will not hesitate to display Aja Nguntal Negara paintings in their respective homes. This is meant to make them face the folk painting every time they wake up and like the cultural expert UK promptly raise their fingers to smartly answer, Noninjih. Siap!!! (Yes. I’m ready!!!” It means being ready not to swallow the country.
Butet Kartarejasa
Butet Kartaredjasa
Actor
This article was translated by Aris Prawira.