Celebrating Diversity in Jamblang
For 20 years Abdul Rauf Karim, a 61-year-old Muslim man, has helped with the funerals of Chinatown residents and contributed to maintaining diversity in Jamblang, Cirebon regency, West Java.
That afternoon, Rauf, who was born in Makassar, South Sulawesi, was setting up a meeting room for a funeral service near the Dharma Rhakita vihara (also called Jamblang vihara) in Jamblang village. Chairs and tables were arranged neatly, along with prepackaged cups of mineral water.
Near the entrance, the body of Goei Seng Liem, who had died at the age of 74, lay in a coffin near a jasmine wreath in the shape of a cross and two candles framing a photo of the deceased.
“The departed will be buried here, in the village. The cemetery here is mixed, with Christians, Muslims and Confucians,” said Rauf, who is a member of the Dana Setia Bakti Association that manages the Jamblang vihara. Including Rauf, five members of the foundation are Muslims.
As the foundation’s funeral director, Rauf is responsible for the funeral services of all members of the vihara.
Rauf has served in the position since 20 years ago, when he was a non-commissioned officer (Babinsa) of the Indonesian Military (TNI) assigned as the village supervisor. In 2010, he retired from the military with the rank of sergeant major.
“There are no problems here, despite the religious differences,” said Indah Yuli Rahayu, 40. The hijab-wearing woman had just finished her prayers for her late uncle, Goei Seng Liem.
Indah is Christian. Her father Wadri is Muslim, while her mother Siti Rahayu is Christian. Indah converted to Islam when she married her husband Nurdin, a Muslim. “Our families always get together for Idul Fitri and Chinese New Year. It’s very festive,” she said.
Oyo Kuswoyo, a 60-year-old Muslim who lives near the vihara and the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) in Jamblang, also has good memories of living in harmony among villagers of different religions. “The Tionghoa people who now work as farmers or gold traders are all my childhood friends,” he said, using the vernacular for Indonesians of Chinese descent.
Oyo used to play on the lawn in front of the vihara as a child. He still remembers the joyous Independence Day contests at the vihara, where the villagers competed good-naturedly for fantastic prizes such as sacks of rice, goats and even motorcycles. People from outside Cirebon also used to come, but due to safety reasons, the annual event was scrapped in the late 1970s.
However, Oyo still maintains good ties with the Tionghoa people in Jamblang. On Thursday afternoon (27/6/2019), for instance, he attended the formal declaration of Jamblang Old Town as a tourism destination. He sat on the lawn along with dozens of other villagers to watch a barongsai (lion dance) performance.
Mosque and temple
Herwanto Siswandi, the caretaker of Jamblang vihara, said that tolerance had existed in the village since the kelenteng (Chinese temple) was built in the 15th century. Although the records do not detail who built the temple, Herwanto said that it was constructed around the same time as the Sang Cipta Rasa Grand Mosque in Cirebon, around 16 kilometers away.
Built in 1480, the mosque is a legacy of Sunan Gunung Jati, one of the Wali Sanga – the nine saints who spread Islam through Java. “The wood used for the temple’s roof was sourced from the same tree as the wood used for the grand mosque,” said Herwanto, pointing to a black beam in the temple roof.
The story goes that Sunan Gunung Jati, who was then the Sultan of Cirebon, needed wood to build the grand mosque. A large tree stood in Jatiwangi, Majalengka, that many had failed to cut down, but Njoo Kiet Tjit – also called Ki Buyut Cigoler – finally succeeded. Cigoler then asked for a length of wood from the tree to use in the temple roof. The Sultan granted his request.
“Even though [Sunan Gunung Jati] was a proselytizer of Islam, he respected other cultures and religions,” said the current sultan of Cirebon, Sultan Sepuh XIV Pangeran Raja Adipati Arief Natadiningrat, adding that Sunan Gunung Jati’s wife, Princess Ong Tien, had visited the temple.
Village head Nurlaelah said that diversity had transformed Jamblang, which spans 1.3 square kilometers, into a production center for confectionery, gold and automobiles. Businessmen from neighboring districts such as Plered and Arjawinangun used to trade in Jamblang.
“But the local economy collapsed during the financial crisis in the 1990s. We are trying to develop Jamblang’s Chinatown through tourism,” said Nurlaelah, adding that she would allocate a portion of the village funds to develop the area in Jamblang’s Kota Tua, or Old Town.
“Cirebon is similar to Kota Tua (Old Town) in Jakarta. In Jamblang, we have not just old buildings, but also culinary destinations, crafts and tolerance,” Cirebon acting regent Imron Rosyadi said, pointing to Jamblang vihara. The Cirebon administration plans to revitalize the area in 2020.
Cirebon’s perennial diversity also stems from nasi Jamblang, a unique local dish. Cirebon cultural observer Abidin Aslich said that the dish was created when the people of Jamblang came to the grand mosque’s construction site in search for wood chips to use as cooking fuel.
“It is told that someone said that the rice had good flavor, because it was cooked using wood chips. It tasted better when served in a teak bowl,” he said.
And so, nasi Jamblang was born. The dish consists of rice and several side dishes, including tofu, egg and fish, which are all wrapped in teak leaf and cooked. It is said that the many different side dishes in nasi Jamblang symbolize Jamblang’s diversity.