The Bugis Of South Sulawesi

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The people of Bugis-Makassar is the residents of South Sulawesi ( Celebes ) covers an area around 100.457 square kilo meters, with total population around 5.600.000. This people is famous for their expert in sailing on the deep ocean. As a sailor they have spreaded over many areas of Indonesia such as North Sumatera, Malaysia, Kalimantan, Java, Bali, Maluku, Sumbawa, and West Flores.

Their house is built on wooden poles so it is a high house. Basically there are 2 types: a type of feudal house and the other is common people house. Although they are Moslem but during house construction theymake some ceremonies according to the local belief.

Basic economic activity in South Sulawesi is farming such as rice and corn. In the past during 19th century south Sulawesi was surplus on farming products and sea products, so it can be exported to other part of Indonesia, even China for their Holothurioidea ( sea stars fish ). People of South Sulawesi is famous for their sea exploration as a sailors to catch fish and transport products by sea with sailing boat up to Philippine, West Papua New Guinea, and even Australia. Until today most of traditional cargo boats in Indonesia re navigated by people from South Sulawesi.

Ninety percent of the population is Moslem, and 10% Christian and others. Moslem was started in 17th century. However local tradition before was still alive such as concept of organization and life ethic wich all now incorporated into Moslem. Other tradition is relected in a book written in the past such as the ar of La Galigo story.

In South Sulawesi there is one a famous tourism object located on Northern area of the province. But this area is belong to Toraja Culture, with the residents of Central Sulawesi. The Torajan speak different dialect from Bugis-Makassar. The area is 325 kilo meters away from the capital city of Bugis-Makassar that is Makassar city, and with driving takes around 7 to 8 hours. The tradition of Toraja is very deeply ritualistic and a an excessive co-operation among their members due to their heavy burden of rituals, although most of them are already Christian and Moslem

THE MINAHASA NORTH SULAWESI

The area covers 5.273 square kilometers, with total resident of 1.718.000 people based on cencus in 1971. There are also residents coming from other part of Indonesia such as Chinese, Makasar, European, Arabian, and from islands near Ambon.

Based on their dialect they are consist of 4 groups, but each other still understand in communication, except dialect of Tonsawang, it changes to far from it's parent language. Their basic living are farmers with still big numbers depending on seasonal planting. Only during rainy season they cultivate the land and plant corn, vegetables, spices, bean, cassava, yam, etc. Some good soil especially in Minahasa regency with it's capital Manado can be cultivated all year round. So here the farmer more established.

The Minahasan mostly Christian, but there are also small part Moslem, Buddha and others. Local believe is still alive, especially those traditional rituals to the ancestor's spirits.
Manado has excellent underwater life which is already famous among world's divers. Diving spots are around the islands of Bunaken, and Manado Tua. Karl Muller the author of the Periplus Addition of Indonesia Under Water said that Bunaken diving site is world class walls and outstanding fish life.

The Minahasan is also have Mongoloid characters and speak Malayu - Polinesian variation of the language. There are many people also coming from Ambon ( Maluku ) area where people have more melanesoid characters, beside also European, during the colonization of Indonesia. So, in Manado the people are mixed between them.

Kotagede, Traditional district of Yoyakarta

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What is now the Kota Gede district of Yogyakarta is in fact the original capital of the Mataram kingdom, the great 16^th century Muslim kingdom which held sway over most of Java, until the Dutch arrived. The city was founded by the first sultan of Mataram, Panembahan Senopati, in 1582. Not much of the old capital remains, but Senopati is buried in the graveyard of a very old mosque deep in the small back alleys of the old city.

The mosque is rather interesting, as it reflects a Javan style just beginning to be adapted to Islam. Gates have roofs in the same stacked meru style of Hindu temples, and you can even find depictions of the Hindu god Kali around the graveyard.

The small streets and alleys around the mosque and graveyard can be quite charming to walk around in. There's a slower pace to life here despite the modern times.

Today, the Kota Gede area is better known for its many silver shops. You don't have to go far from the graveyard of the first sultan to find a large silver factory. These can be quite nice, but the prices are not as good as Bali.

Masjid Agung Demak (Demak Mosque), Central Java

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Masjid Agung Demak (or the Great Demak Mosque) is one of the oldest

mosques in Indonesia, located in the center town of Demak, Central Java Indonesia. The mosque is believed to be built by the Wali Songo (the nine pious religious leaders) during the first Demak Sultanate ruler, Raden Patah during the 15th century.[citation needed] This mosque is the proof of glory achieved by the Demak Bintoro kingdom as the first Islamic kingdom in Java island.

Mosque Features

Masjid Agung Demak is the classic example of a traditional Javanese mosque. Unlike mosques in the Middle East it is built from timber. The tiered roof is supported by four enormous teak pillars. This means that the mosque is rather small when compared to many modern Indonesian mosques. The tiered roof shows many similarities with wooden religious structures from the Hindu-Buddhist civilizations of Java and Bali. The main entrance of Masjid Agung Demak consists of two doors carved with motifs of plants, vases, crowns and an animal head with an open wide-toothed mouth. It is said that picture depicts the manifested thunder caught by Ki Ageng Selo, hence their name “Lawang Bledheg” (the doors of thunder).

The Carving and Historical Relics of Masjid Agung Demak

The carvings at Lawang Bledheg are also interpreted according to chronogram based on lunar calculation as “Naga mulat salira wani” which means Saka Year 1388 or A.D. 1466 as the year in which Masjid Agung Demak existed. The front wall of the mosuqe is inset with sixty-six porcelain tiles. These exquisite blue and white tiles are believed to derive from Champa in modern-day Vietnam, a kingdom with which Demak's former rival Majapahit had extensive trade contacts. According to some reports, these tiles were stolen from the palace of the Sultan of Majapahit and later added to the mosque. Masjid Agung Demak has many historical remainders and unique things, such as Saka Tatal; Maksurah; Dhampar Kencana/pulpit; Saka Majapahit; etc. Besides that in the environment of Masjid Agung Demak there are also graves of the sultans of Demak and a museum. (source : wikipedia)

Plaosan Temple, the Twin Temple in Yogyakarta

After visiting Prambanan temple, you should not rush to your hotel, because close to the beautiful Hindu temple, you can also see other interesting temples. Moving 1 kilometer northwards, you will find Plaosan Temple; a temple constructed by Rakai Pikatan for her wife, Pramudyawardani. The architect of the temple that is located in Bugisan village of Prambanan sub-district is combination of Hindu and Buddha.

Plaosan complex is divided into 2 groups, namely the North Plaosan Temple and the South Plaosan Temple. Both of the temples have square terrace that is encircled by wall, a pillbox for meditation at the west part and dome on other side. Because of that similarity, the appearance of both temples are the same when they are seen from distant so that Plaosan temple is also called the twin temples.

The North Plaosan Temple has middle courtyard encircled by wall with the entrance at the west side. In the middle of the courtyard, there is a hall as wide as 21.62 m x 19 m. At the eastern part of the hall, there are 3 altars, namely north, east and south altars. The pictures of Amitbha, Ratnasambhava, Vairochana, and Aksobya are at the east altar. Samantabadhara statue and Ksitigarba figure is at the north altar, while Manjusri picture is at the west alter.

The South Plaosan temple also has a hall at the center that is encircled by 8 small temples that is divided into 2 ranks and each rank consists of 4 temples. There also pictures of Tathagata Amitbha, Vajrapani with vajra attribute at the utpala and Pranjaparamita who was considered "the mother of all Buddha". Some other pictures can still be found but not at their original places. Manujri figure that according to a Dutch scientist named Krom is significant can also be seen.

Part of this bas relief has unique picture of man and woman. There is a man described as sitting cross-legged with worshipping hands and a figure of a man with vara mudra and vse at his leg encircled by six smaller men. A woman is described as standing with vara mudra hands, while there are book, pallet, and vase around her. Krom explains that figures of those man and woman are descriptions of supporting patron from two monasteries.

The entire complex of Plaosan temple has 116 ancillary domes and 50 ancillary temples. Ancillary domes can be seen on each side of the main temple, as can smaller ancillary temples. Walking northwards, you can see open building called Mandapa. Two inscriptions can also be found; they are the inscription on gold coin at the north of the main temple and an inscription written on a stone in the first line of the ancillary temples.

One of the characteristics of Plaosan temple is the smooth surface of the terrace. Krom explains that such a terrace is different from other temples of the same time. To his opinion, it is related to the function of a temple by that time that is predicted to keep canonical texts owned by Buddhist monks. Other prediction by Dutch scientists, if the number of monks in that area is small then the terrace might be used as a place for Buddhists to pray.

If you go around the temple complex, you will notice that the complex of Plaosan temple is wide. That can also be noticed from long fence stretching 460 meters from north to south and 290 meters from west to east. There is also moat inside stretching as long as 440 meters from north to south and 270 meters from west to east. The moat can be seen by walking eastwards through the middle part of this historical building

Borobudur Temple, Central Java

The expression of experts who had been studying Borobudur Temple varied someway. Bernet Kempers' expression was: "Borobudur is Borobudur", meaning that Borobudur Temple is very unique in her own way. Nieuwenkamp (an artist) imaginated Borobudur as "a big lotus flower bud ready to bloom" which was "floating" on a lake. Nieuwenkamp’s imagination was supported by N. Rangkuti (1987) that from the air, the Borobudur Temple looks floating. From the geological studies, experts were able to prove that Borobudur area was one time a big lake. Most of the villages around Borobudur Temple were at the same altitude, 235 meters above the sea-level. The same altitude included the Pawon and Mendut temples. Thus the area under 235 meter altitude was below the lake water level.

LOCATION
This temple is located at Borobudur District, South of Magelang, Central Java.

HISTORY
Based on the inscription dated 842 AD, Casparis suggested that Borobudur was one time a place for praying. The inscription stated a phrase such as: “Kawulan i Bhumi Sambhara”. Kawulan means the origin of holiness, "bhumi sambhara" is a name of a place in Borobudur. Paul Mus stated that Borobudur Temple had the structure of stupa (conical form) with double expression. As a whole, the Borobudur Temple was an open-flat stupa, but on the other hand, the temple expressed the idea of a “closed world”. The latter expression could be felt when one is already inside the temple. Whenever person is inside the temple, his or her view will be limited to high walls full on relieves, the verandah is always squared in such a way that one could not see other parts of the temple, even in a same floor. The same feeling happened if one stood on arupadhatu round platform, he or she will have a wider view only on that level, but are not able to see the lower level nor the upper level like the one on rupadhatu and kamandhatu. It could be said that Borobudur is a symbol of cosmic mountain covered by the sky roof, a specific world that could be reached through isolated alleys as stages. The closed structural design of the temple expressed the concept of a closed world, not just a technical reasons as had been suggested by other experts ( Daud AT, 1987)

Borobudur was built by Sanmaratungga in the 8th century, and belongs to Buddha Mahayana. Borobudur was revealed by Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles in 1814. The temple was found in ruined condition and was buried.

DESCRIPTION
The overall height was 42 meters, but was only 34.5 meters after restoration, and had the dimension of 123 x 123 meters (15,129 square meters). There were 10 floors. The first floor up to the sixth floor was square form, the seventh to the tenth floor were round form.

Borobudur is facing to the East with a total of 1460 panels (2 meters wide each). Total size of the temple walls was 2500 square meters, full of relief. The total number of panels with relief was 1212. According to investigations, the total number of Buddha statue was 504 including the intact and damaged statues. The temple undergone restoration from 1905 to 1910, and the last restoration was done in 1973 to 1983.

Ever since the first excavation, most experts speculated on the exact shape of the temple. Hoenig, in his book "Das form problem des Borobudur" speculate that the original form of Borobudur Temple had four gates and nine floors. The form of Borobudur Temple is similar to temples found in Cambodia. According to Parmenteir, the huge single stupa on top of the temple made the smaller stupas in the lower part looked drowned. Stutterheim who had been studying stupas in India and other parts of Asia concluded that the stupa structure was an Indian origin. The original purpose of stupa building was as storage of Buddha Gautama and other holy priests cremation ash.

According to Stutterheim, the overall form of Borobudur Temple is a combination of zigurat (middle Asian Pyramid) and Indian stupa. Stutterheim opinion was supported by the existence of this type of form in Ancient Javanese literature.

The relief of Borobudur temple started from the base of the temple up to the fourth platform. The relieves at the base contained the story of Karmawibhangga. Under the main panel and above the Karmawibhangga relief, a wide-sized relief was inscripted at the wall. From this point along the alley, the relief did not show story in the sequence, but as a repeating part of the story with the same motives which expressed the world of spiritual beings such as half demonic body (Gandharwa, giants or Yataka, dragon, Sidha or angels and their ladies friends, Apsara and Nagi, all of them are heavenly beings who are tender and beautiful.

Division of panels are: the first panel expressed a heavenly being in sitting position, on both side of this panel are small panel with a small standing statue. This figures are repeated 26 times for each side of the wall. Between the panels is carved three bodies, a male flanked by two women.
(source : en.wikipedia.org)

Ambon culture, Maluku

The region is both culturally and racially located "on the crossroads" between Indonesia and Melanesia. The most outstanding culture trait adopted from Melanesia is the kakehan, a secret men's society on Ceram, the only such society in the entire Indonesian archipelago.

The Moluccas or "Spice Islands" were originally the only place where nutmeg and cloves were found. Already known in ancient Rome and probably much earlier in China, these coveted spices attracted traders and immigrants from Java and other Indonesian islands, as well as Indians, Arabs, and Europeans. Through intermarriage, a wide spectrum of physical types emerged, often varying widely from village to village, and Ambonese culture became a mind-dazzling amalgam of earlier, indigenous cultural traits with concepts and beliefs of Hindu-Javanese, Arab, Portuguese, and Dutch origin.

The Ambonese culture area can be divided into two subcultures, namely the Alifuru culture of the interior tribes of Ceram, and the Pasisir culture of Ambon-Lease and coastal stretches of western Ceram. The Alifuru are horticulturalists who practiced headhunting until pacification by the Dutch shortly before World War I. Most Ambonese clans in the Pasisir region trace their ancestry to the mountain regions of Ceram, and Alifuru culture forms the basis of Ambonese culture. Much of Alifuru culture has been destroyed by zealous Christian missionaries from the Pasisir region who could not perceive that much of what they attacked as "pagan" in Ceram was sacred to themselves in Ambon-Lease. This resulted in the paradox that the Christian villages on Ambon-Lease, converted some 400 years earlier, have conserved their cultural heritage better than the recently converted mountain villages on Ceram, which nowadays find themselves in a cultural limbo and in a state of economic depression. While in the Pasisir region Protestant Christianity and Islam dominate the worldview of their respective followers, traditional beliefs and practices (adat) continue to govern social relationships in both religious communities.

The rapid expansion of Islam in this region during the fifteenth century was contained with the arrival of the Portuguese (in 1511), who converted most of the "pagan" population to Roman Catholicism during their century of colonial rule. In 1605 the Dutch replaced them, and remained there until 1950. They turned the Christian population into Calvinist Protestants and instituted a spice monopoly despite the fierce resistance of both Muslims and Christians. In the nineteenth century, after the decline of the spice trade, Ambonese Muslims faded into the background while the fortunes of the Christians became ever more closely tied to the Dutch. As trusted and loyal soldiers, they became the mainstay of the Dutch colonial army (KNIL). Belonging to the best-educated groups in the Netherlands Indies, many were employed in the colonial administration and private enterprises outside their homeland.

This pattern of emigration has continued in the postindependence period. Muslims, formerly excluded for the most part from education, are now fast catching up with the Christians and competing with them for jobs. After World War II, most Ambonese soldiers remained loyal to the Dutch and fought with them against the Indonesian nationalists. The Dutch transfer of sovereignty to Indonesia led in 1950 to the declaration of an independent Republic of the South Moluccas (RMS), but this failed. Fearing reprisals from the nationalists, some 4,000 Ambonese soldiers and their families were "temporarily" transferred to the Netherlands in 1951. Because of their steadfast attachment to the RMS ideal, their return became impossible. The resulting frustrations led to a series of terrorist actions, including spectacular train hijackings, in the 1970s. During the entire period of exile, the group has displayed strong separatist tendencies, foiling all attempts of the Dutch to assimilate them. Only recently has there been some willingness toward functional integration.

The Dramatic of Kecak Dance, Bali

The Kecak dance is one of the most famous of Balinese dances. It is unusual because it has no musical accompaniment like many other Indonesian dances do, the rhythm of the dance is produced by the chanting 'monkey' chorus. Instead, a troupe of over 150 bare-chested men serve as the chorus, making a wondrous cacophony of synchronized "chak-achak-achak" clicking sounds while swaying their bodies and waving their hands .From that chanting noise of "Cak-cak-cak", then it gave the dance its name Kecak.

What makes the Kecak such a fascinating dance to watch are the fifty or so men in the checkered pants. They are both the choir and the props, providing the music for the story in a series of constant vocal chants that change with the mood of the actors. They don't sit still, either, they wave their arms to simulate fire, and reposition themselves around the stage to represent wind and fire, prison cells, and unseen hand of protection from the gods.

The dance is played in five acts and lasts roughly 45 minutes. It taken from the Hindu epic Ramayana, which tells the story of Prince Rama and his rescue of Princess Sita, who has been kidnapped by the evil King of Lanka, Rahwana and somehow with the help of the white monkey army, Rama rescues his wife and defeats the evil Rahwana.

Attending a Kecak recital is a must for any visitor to Bali. It is a wondrous experience, and a window into the musical and artistic culture that make the Balinese a special people.

Saman, religi dance from Aceh

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"Saman" the most popular dance in Aceh and the dance that has become well-known abroad with the name "Thousand hands". It has its origin from the Alas ethnic group and is normally performed to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. and other important occasions. Eight to twenty male performers kneel in a row on the floor and make different kinds of torso movements accompanied by songs, clapping hands, slapping chests, slapping hands on the floor, etc. The songs are praises to Allah or prayers. The dance starts with slow movements and increases its tempo gradually to great speed and finally come to a sudden stop. There are many different regional versions of "Saman"
Meuseukat"Meusekat" is almost the same as "Saman". The only difference is that "Meusekat" is performed by women and originates in west and south Aceh. (Sources: Aceh.net)

Aceh culture, Nangroe Aceh Darussalam

The special district of Aceh is located on the northern most top of Sumatera island, covers an area of 55.390 square kilo meters, include 3 mains islands on the north shore. Actually there are many small islands still not mentioned here. Aceh is one of the areas in Indonesia that already introduce writing. Their writing is called Arab-Malay and was used by older generations, while younger generations do not know this writing anymore since in school they study Latin alphabets.
The nature anger that devastated Aceh in 2004 has been living a great missery to the people of Aceh, which religious piety has been the most strongest in the world. We belive that the people of Aceh are really obeyed the religion from the deepest heart, not like other coutries that hold Muslim as only the outer mark to get the sympathy of the illitrate. The strong obedience of Aceh to Muslim do not bear terrorists like other countries or areas. Yet we as a human being do not understand why such a religious ethic must be punished by mother nature not limited to the Aceh provice only but Yogyakrta and South Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Central Lombok where Muslim are planted soo deep. In Aceh, based on language that exists, can be grouped into 4 dialects from the same great parent of Autronesian. Those 4 dialects have been developed so far, so each other do not understand by their own language.

1. Gayo - Alas dialect; is spoken by Gayo land people in central Aceh,
2. Aneuk Jamee dialect; spoken by group in South and West Aceh,
3. Tamiang dialect; spoken by people scattered along the border of Aceh and North Sumatera at the east side,
4. Aceh dialect; spoken by 70% of the total Special District of Aceh, those are living in East, North, Pidie, and part of West Aceh.

The shape of their houses is called high house, as it is built on a wooden poles to avoid animal attack and flooding. Their basic subsistence are rice, but their irrigation system is still not yet developed and largely depend on season which is only once a year. They also grow catles such as cows and buffaloes. They know also trading intra provinces such as with North Sumatera with Medan as the center of the economic activities. Other farming products such as coffee and rubber are all exported to Medan. In the past Aceh is also famous for their spice, but with the monopoly of Dutch East Company, their prices were always valueless and the farming was neglected by the people. See from their traditional organization Aceh showing a democratic organization which is manifested in an organization called Gampong. Beside the head of Gampong and his assistants there is a people representative elected from senior peoples who have vast experiences to sit in the element of Gampong organization and involve in the society's affairs. Aceh is the first Indonesian region to receive the influence of Islam and has been developing into loyal Moslem devotees, and take every efforts to establish Islam in all life's aspects. That is why Aceh is often called " the gate of Mecca ". But Acehnese is not a religious extremists, nor a terrorists, they are Malay people sharing common virtues and wickedness with all of Indonesian. Due to the bad management of Indonesian government in the past they are now requesting an independency

Dayak Culture, Kalimantan

Dayak is a name of tribes that identifies the various indigenous peoples on the island of Borneo by the Indonesian part known as Kalimantan. They are divided into about 450 ethno-linguistic groups. Despite some differences, these group share physical features, architecture, language, an oral tradition, customs, social structure, weapons, agricultural technology and a similar outlook on life.

Dayak population estimated at about four million spread over the four Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan / Borneo, the Malaysian territories of Sabah and Serawak and Brunei Darussalam. In Sabah, the Dayak are known as Kadazandusun.

In the past, anthropologists described the Dayak as the "legendary natives of Borneo" who lived in longhouse and engaged in head-hunting. Today, they form a small minority, the loser in an era of swift change and modernization.

The original Dayak identity their cultural, economic, religious and political life has been preserved through their oral tradition. Experts agree that there are many basic affinitives in the legends of the various Dayak groups. Sadly, though, all the original elements of Dayak life as described in the legends have suffered significantly from external elements.

Modern Religions

Christianity greatly affected the status of legends among the Dayak groups. The legends, which were recited during rituals, were dismissed as animistic. The Christian converts deem adherents to the traditional religion primitive and obsolete. The doctrine was spread through schools and sermons in the villages. In Central Kalimantan, people call it the "obsolete yeast" or "emptying glass" policy. Anthropologist J.J. Kusni concludes in one of his books that the propagation of Christianity amounts to the conquering of the Dayak.

The Christian proselytizers shouldering what they call ‘la mission sacre’ of civilizing the savage peoples see the Dayak culture as ‘obsolete yeast’, worth disposing. The ‘obsolete yeast’ concept tends to drain the Dayak of their culture and fill them out with new values," says Kusni. The policy was exercised not only in Central Kalimantan, but also in East, West and South Kalimantan. Further, Christianity was considered as a savior and a symbol of modernization. The impact has been great. The Christians are uncomfortable attending funerals and weddings of pagans.

In a West Kalimantan village, used as a base by a Christian mission, posters are plastered all over the place to intimidate Dayaks from practicing their cultural traditions. A poster in illustrates a path branching in two. The left is "the road to hell", with a picture of a ritual at the end of the road. The right is "the road to heaven", with a picture of modern life is seen at the end of the road.

Lifestyle

Before the 1950s, the Dayak peoples lived in communal longhouses. Today, longhouses are rare in Kalimantan. Their disappearance in turn affects the process of preserving the social, economic, cultural, and political values of the Dayak. Before, children were taught the basics, including the legends. Before going to bed, youngsters relaxed in the soah (open area) to listen to their parents tell stories. The change from living in longhouses to single-family houses makes it impossible for the Dayak to continue the story telling tradition. There is simply not enough space in a single-family house for it.

The coming of radio and television has promoted a consumptive culture. This is the era of new colonialism by capitalism. Dayak youngsters migrate to Indonesian cities in great numbers, either to pursue their studies or make a living. They are enthralled with the glamour and lifestyle of urban Indonesians. Some drop out of school, lacking skills and knowledge, to pursue this lifestyle. This is the short cut attitude. In Pontianak, for example, dozens of Dayak girls, end up working the bars, karaoke joints and hotels.

Since the 1970s, the Dayak have been baffled by the existence of mining projects, logging by forest concessionaires, plantations and industrial timber estates. Socio-economic expert Mubyarto said the presence of the giant projects in Kalimantan changed the Dayak’s source of wealth.

The rattan monopoly has impoverished the Dayak in East and Central Kalimantan. The gold mining in Ampalit (Central Kalimantan ), coal mining in East Kalimantan and gold mining in Monterado (West Kalimantan) have caused the locals to suffer. The same thing has happened to the Dayak Bentian, Dayak Pawan-Keriau and Empurang. They struggle against the plantations, which are partly financed with foreign loans. They are forced to give their land to the investors. After the land transfer, all the plants, all the sacred places and cemeteries were demolished and replaced by palm oil trees. They are forced to pay the investors for the privilege of living on their own land in installments.

The project ruins the environment, as well as the social, cultural and political patterns. They have marginalized the sovereignty and dignity of the Dayak over the Land and natural resources.