Old Traditions & Customs
Aug 19th, 2008, in Opinion, Society, by RossRoss worries that the next target of Islamic fanatics will be old Javanese figures and traditions.
Goddess Versus Fanatics?
We were travelling up Jalan Hayam Wuruk towards North Jakarta on a kopaja, when I spotted a street artist’s display, which included a fine painting of Nyai Loro Kidul, the Goddess of the South Seas.
Nyai Loro Kidul
I praised it to my companion, then the perfectly normal-looking man sitting across from us interjected politely that it was a pity the current Sultan of Jogjakarta’s consort had not been willing for her man to take on the goddess as his junior wife.
His dad and granddad did so, but he won’t, hence the earthquakes etc. up that way.
My companion of course expressed her agreement with this comment, other passengers nodding assent, as if he’d said it was a lovely day today!
Coincidentally, Monday night, about 9pm, we tuned into El Shinta TV channel and caught a feature on a ceremony on the West Java Coast near Pelabuhan Ratu, hundreds of people making offerings to the Goddess, next to the Samoedra Hotel where a special room is dedicated to the diety. The celebrants were coordinated by Muslim chants of Allahu Akbar, which led me to comment that such rituals seemed hardly consonant with Islam. Hardly had I said so when one of the ladies filmed taking the waters in honour of Her Highness was interviewed, saying that the activity was a token of respect for Javanese tradition, religion not a problem.
We ourselves once used that hotel’s nice pool, and I had visited the room, though my companion chose not to, circumspect where matters of theology are concerned. I found it interesting, but assumed that the place was designed to attract tourists, but the El Shinta programme disabused me of this notion.
No doubt there is an element of tradition to what we saw, and good for that. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Goddess since the glorious actress Susanna portrayed her in those old movies. But there is also undoubtedly more than a suggestion of lingering adherence to an older faith than that currently asserting itself with intolerant violence.
Once the bad guys have suppressed Ahmadiyah and further cowed the mainstream minority religions of Indonesia, surely such rites as took place on the West Java beach will be under threat from the creeps of the FPI/Front Pembela Islam.
Goddesses out!
An Islam that can accommodate Java’s ancient traditions is alien to their narrow minds, and I fear for the future of the island’s culture if fanaticism continues to rise unchecked. Will Java to itself be true?
57 Comments on “Old Traditions & Customs”
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Wilson,
for the the record, I am interested. Might just inprove my world view and langauge skills. Really. Ross, I’ll buy a few copies, promise. Do you do delivery?
With doughnuts?
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Peter says:
Sorry Ross, it appears I misquoted you about the Javanese having “narrow minds”. I believe you were referring to the FPI with that statement. The graphic separating that paragraph made me think the latter part stood on its own.
As for the rest of my comment about your unstated assumptions being suspect, I still stand with that.
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timdog says:
@Barry Prima – I am on holiday at the moment and therefore do not have time to go into details…
Yeah, I’m a wigga from da Jatim hood mofo… yeah… is it becoz i iz black dat u iz havin dis attitude wid me?
And I’m a raging orientalist (but only at the weekends) of the kind described by Said (whose pernicious influence on modern accademia does no one any favours by the way)… yeah…
Yeah, and the brown man needs to be told what to do… yeah…Now, I understand only too well why a little paranoia might creep in at times on this particular website, and one might asume that one is surrounded by semi-literate Islamophobic infants, but calm down before you blow your top…
I too have experienced being pursued in dogmatic fashion from thread to thread by the saffron sword of Shloka; try scanning back through the “religion and religiosity” and FGM threads and various others before the point at which you jumped in – or if you can’t be bothered, just ask Shloka about me – before you make any assumptions about me and my attitude to Islam…Now, I’m going back to hangin wid ma homies from da ghetto mo fo…
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Shloka says:
Well timdog’s an Islamophile, Lairedion and dewa are Islamophobes and there are people of various shades in between, which is lovely as people are entitled to their own opinions. I can’t be bothered to comment for some time in future, as I have my studies- but I do wish you had come up with something innovative instead of Aluang’s palm oil and curry. I also wish your Prophet had come up with something innovative in his new religion instead of stuff from Jewish scripture with Arabized names but thats’ beside the point…
And Islamic demons don’t reside in my mind, like the Islamic djinns and Balinese demons, only in my surroundings- in London, France, my country, U.S.A., wherever I may visit, they can come to haunt and kill me with their bombs. Myabe if I visit Iran and am caught French kissing a guy, I’ll be stoned after being buried up to my waist, on the testimony of four witnesses.
Well, if timdog’s holidaying in Pakistan, one of his fave nations, I’m concerned for his safety as it has turned into a region of Muslims killing fellow Muslims on a regular basis. I ‘ll sincerely pray to al Lat, al Uzza, al Manat and all the other 360 idols Mohammed(PBUH) smashed, for your safety timdog! Paraying to Allah doesn’t seem to work even for Paki Muslims, who fall victim to Muslim terrorists regularly. 😉
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Aluang Anak Bayang says:
@ Timdog
I think you verbally attacked Barry because of his religion. He is afterall another Bule like you, just that he found the One True Religion.
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Purba Negoro says:
Shloka
behind the affected Victorian-era English- is a very obtuse slur against Islam.
You obviously have a very different brand of Islam- like that of your other great unwashed- fanaticism (insert Hindu/Islamic here).Your country has 700 million of 1 billion absolute destitute, being the only natin to boast resurgent leprosy and a body organs trade that makes China jealous.
Hindus from India are hated also in Bali with their attempts to impose their Hindu orthodxy- resisted to the point of being expelled from Indonesia.
Indonesians do not see ourselves as the replica of our Colonial masters, unlike the Indians and thus do not affect their accents, traditions of schoolboy sodomy, cross-dressing and polo nor even their actions- colonialism via religion or militarism.
If India has a religious problem- it is the hordes of Hindus converting to Christianity or Islam to escape generational hatred of their caste and kind- by a self-important middle-class hating to be reminded that their roots are humble, poor and brown too.
Should I add in some head bobbles and finger wags to make myself more comprehensive to our Hindustani friends?
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dewaratugedeanom says:
@ PN
Hindus from India are hated also in Bali with their attempts to impose their Hindu orthodxy- resisted to the point of being expelled from Indonesia.
Where do you get this from? Is this an attempt to divide et impera? At least the Balinese got support from the Indian Hindu orthodoxy when the Islamic bigots tried to impose their ridiculous shariah-inspired RUU APP *(pornograhy and ‘pornoaksi’ law) which would even outlaw a naked shoulder. Nevertheless I also want to thank the many moderates from Java, headed by Gus Dur and his wife, who also opposed in public to this sick infamity.
* Text on demand
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barry prima says:
Word up Dog,
Fair cop, I apologize to both you and Shokla for resorting to the kasar, lowest common denominator of racial insulting (the ing is for Shoklas benefit) ,it is indeed as you say a case of blowing my top in the face of the relentless torrent of the islamophobes.
Shokla:
I am not particularly an originator in the field of racial put downs,so I will admit unashamedly to the approbriation of Pak Luang’s recipe. I should know better than to listen to him, I feel ashamed and embarrassed (honestly).
before you make any assumptions about me and my attitude to Islam…
I have made an assumption only on what you said in this thread, and my objection to you deciding in your wisdom as non muslim about how a lingering adherence to old tradions is unislamic, and thereby limiting Islam to its lowest common denominator.
I think the javanese is in a much better position to determine what Islam is than the rather than the rather simplistic Arab or the orientalist. Islam is not the exclusive property of the Sand Nigger
`No arab is superior to a non arab’ as Muhammed said.
The question of the destiny and form of Islam in Indonesia should be left for the Javanese to decide, the orientalist (even if they are part time) and the Arabs if they are going to contribute to the argument, should at least do it with some reverence to javanese wisdom.
For the most part Islam and Folk religion/Kejawen have found a synthesis, that synthesis is developing cracks in the face of pressure to develop identities that have global significance. The javanese have successfully over the centuries assimilated the religious values of other cultures in a peaceful and diplomatic manner and that I think is their greatest achievement and the point from which they will contribute to the world (insyallah).
The Javanese are fond of islam but they are not generally fond of Arabs.
In fact the Saudi Arabs are the most hated people in the muslim world by other muslims, even in neighbouring arab countries. This is an injustice even to the Saud nation, as Wahabism is an offshoot of a a particular faction of Saudi Society, not Saudi Arabs as a whole.Whose pernicious influence on modern accademia does no one any favours by the way
I would probably concur with that, but he had it locked down when it came to the likes of those who are as obvious as Ross.
Finally if indeed you area wigger, it is in my eyes only a good thing. You see, I think Hip hop like Islam should be universal and not limited to the ghettoes of New York (The Mecca as it is called by b-boys) or to a particular ethnic group. Evolution and development of the art is only facilitated by outward expansion and new insights from newer elements.
Indeed for many of my friends Hip hop was the initiation into the fold of Islam.
Like hip hop (the best selling genre of music) Islam will take over the world.The white man is welcome to the world of Hip hop as long as his name is not vanilla ice and he has respect for the 5 pillars (5 elements)
1.BBOYING
2.MCING
3.GRAFFITI
4. DJING
5. KNOWLEDGE (overstanding)
I hope you are not going to follow the logic of your first post here, Dog and tell me Music is haram?You can take the javanese out of the Kampung,but you cant take the kampung out of the javanese.
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Wilson…
I want to read stuff by Ross outside of the rants here. This is for no other reason than to effectively argue against something you need to know a little bit more detail.
PN…
I thought I read somewhere that Patung had asked you to tone it down a little…I guess if Patung is true to form then Indonesia Matters should soon be sans comments from PN…
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aaronm says:
Google is your friend. It would seem that Ross self-publishes and these are three of his titles.
Red-Handed in Aceh by Ross McKay…Morfiny Books2003.
Maid in Singapore as above 2004
Westerling’s Legacy as above 2005The address he supplies for obtaining the above titles is morfinybooks@yahoo.ca
Question, Ross. Are you Canadian or an Ulsterman?
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Ross, this is an honest to god sincere question and no tease (i want the job you offered), but i need a good ref book on Westerling. Now where do i find yours? I’m willing to pay real money and not Rob’s social monopoly ones.
(I’m assuming i could afford the shipping expenses)
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Ross says:
Aaah, Wilson re-remerges from obscurity, to correct my typo and blast away at opposition to the brave new politically-correct ‘culture’ of the West. But there’s no no time on Monday to suggest to him that a society that equates sodomites with decent folk might have something wrong with it, and that Eastern nations should not emulate the West’s decline…..
As for the books, I’ll get back to you guys by Wednesday, promise.
This arvo, I’m sunburnt and a tad rusak from a day’s fishing in Jakarta Bay. -
Aaronm…
I am pretty sure I have seen your picture before on a Thai-based website before but I cannot remember for sure.
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Achmad Sudarsono says:
Ross — you completely dodged peter’s comments !
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Rob, yeah you would have, but it ain’t me, honest! I just got stuck with this sh*tty gravatar! Ross, yeah, you are right, the west is in moral decline because a bunch of men decide to stick their todgers up other men’s poopers and some women love to eat clam. Not. Why don’t you stick to your obscuritan Paisley-ite loyalist ranting that belongs as firmly in a bygone age as the Marxism you (rightly, IMHO) decry.
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Are there still fish in Jakarta Bay?
we must not be pumping enough Ciliwung in then.I think many Westerners over exaggerate the problem of Wahabbi or Islamicism in Indonesia.
Like all extremist mentality- they represent only a tiny percentage of population- it is just that because the population is large- the actual number of lunatics seem big.We must also bare in mind, brilliant tacticians are monitoring this all- subtly steering the Islamics to alienate them self to their own demographic and turn thei demographic against itself.
Do not fear- these lunatics will self-destruct.
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Barry Prima – once again, I’m on holiday and therefore not going into extensive details…
I must say, given my previous position as number one defender of Islam and gentle explainer of the fact that there as many Islams as there are Muslims – and certainly more than the one dogmatic version shared by the Wahabbis and the howling Islamophobes – it’s rather refreshing to be haughtily ticked off for my apparent hostility to Islam. I really do suggest you take a quick look through those other threads that you’ve been busy on more recently to witness me attempting – futilely it must be said – to stem the bigoted saffron tide of Shlokaji at full flood (I miss you by the way Shloka, but you make me far too alarmed about the rise of India with the likes of you at the helm to continue).I also went off into some fabulous (and thoroughly sympathetic) orientalist ravings about Javanese syncretism here: https://indonesiamatters.com/1697/syncretism-example/.
I direct you to these previous threads in an attempt to enlighten you further on my position on Islam, Java, history and other things…
The pernicious influence of the dead Palestinian stater of the obvious is primarily that in the “post-Saidian world” almost every western writer, historian or academic daring to take on “the East” throws themselves into a groveling over-compensatory frenzy of self-abasement, and, neutered by the sheer terror of being tagged “orientalist” in their approach to “the Other”, ends up saying very little of use whatsoever…
I say: bollocks to all that; call a spade a spade (is that an appropriate turn of phrase Mr EW Said? perhaps not…); say what you see. Orientalism does not need to be condescending, insulting or superior…Just for the record, I am not a wigga, good lord no, anything but… My moniker is that which I first adopted many moons ago when I first posted something somewhere online… Not a wigga, but a surfer (an odd bunch too) and timdog is the kind of thing sunburnt white-boys with not the slightest interest in gangsta rap call each other too…
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Achmad, read my posts. I said I’d no time on Monday and have little today. Peter’s comments were vacuous, antagonistic in their condescension and not really worth answering. He seems to think Javanese traditions are not under threat from Islamist nutters, but most of us see a threat to all non-fanatic groups, cultures and faiths here.
The books? I’m trying to work out some means whereby all you shy guys who are afraid to reveal your true identities can obtain them, but in fact there are very few left- though I could do reprints. Sabar, donk! -
perseus says:
I am not a Muslim and I am certainly not about to start worshipping the Goddess of the South Seas – even if she is a Babe but… it would seem to me that worshipping a Goddess is not consistent with the Shadada and is therefore unIslamic and might be make public devotions to the Goddess subject to a purge by an Islamic purist at some point.
Then again, most religions around the world have an ability to absorb the rites of the religions they replaced. Having the Goddess convert to Islam struck me as an ingenious solution to a tricky theological conundrum!
The Goddess is a Muslim. There is no god but god and the Goddess of the South Seas is his Chick.
I don’t share Ross’ fears for Java. I think the Indonesian people have an amazing ability to talk the Muslim talk and walk a secular Western/pancasila type walk at the same time.
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Re the books-
My favourite is still Red-Handed in Aceh, my first, but all copies are now ‘habis,’ though if demand comes in, I can print off a couple more, as I did for a friend going home this year, so he could have the full set.
There’s also my collection of supernatural Indonesian and Canadian stories, Kuntilcanuck,sold out again, but could produce more, and the same goes for Maid in Singapore, a fictional account of the miseries of the TKIs.
But the problem remains how to carry out the transactions. I don’t waste time on the shops, though I did see one of mine recently in Cynthia’s bekas bookstore on Jaksa, so email is how it’s done.Tree-Man (I’m being polite today) I got some good material from a Netherlands military institute about Westerling, I’ll look it out, if I still have it, and let you have their address.
aaronm …I’m not a Paisleyite -the old fella opted to collaborate with terrorists. Neither do I see ‘perv power’ as the cause, but as a symptom, of the West’s decline.
My citizenship? I prefer to describe myself as one of Britannia’s children, connected to most of the old Commonwealth one way or another, but you are correct in divining that I’m of Ulster origin. We settled there in 1607, I think, near a wee town called Kilrea, ‘five miles from the Bann shore,’ as my gt3 grandfather’s obit had it.Peter – I over-reacted by saying your post was vacuous. Monday’s not a good day, nor was Tuesday much better. Your hectoring tone, however, brings out the worst in more people than me.
Of course the FPI are ‘dime-store hoods,’ beneath contempt, etc. and deserve to be ignored by worthy folk. We have scumbags in all countries, but my point was that they are given a free hand by the regime to subjugate everybody else. I hope the trial of the head hood under way at present proves me wrnog, but I doubt it. -
Ross, yeah my comment was a little over-the-top with the anger & everything. I think I was a bit famished when I wrote it.. But really we should think more critically about “Islam” and “Javanese culture”, the fact that these two things share some huge overlaps, and the fact that they’re constantly changing, as well.
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Somebody said that Ratu Kidul converted to Islam? Where did this story come from? Is it mentioned in Babad Tanah Jawi or Babad Mataram? Please let me know!
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Maybe discussing new ideas for IM could be its own post.
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Hey Peter,
Could you throw in a couple of paragraphs about the Babad Tanah Jawi and Babad Mataram ? I don’t know enough about those, but I should…
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If anybody seriously wants to get the books, let’s find a place we can agree on with reliable bar-staff who will take and hold book and cash in turn.
Pak Pohon, you can get basic useful info from
‘Westerling’s Oorlog,’ by De Moor, published by the Dutch Military History Institute, who very kindly have produced an English summary. -
Barry prima says:
Somebody said that Ratu Kidul converted to Islam?
Pretty much everything I have read about her suggest that, of course I trust you are intelligent enough to read between the lines regarding what is deemed to be conversion.
Ie: she is absorbed by conversion fro man independent and estranged wrathful diety into the unity of god, as symbolised by Islam.A good book is:
between normative piety and mysticism in the sultanate of yogjakarta by mark woodward, which is probably a lot more useful than ross’s attempt.I’ve also met someone who claim to have met her. haha..and you know what I believe him.
Green by the way is also the colour of islam.Could you throw in a couple of paragraphs about the Babad Tanah Jawi and Babad Mataram ? I don’t know enough about those, but I should…
Tanah Jawi is pretty much the bible of javanese culture and history, the mataram is of more marginal significance. Serat centhini is probably the most significant after babad jawi, as it deals with the court culture of solo. Both of these books are very useful in their exploration of Javanese court dynamics in the context of sufi/islamic metaphysics, and show very accurately the meeting point between kejawen/javanese culture and Islam.
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John Sposato says:
What is the custom for the birth of a baby boy with regard to gifts?
Is there a color that is NOT proper for a flower or piece of clothing?
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Ekko says:
Ironic that these extremist groups are happy to receive financial support from Kejawen circles like the Suhartos.
Comment on “Old Traditions & Customs”.
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It’s rather sickening to catch whiffs of the unstated assumptions contained in this article and many of its comments.
Especially egregious is the assumption that “Islam” is leading an assault on “Javanese culture” – as if 1) “Javanese culture” has not been continuously being shaped by outside philosophies and religions for thousands of years, and as if
2) the two things (Islam and Javanese culture) are somehow diametrically opposed, even when Islam has been an integral part of Javanese culture for centuries.
And then there are passages like this:
What an insult to the Javanese people. But perhaps their “narrow minds” can’t discern the disrespect embodied in such a statement.
This post is embarrassingly idiotic. The author displays a lack of basic knowledge about both Islam and the Javanese, as well as an amazing disregard for the quality of his own writing.
Were Ross a bit more adept at crafting language, his writing might sound like much of the imperialist anthropological literature from the early twentieth century. One example I recently came across:
“India is influenced not only by a mighty historical background, but by many centuries of legends and traditions. The true Indian has both a romantic and a religious love of the past, and that past is kept forever alive in the music of the country. Still primitive and backward in most of her vast areas, India has, in mongrel ports, acquired a veneer of modernism due to Western influence; it is to her Native States and her countryside that we must go if we would hear that music and its embodiment of a heritage of thousands of years – the echo of her yester-day in to-day.” (Strickland 1931, 330)
(Strickland, Lily. “The Mythological Background of Hindu Music.” The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul., 1931), pp. 330-340.)
Perhaps the most odious thing about all of this, however, is the attempt at the end of the article to passionately and poetically lament the fate of the Javanese.
Will Ross his own ignorance transcend?
Moreover, will IM insightful articles present? This “Islam vs. Indonesian/Javanese culture” angle is both ill-conceived and played out. Maybe that’s why our friend Muhammad Khafi doesn’t visit too often these days… I miss reading his comments.