Indonesia: people, a variety of food, a beautiful cities, arts & cultures, seas, lands, islands and many more hidden places which can take our breath away. This blog consist of photos, articles, films that I've collected from many sources in the internet. Enjoy it and do come to my country to see with your own eyes, and experience how our diversity flowing in a harmony.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Visit Indonesia: A Country of a Thousand Faces

UBUD among Travelers’ Choice 2011 TOP 25 DESTINATIONS IN ASIA


The enchantingly tranquil town of Ubud has been chosen as one of the Top 25 Destinations in Asia in the TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards 2011. Ubud placed 17th in the list, outranked Seoul in South Korea, Varanasi in India, Hoi Nam in Vietnam, Taipei in Taiwan, Baguio in the Philippines, Lijiang in China, and Pattaya in Thailand.

This year, 676 establishments were recognized in the ninth year of the competition. TripAdvisor used information submitted from 20 million reviewers to dish out the awards, which are presented in the form of top 10 and top 25 lists. Award categories include 'Best Romance,' 'Best Luxury' and 'Best Bargain,' which are first organized by the top hotels in the world and then further whittled down by region. The winners are determined by a combination of the highest Traveler Ratings and the TripAdvisor Popularity Index, a measurement of overall traveler satisfaction.

The village cluster of Ubud is the ideal place to try a famed Balinese massage and soak up the ambiance of one of Asia’s top spa destinations, cites TripAdvisor.  Acupressure, reflexology, stretching and aromatherapy are the best features of the island's distinctively firm massage treatments. Ubud is also the vivacious center of Bali’s arts scene, home to a small treasure trove of museums and galleries.

Situated 20 miles northeast of Bali’s airport, the relatively off-the-beaten-path town is surrounded by rice fields and small villages. A gentle destination, far from the mayhem of the coast, Ubud is actually a cluster of separate villages. In this quiet town, you can visit the temples and villages that have remained relatively unchanged through the years.

Ubud is also a perfect representation of harmony between human civilizations and nature. Located within the vicinity of the town, the Ubud Monkey forest is a natural reserve run by the village of Padangtegal that houses approximately 340 long-tailed Macaques monkey.

Ubud is also where famed Elizabeth Gilbert found peace and her love as written in her bestselling novel “ Eat, Pray, Love”, which had been interpreted  into a film featuring  popular actress , Julia Roberts.

Meanwhile, among TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice 2011, the Samaya Bali Villas at Seminyak was one of Travelers’ Top 25 Choice Hotels in the World for its “Fantastic Service + Fantastic Villa=Great Stay”. 

Additionally, the Gili Trawangan in Lombok, came in 7th among Asia’s Top 10 Beaches.  “Gili Trawangan is the sort of island you fall in love with at first sight”.

To observe the magnificent images of the cremation ceremony in Ubud, you can visit our photo essay:  Pelebon of the 9th Raja of Puri Agung Peliatan

Source:  www.tripadvisor.com

Please also visit: http://www.indonesia.travel/en/news/detail/420/ubud-among-travelers-choice-2011-top-25-destinations-in-asia

WAKATOBI National Marine Park to be designated UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve


UNESCO is soon to designate Indonesia’s Wakatobi National Marine Park in Southeast Sulawesi as World’s Biosphere Reserve, said Wakatobi District Head, Ir. Hugua on Wednesday, 22 June. UNESCO’s Charter to be handed in September of 2011. 

The extensive Wakatobi National Park is rich in the diversity of its coral reefs. It is estimated that the seas of Wakatobi alone possesses 90% of the entire coral reefs species in the world. “There are a total of 850 coral reefs species in the world, of which 750 can be found in the Wakatobi seas alone", said Hugua.

Aside from its rich coral reefs, Wakatobi is habitat to various marine biota, including 942 species of fish. “These had been identified by marine researchers from Operation Wallacea, a research institute based in London, England” continued Hugua.

Another important consideration on the part of UNESCO is the fact that the Wakatobi District Government has constantly applied conservation practices in managing and preserving the coral reefs. The Government is consistent in its efforts to continue to preserve the Wakatobi marine environment since it provides a source of food for millions of people.

 “As a huge potential of food resource for humanity, the coral reefs need to be protected against all kinds of threats and must be preserved through consistent conservation efforts” said Hugua. Thus, the designation of Wakatobi as World’s Biosphere Reserve represents the international world’s efforts to protect global coral reefs from destruction.

Prior to the official handing of the UNESCO charter, Hugua has been asked to give a presentation on the Conservation of Coral Reefs in Wakatobi at the UNESCO Assembly held in Dresden, Germany on June 28th 2011.


Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism Release

Ngaben


Ngaben, or Cremation Ceremony, is the ritual performed in Bali to send the deceased to the next life. The body of the deceased will be placed as if sleeping, and the family will continue to treat the deceased as sleeping. No tears are shed, because the deceased is only temporarily not present and will reincarnate or find his final rest in Moksha (freeing from the reincarnation and death cycle).


The proper day of the ceremony is always a matter of consulting a specialist on ceremony days. On the day of the ceremony, the body of the deceased is placed inside a coffin. This coffin is placed inside a sarcophagus resembling a buffalo (Lembu) or in a temple structure (Wadah) made of paper and wood. The buffalo or temple structure will be carried to the cremation site in a procession. The procession is not walking in a straight line. This is to confuse bad spirits and keep them away from the deceased.


The climax of Ngaben is the burning of the whole structure, together with the body of the deceased. The fire is necessary to free the spirit from the body and enable reincarnation.


Ngaben is not always immediately performed. For higher caste members it is normal to perform the ritual within 3 days. For lower caste members the deceased are buried first and later, often in a group ceremony for the whole village, cremated.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngaben

National Monument (Indonesia)


The National Monument (Indonesian: Monumen Nasional (Monas)) is a 433 ft (132 meter) tower in the center of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia's independence. Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President Sukarno and the monument was opened to the public in 1975. It is topped by a flame covered with gold foil. The monument and the museum is open daily from 08.00 - 15.00 Western Indonesia Time (UTC+7), everyday throughout the week, except for the last Monday of each month, when the monument is closed.

Background

After the Indonesian government returned to Jakarta from Yogyakarta in 1950 following the Dutch recognition of Indonesian independence, President Sukarno began to contemplate the construction of a national monument comparable to the Eiffel Tower on the square in front of the Presidential Palace. On 17 August 1954, a National Monument Committee was established and a design competition was held in 1955. This attracted 51 entries, but only one design, by Frederich Silaban, met any of the criteria determined by the committee, which included reflecting the character of Indonesia in a building capable of lasting for centuries. A repeat competition was held in 1960, but once again, none of the 136 entries met the criteria. The chairman of the jury team then asked Silaban to show his design to Sukarno. However, Sukarno did not like the design as he wanted the monument to be in the form of a linga and yoni. Silaban was asked to design such a monument, but his design was for a monument so large that it would have been unaffordable given the economic conditions at the time. Silaban refused to design a smaller monument, suggesting that construction be delayed until the Indonesian economy improved. Sukarno then asked the architect R.M. Soedarsono to continue with the design. Soedarsono incorporated the numbers 17, 8 and 45, representing the 17 August 1945 Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, in the dimensions of the monument.

Construction

Construction proceeded in three stages. The first period, from 1961/1962–1964/1965 began with the official start of construction on 17 August 1961 with Sukarno ceremonially driving in the first concrete pile. A total of 284 piles were used for the foundation block. A further 360 piles were driven in for the museum foundations, with work being completed in March 1962. The walls of the museum in the base were completed by October. Construction of the obelisk than commenced and was finished in August 1963. Work in the second stage, from 1966 to 1968 was delayed by shortages of funding and the aftermath of the 30 September Movement coup attempt. In the final phase, from 1969–1976, the dioramas for the historical museum were added. Problems remained once construction was complete, and work was needed to solve problems with water leaking into the museum. The monument was officially opened to the public on 12 July 1975. The location of the construction site is known as Merdeka Square.

Monument design

The towering monument encapsulates the philosophy of Lingga and Yoni. Lingga resembles an alu rice pestle and Yoni resembles a lesung rice mortar, two important traditional Indonesian tools. Lingga and Yoni also symbolize eternal life with the lingga phallic symbol, representing masculinity, positive elements, and daytime and the Yoni the female organs symbol, representing femininity, negative elements, and night. The monument consists of a 117.7m obelisk on a 45m square platform at a height of 17m, the goblet yard. The obelisk itself is clad with Italian marble.


The northern pond measuring 25×25 m was designed to cool water for the air conditioning system in the monument as well as to enhance the beauty of the surrounding area. To the north of the monument, there is a statue of Indonesia national hero Prince Diponegoro by Italian sculptor Cobertaldo. The entrance to the monument is located at the Medan Merdeka Utara or Northern Merdeka Park, through the underground tunnel visitors will reach the northern side of the monument. The ticket office is located at the end of the tunnel. When visitors resurface in northern side of the monument, visitors could took a round trip outside the monument to see reliefs of Indonesian history; continued to National History Museum at the base on northeastern corner, or continued straight to the center of the monument towards Hall of Independence or elevator.

Reliefs of Indonesian History

On the outer yard encircling the monument, on each four corners, there are high reliefs of Indonesian History. The story begins in the northeastern corner, and describes the ancient glory of the Indonesian archipelago, featuring ancient history especially that of Singhasari and Majapahit. The relief continues to the southeast, southwest, and northwest corners, chronologically displaying European colonialization of the Indonesian archipelago, popular local uprisings, modern Indonesian organization in the early 20th century, the Japanese occupation in World War II, the Proclamation of Independence, the Indonesian National Revolution and post-independence develelopments. The reliefs and statues were made from molded cement, but several of these statues are already damaged and have decayed due to torrential rain and the tropical climate.

The National History Museum

Inside the base of the monument there is the Indonesian National History Museum, located three metres below the surface of the monument. It is a large marble-lined room measuring 80 x 80 metres with 48 dioramas along the walls side depicting scenes from the Indonesian history from prehistory until the New Order, plus 3 other dioramas in the center of the room, making a total of 51 dioramas. The dioramas begin at the northeast corner, and show the history of Indonesia; from prehistory, the era of ancient kingdoms such as Srivijaya and Majapahit, followed by European colonialization and local uprisings against the VOC and Dutch East Indies rule. The dioramas continue well into the 20th century, Japanese occupation, Indonesian independence proclamation in 1945, to the struggle for independence of Indonesian revolution, and on to the New Order era of Suharto's regime.

The Hall of Independence

Inside the goblet or "cup" part of the monument, there is the Hall of Independence (Indonesian: Ruang Kemerdekaan) shaped like an . The hall is accessible through spiral stairs at the north and south doors. It contains symbols of Indonesian independence and nationhood, including the original text of the Proclamation of Independence in a glass case, the coat of arms of Indonesia, and a map of the Indonesian archipelago in gold. The original text of Indonesian proclamation of independence is stored in a glass case inside the golden door on the west side of inner-wall clad in black marble. The mechanized bronze doors weigh 4 tons, and are coated with gold adorned with the image of awijaya kusuma flower, symbolizing eternity, and a lotus flower, symbolizing purity. The doors known as Gerbang Kemerdekaan or the Gate of Independence and are opened slowly using a mechanism while the nationalist Padamu Negeri song plays, followed by a recording of Sukarno reading the text of the Proclamation. On southern side wall there is a large statue of Garuda Pancasila, the coat of arms of Indonesia, made from 3.5 tons of bronze coated with gold. On eastern side there is the text of the proclamation in bronze lettering. Originally the eastern side displayed the most sacred Indonesian flag, Sang Saka Merah Putih, originally raised on 17 August 1945. However because it is fragile and in poor condition, it is no longer displayed. The northern side wall displays a map of the Indonesian archipelago coated in gold.

The Peak Platform Observation deck and Flame of Independence

A lift on the southern side carries visitors to the 11 meter by 11 meter viewing platform, at a height of 115 meters. The capacity of the elevator is about 11 people. The top platform can accommodate about 50 people, and also provided with binoculars. There is also a staircase for use in emergencies. The total height of the monument is 132 meters. The distance from the viewing platform to the tip of the flame is 17 meters. The ticket to top platform is Rp.7,500 for adult at beginning of January 2011.


The monument is topped by a 14.5 ton bronze Flame of Independence containing the lift engine. The base of the flame where the elevator door is located is 3 meters high and is in the shape of a goblet. The bronze flame structure measures 14 meters in height and 6 meters in diameter, It consists of 77 sections bound together. Originally the bronze flame structure was covered with 35 kg of gold foil, however during the 50th anniversary of Indonesian independence in 1995, the gold foil was recoated and increased to 50 kg gold foil. The obelisk and flame symbolize the Indonesia people's struggle for independence. The middle platform on top of the cawan (goblet) provides visitor with views of the surroundings from a height of 17 meters. The goblet yard is accessible through elevator on the way down or through the stairs.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Monument_%28Indonesia%29

Jakarta Fair


Jakarta Fair (Indonesian: Pekan Raya Jakarta or PRJ) is a fair held annually in Jakarta International Expo (JIE) Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia, around June to July. It features exhibitions, trade promotions, shoppings, music performances, various shows, amusement rides, and food festival. The fair is meant to celebrate the anniversary of Jakarta city. The Jakarta Fair sees exhibitors from across the country display a whole range of goods and products ranging from speciality food items to traditional handmade arts and crafts. In addition to the many exhibitors, there is also live entertainment including music, dance and cultural performances.

History

The fair that incorporate trade exhibition and entertainment existed in Batavia (now Jakarta) during Dutch East Indies era. Originally the annual fair was took place in Koningsplein (now Merdeka square) in Weltevreden Batavia and it was called "Pasar Gambir". After Indonesian independence, the modern Jakarta Fair was held again for the first time in 1968 and inaugurated by president Suharto. The fair took place from 5 June to 20 July 1968 on southern part of Merdeka square near National Monument. The idea to held a grand fair in Jakarta was initiated by Jakarta's governor Ali Sadikin in 1967 that inspired by the colonial era Pasar Gambir. He sought a centralized grand fair to unify various "Pasar Malam" (night market) held in many places in the city. Since then it has become an annual event as part of the city's anniversary celebrations. The longest Jakarta Fair was held in 1969 that break the record of 71 days fair, usually Jakarta Fair only held for 30 to 35 days. USA president Richard Nixon is one of the VIP guest that visit Jakarta Fair 1969.


Because the number of participants has steadily grow, the fairground in southern park of Medan Merdeka square is considered not large enough to contain the grand fair. In 1992 the Jakarta fairground was moved to present location in Jakarta International Expo at Kemayoran. The exhibition complex stood on the former Kemayoran Airport.


In 2010, the transactions occurred in Jakarta Fair were Rp.3.5 trillion ($410 million) and in 2011 is targetted at least with same amount and is visited by 4 million visitors. The ticket price is Rp.15,000 ($1.8) in weekdays and Rp.20,000 ($2.4) in Saturday, Sunday and Holiday.


The similar fair called Pasar Malam Besar held in The Hague, Netherlands, also inspired by the "Pasar Malam" tradition of colonial era Pasar Gambir.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakarta_Fair

Lake Toba


Lake Toba (Indonesian: Danau Toba) is a lake and supervolcano. The lake is 100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, and 505 metres (1,666 ft) at its deepest point. Located in the middle of the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra with a surface elevation of about 900 metres (2,953 ft), the lake stretches from 2.88°N 98.52°E to 2.35°N 99.1°E. It is the largest lake in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world.


Lake Toba is the site of a supervolcanic eruption that occurred 69,000-77,000 years ago, a massive, climate-changing event. The eruption is believed to have had a VEI intensity of 8. It is believed to be the largest explosive eruption anywhere on Earth in the last 25 million years. According to the Toba catastrophe theory to which some anthropologists and archeologists subscribe, it had global consequences, killing most humans then alive and creating a population bottleneck in Central Eastern Africa and India that affected the genetic inheritance of all humans today. This theory however, has been largely debated as there is no evidence for any other animal decline or extinction, even in environmentally sensitive species. However, it has been accepted that the eruption of Toba led to a volcanic winter with a worldwide decline in temperatures between 3 to 5 °C (5 to 9 °F), and up to 15 °C (27.0 °F) in higher latitudes.

Geology

The Toba caldera complex in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia consists of four overlapping volcanic craters that adjoin the Sumatran "volcanic front". The youngest and fourth caldera is the world's largest Quaternary caldera (100 km (62 mi) by 30 km (19 mi)) and intersects the three older calderas. An estimate of 2,800 km3 (670 cu mi) of dense-rock equivalent pyroclastic material, known the Youngest Toba tuff, was blasted from the youngest caldera during one of the largest single explosive volcanic eruptions in geologic history. Following the "Youngest Toba tuff eruption", a typical resurgent dome formed within the new caldera, joining two half-domes separated by a longitudinal graben.


There are at least four cones, four stratovolcanoes and three craters visible in the lake. The Tandukbenua cone on the NW edge of the caldera is relatively lacking in vegetation, suggesting a young age of only several hundred years. Also, the Pusubukit volcano on the south edge of the caldera is solfatarically active.

The eruption

The Toba eruption (the Toba event) occurred at what is now Lake Toba about 67,500 to 75,500 years ago. The Toba eruption was the latest of a series of at least three caldera-forming eruptions which have occurred at the volcano, with earlier calderas having formed around 700,000 and 840,000 years ago. The last eruption had an estimated Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8 (described as "mega-colossal"), making it possibly the largest explosive volcanic eruption within the last 25 million years.


Bill Rose and Craig Chesner of Michigan Technological University have deduced that the total amount of erupted material was about 2,800 km3 (670 cu mi) — around 2,000 km3 (480 cu mi) of ignimbrite that flowed over the ground, and around 800 km3 (190 cu mi) that fell as ash, with the wind blowing most of it to the west. The pyroclastic flows of the eruption destroyed an area of 20,000 square kilometres (7,722 sq mi), with ash deposits as thick as 600 metres (1,969 ft) by the main vent.

To give an idea of its magnitude, consider that although the eruption took place in Indonesia, it deposited an ash layer approximately 15 cm (5.9 in) thick over the entire South Asia; at one site in central India, the Toba ash layer today is up to 6 m (20 ft) thick and parts of Malaysia were covered with 9 m (30 ft) of ashfall. In addition it has been variously calculated that 10,000 million metric tons of sulphuric acid or 6,000 million tons of sulphur dioxide were ejected into the atmosphere by the event, causing acid rain fallout.


The Toba caldera is the only supervolcano in existence that can be described as Yellowstone's "bigger" sister. With 2,800 km3 (670 cu mi) of ejecta, it was an even greater eruption than the supereruption (2,500 km3) of 2.1 million years ago that created the Island Park Caldera in Idaho, USA. The eruption was also about three times the size of the latest Yellowstone eruption of Lava Creek 630,000 years ago. For further comparison, the largest volcanic eruption in historic times, in 1815 at Mount Tambora (Indonesia), ejected the equivalent of around 100 km3 (24 cu mi) of dense rock and made 1816 the "Year Without a Summer" in the whole northern hemisphere, whilst the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State ejected around 1.2 km3 (0.29 cu mi) of material. The largest known eruption since the Toba event, the Oruanui eruption in New Zealand around 24,500 BC, ejected the equivalent of 530 km3of magma.

The subsequent collapse formed a caldera that, after filling with water, created Lake Toba. The island in the center of the lake is formed by a resurgent dome.

Though the year may never be precisely determined, the season can: only the summer monsoon could have deposited Toba ashfall in the South China Sea, implying that the eruption took place sometime during the northern summer. The eruption lasted perhaps two weeks, but the ensuing "volcanic winter" resulted in a decrease in average global temperatures by 3 to 3.5 degrees Celsius for several years. Greenland ice cores record a pulse of starkly reduced levels of organic carbon sequestration. Very few plants or animals in southeast Asia would have survived, and it is possible that the eruption caused a planet-wide die-off.


There is some evidence, based on mitochondrial DNA, that the human race may have passed through a genetic bottleneck around this time, reducing genetic diversity below what would be expected from the age of the species. According to the Toba catastrophe theory proposed by Stanley H. Ambrose of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1998, human populations may have been reduced to only a few tens of thousands of individuals by the Toba eruption.

More recent activity


Smaller eruptions have occurred at Toba since. The small cone of Pusukbukit has formed on the southwestern margin of the caldera and lava domes. The most recent eruption may have been at Tandukbenua on the northwestern caldera edge, since the present lack of vegetation could be due to an eruption within the last few hundred years.


Some parts of the caldera have experienced uplift due to partial refilling of the magma chamber, for example pushing Samosir Island and the Uluan Peninsula above the surface of the lake. The lake sediments on Samosir Island show that it has been uplifted by at least 450 metres (1,476 ft) since the cataclysmic eruption. Such uplifts are common in very large calderas, apparently due to the upward pressure of unerupted magma. Toba is probably the largest resurgent caldera on Earth. Large earthquakes have occurred in the vicinity of the volcano more recently, notably in 1987 along the southern shore of the lake at a depth of 11 km (6.8 mi). Other earthquakes have occurred in the area in 1892, 1916, and 1920-1922.


Lake Toba lies near the Great Sumatran fault which runs along the centre of Sumatra in the Sumatra Fracture Zone. The volcanoes of Sumatra and Java are part of the Sunda Arc, a result of the northeasterly movement of the Indo-Australian Plate which is sliding under the eastward-moving Eurasian Plate. The subduction zone in this area is very active: the seabed near the west coast of Sumatra has had several major earthquakes since 1995, including the 9.1 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and the 8.7 2005 Sumatra earthquake, the epicenters of which were around 300 km (190 mi) from Toba.


On 12 September 2007, a magnitude 8.5 Earthquake shook the ground in Sumatra and was felt in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. The epicenter for this earthquake was not as close as the previous two earthquakes, but it was in the same vicinity.


On 26 October 2010, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred 36 kilometers (22 miles) southwest of the nearby island of Pagai-selatan. A 10 foot (three-meter) tsunami immediately followed the temblor.

Eruption prospect


The 2004 earthquake physically rolled the Sumatran island and altered the shape of the Earth as was detected by the GRACE satellite. Recent highly-localized earthquake activity may initiate magmatic activity of this colossal global climate modifier.

People

Most of the people who live around Lake Toba are ethnically Bataks. Traditional Batak houses are noted for their distinctive roofs (which curve upwards at each end, as a boat's hull does) and their colorful decor.

Flora and fauna

The flora of the lake includes various types of phytoplankton, emerged macrophytes, floating macrophytes, and submerged macrophytes, while the surrounding countryside is rainforest including areas of Sumatran tropical pine forests on the higher mountainsides.


Fauna include several variations of zooplankton and benthos animals. Lake Toba offers a nurturing environment for fish such as Tilapia mossambica, Aplocheilus panchax, Lebistes reticulatus, Osphronemus goramy, Trichogaster trichopterus, Channa striata, Channa gachua, Clarias batrachus, Clarias nieuhofii, Clarias sp., Nemacheilus fasciatus, Cyprinus carpio, Puntius javanicus, Puntius binotatus, Osteochilus nasselti, Lissochilus sp., Labeobarbus sora, and Rasbora sp..

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Toba

Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis/Bubalus quarlesi)


Anoa come in two types, the lowland anoa (Bubalus depressicornis), and the mountain anoa (Bubalus quarlesi). The anoa is a species of pigmy buffalo, and they are the smallest of the wild cattle. Both species are currently listed as endangered, being threatened by clearing of the forests where they live and being hunted for their meat, horns, and hides. 

Interesting Fact: Little is known about the habits of the anoa as they are one of the least-studied of all endangered species. 

Anoa are only found on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The lowland anoa is found in swampy forests, and the mountain anoa is found in higher-altitude forests. Unlike most cattle, anoas don’t live in herds but, rather, live solitary or in pairs and only will meet in groups when a female anoa is about to give birth. They are active most often in the morning and evening when it is still relatively cool, and they rest in the shade when the temperature rises in the afternoon. They will also bathe in mud or water to keep cool. 

The lowland anoa most closely resembles a tiny water buffalo. They usually don’t grow more than 30 inches (76 cm) at the shoulder and can weigh up to 660 pounds (300 kg). When they are young, they are covered with thick, light brown wooly hair, which thins as they grow older and becomes much darker. They have dark brown to black skin that can be easily seen through their hair. There are white marks on their heads and legs, and there is often a crescent-shaped area of white on the throat area. They also have horns, both males and females, that grow out of their foreheads and point straight back, growing to reach lengths of 15 inches (38 cm). Mountain anoas have essentially the same appearance, but they keep their wooly coats through adulthood, and their horns are somewhat smaller. They also are a more solid color without the throat and leg markings that the lowland anoas have. 

Anoas are grazers, eating mostly grasses, saplings, ferns, and fallen fruit. They also appear to get additional minerals that they need by drinking sea water. Relatively passive and shy animals, Anoas will, however, attack violently if cornered or threatened, disemboweling their enemies with their sharp, pointed horns, and they seem to be especially violent towards humans. 

The anoa reach sexual maturity at about two to three years of age and will mate and give birth once a year. There doesn’t appear to be an obvious breeding season. After a gestational period of about 275-315 days, the mother will give birth to one baby, and very seldom will birth two. The young anoas are weaned after six to nine months, and they are reported to live approximately 15-20 years in the wild. 

Since so much is unknown about the anoa, experts are still unsure whether the males are territorial or not. Males have been seen marking trees with their horns and scratching the soil after they urinate. No one is sure if they are marking their territories or just showing aggression. 

Source: http://www.indonesianfauna.com/anoa.php

Saturday, June 25, 2011

History of Angklung


Long time ago, angklung was an instrument that had religious ritual function. The main function of angklung was as a medium to invite Dewi Sri (rice goddess/prosperity) to come down to the earth and gave fertility to plants. They used tritonik (three tones) angklung, tetra tonik (four tones) and pentatonic (five tones). This kind of angklung usually calls angklung buhun that means ‘the old angklung’ which had not been influenced by other elements. Until now, some villages still use angklung buhun in many ceremonies, such as pesta panen, ngaseuk pare, nginebkeun pare, ngampihkeun pare, seren taun, nadran, helaran, turun bumi, sedekah bumi, etc.

 

Traditional Angklung


Angklung Baduy
It has not known from where and when Baduy Angklung came. The spread of this angklung was not too wide. It may be because the performance was monotonous and boring.


In Baduy Jero society, Baduy Angklung is used as a performance which support traditional ceremony to respect Sang Hyang Asri or Dewi Sri as an agricultural and fertility goddess. That ceremony is well known as ngaseuk pare, a ceremony held when planting rice seedling in field, and ngampihkeun pare, a ceremony when take the rice to rice-shed.


Baduy Angklung consists of four ‘ancak’ that called King-king, indo, panempas, and gong-gong. Dog-dog and bedug have function to escort song rhythm and song tempo. The players use white or black ‘kampret’, ‘lomar’, and ‘iket’. The total players are fifteen players; consist of nine angklung players, three bedug players, and the other as dancers.


In the performance, angklung and dog-dog escort them who sing and dance (ngalagu jeung ngalage). The song is done by reply each other, while dancing and moving around. The songs are Ayun-ayunan, Bibi Lenjang, Cik Arileu, Hiah-hiah Panjang, Jari Gandang, Keupat Rendang, Lili-liyang, Nganteh, Ngaseh, Oray-orayan, Pong-pok, Salaela, Yandi Bibi, Ketek-ketek, and Pileuleuyan.
Angklung Buncis
Buncis Angklung was first made by Mr. Bonce in 1975 in Kampung Cipurut, Desa Baros, Arjasari, Bandung. It was told that Mr. Bonce worked as a fisherman in a river. One day, he found the river where he put basket trap for fish overflowed because of flood. That flood washed away some bamboos then he took home those bamboos and put in fireplace. After dried, he hit those bamboos and they produced good and clear sound. So, he made angklung. The angklung was named Buncis Angklung. Mr. Bonce made seven sets of Buncis Angklung and sold them to Aki Dartiam. After that, Aki Dartiam combined the angklung with dog-dog and trumpet.


Buncis angklung is played as an art which escort public ceremony or other events that involve a lot of people, such as nginebkeun pare or take the rice from rice field to house, heleran ceremony or guiding children from house to bengkong’s house to do circumcision, wedding ceremony, and other national ceremony.
Angklung Gubrak
Long time ago, Kampung Cipining, Bogor was threatened by starvation because the rice in the rice field couldn’t grow well. The people believed that the calamity happened because of the anger of Dewi Sri who was mourn and didn’t get any entertainment or angry to the people. The people belived that Dewi Sri stayed in the sky and they tried many things to invite Dewi Sri to come to the earth and gave fertility to the rice fields. Many efforts done, such as gave sacrifice, arranged art performance like suling performance, karinding performance, etc. But those efforts didn’t give any results. Dewi Sri didn’t come down to the earth and the plants didn’t grow well.


Finally, there was a man named Mukhtar. He invited his friends to go to Cirangsad Mountain to cut surat bamboo. Afterwards, those bamboos were dried while doing ‘mati geni’ as long as 40 days. Mukhtar processed those bamboos to become angklung. He completed the angklung with dog-dog lojor. He taught the people how to play angklung and organized a ceremony for Dewi Sri and used angklung as a medium. After that ceremony, the plants grew well and fertile. It was believed that Dewi Sri accepted the ceremony and wanted to come down to the earth and gave fertility. Angklung could attracted Dewi sri to come from the sky (in Sundanese, it is called Ngagubrag). Later, this angklung is called Gubrag Angklung.


Gubrag Angklung is played in seren taun ceremony, which is a ceremony held in last harvest. Besides that, Gubrag Angklung also played in family party, anniversary, national days and many other events that involve a lot of people.
Angklung Bungko
Bungko Angklung can be found in Desa Bungko, the boundary of Cirebon and Indramayu. The first Bungko Angklung was believed to be 600 years old. The first Bungko Angklung is still alive, kept well, although it doesn’t have tone anymore. The first Bungko Angklung always enclosed in every performance of Bungko Angklung as an official symbol of that performance.


Bungko Angklung was developed by a figure of society, named Syeh Bentong or Ki Gede Bungko, after used as a performance to escort the Bungko’s village people to fight the pirates. Ki Gede Bungko used Bungko Angklung to spread Islam.


Besides those kinds of angklung, there are many other kinds of angklung that spread in almost every place in West Java. For example, Jinjing Angklung which usually plays as entertainment, angklung without vocal in Kanekes, angklung with susualan in Panamping, Sered Angklung in Tasikmalaya which is the angklung competition for children, etc.


One effort in continuing and developing traditional angklung has been done by Udjo Ngalagena through traditional angklung practice program in his Saung Angklung where the participants should learn and understand about traditional angklung before they learn about modern angklung or other Sundanese arts that have been modified.

Modern Angklung (Padaeng)


In 1938, Daeng, a teacher of Hollandsch Inlandsche School (HIS) in Kabupaten Kuningan, West Java, returned angklung in society successfully by modified angklung to be more modern, from simple instrument that has pentatonic pitch into more complex angklung that has diatonic pitch. This angklung, later, is well known as Daeng Angklung or Padaeng Angklung. Daeng Angklung, if it looks from how to play it and the scale, is possible to reach repertories of popular songs, not only in national music but also west music.

Since he was child, Daeng really liked angklung. When he taught in HIS Kuningan, Daeng learnt about angklung deeply, included how to make and maintain angklung, from an angklung maker named Mr. Djaja. Daeng, who at that time studied in Kweekschool, learnt about west music and tried to make angklung that has diatonic pitch. Daeng thought diatonic angklung tend to be more communicative to be taught in schools. In addition, the people have known more about diatonic pitch than pentatonic pitch.


With the help of Mr. Djaja, Daeng succeed to make a set of diatonic angklung then introduced to the scout children where Daeng himself as a founder. The instrument accepted quickly as an art medium in his scout group, especially when scout meeting and camping. In other hand, Padaeng Angklung in Kuningan became famous in every social class. In 1946, Padaeng Angklung Group was trusted to perform its ability in entertainment night in Linggar Jati Conference.


In 1950, Daeng moved to Bandung and taught in SMPN 2 Bandung. When he was in Bandung, Daeng developed diatonic angklung and was given honor to perform it in Asia Africa Conference in 1955.

The differences between traditional angklung and Daeng Angklung are in the pitch scale and how to play it. Traditional angklung is a hand-angklung that played by a player while Daeng Angklung is made to be played together, where every player plays on a tone and the song harmony can be reached with good cooperation among the players.


As a teacher, Daeng saw that thing as a positive thing in education, especially in character building education. It is reflected in angklung performance that every player should be able to show cooperation, discipline, carefulness, ability and responsibility. As well as basic things in music education, angklung can build the attention of music, bring the life of music, and develop musicality, melody, rhythm, and harmony.


Daeng Soetigna not only succeed to enrich angklung, by developing pentatonic pitch to diatonic pitch, but also meritorious in developing angklung to become modern instrument, involved expanding melody as wide as 3 ½ octave, completed by Accord angklung or Accompaniment Angklung (large and small), to accompany those angklung.


Melodic Angklung have number in each angklung that will be converted into definite tone, coincide with the base not. In other hand, Accompaniment Angklung has definite accord, it will not change although the song played has different base note. Generally, the division of Padaeng Angklung is as written below:

Angklung Development In Indonesia


The Magic of Angklung
Other things which lead to the development of meaningful values in music education are:
  • Increasing awareness on music
  • Emerging music sense
  • Developing rhythm sense, melody and harmony, etc.
  • The other important things of Angklung are:
  • Intellectual/intelligent development
  • Creativity-discipline
  • Emotional and expressions channel in playing music happily.
  • Practice coordinating body movement when following music rhythm in terms of psychomotor nerve development.
  • Some health centres in other country have proved through their scientific findings that Angklung has been a health therapy medium.
  • Furthermore, it is expected that traditional arts be able to stimulate idealism and interests of young generation on the existence of Sundanese traditional arts/music. In addition to this, it is further hoped that young generations also get interested in preserving natural environment.
All stated previously are called the “The Magic of Angklung”.
Angklung and Character Building
From its enchantment and appeal, Angklung has a good effect because of its real function: by the art of Angklung, good values may grow, especially in character building, such as:
Cooperation, Cooperativeness, Discipline, Accuracy, Agility, Responsibility, Etc.

Source: http://www.angklung-udjo.co.id/angklung/history-of-angklung/