Tugas 3: Museum Nasional yang menyimpan sejarah, dari wayang sampai songket

Saturday, May 21^st 2011. Me and a few friends visit one of the most famous and biggest museum in Jakarta, the National Museum or people oftenly address it as “Museum Gajah” or Elephant Museum in English. Why do people address it that way? Because in front of the museum, there is a elephant statue which given by Thailand King. Until now, the National Museum has around 141.899 thousands collections, separated by 7 categories: pre-history, archeology, cramics, numismtik-heraldik, history, etnografy, and geography. It really is easy if you want to visit this museum. It located near the National Monument (or we call it as Monas) and there is a transjakarta station across the museum. 

The first room in National Museum is the stone sculpture room. As expected, there are many stone statues in this room. When you walk in to the room, you will see the Ganesha statue. Ganesha is the god of wisdom in Hinduism culture. The biggest statue in this room is Bhairava statue. At the back of this room, there is a little garden which also surrounded by stone statues. At the opposite of the stone statues room, there are collections from pre-historic time. One of their collections is Sarkofagus. Sarkofagus is a stone grave which commonly consists of same sized container and cover. These stone graves were one of the constructions from the megalithic age. The function of Sarkofagus at that time was to be a coffin in modern age. Sarkofagus only used by the one who had high social class, people who highly respected, or the elder at the community. Althought sarkofagus was normally found with covers, but archeology research shows that in several burial site, Sarkofagus was found without a cover. Normally, Sarkofagus’s covers are decorated with human face (kedok). The society believes that this motive contains a magic power to counters disaster or bad luck. Sarkofagus had found in some burial site in Bali.

Near the pre-historic collections, there is a large room which shows our (Indonesian) ancestor legacy. There are debus properties, the gamelan from various regions, and many kinds of traditional puppet (wayang), one of it was the Wayang Golek. Wayang golek, is a three dimension wooded puppet. This puppet’s hands and head can be moved as you wish. Serat Centhini (from the beginning of 19^th century) and Serat Sastramiruda (from the beginning of 20^th century) said that Wayang golek was first known at Javanese culture at 1584 after century while the Sundanese one was known later at the 19^th century. In West Java, this kind of puppet show is more famous than Wayang kulit which made by skins. Wayang golek show normally tells about story from India’s epic, like Ramayana or Mahabrata (Wayang golek purwa) story and also about Panji and traditional story from Pajajaran (Wayang golek Babad). The show commonly played by a puppet master and accompanied by gamelan and sinden. There are many styles of Wayang golek show, depends on the area. There are Bandung style, Bogor style, Sukabumi style, Karawang style, Garut, style, and Purwakarta style. Each style had different kind of puppet and different kind of show, especially at gending or the songs. Wayang golek show has evolved as the times. Now, Wayang golek can do more spectacular atraction. There many kinds of the puppets, these are some of them:

-          Yudhistira

Yudhistira were the first son of Dewi Kunti and Pandu Dewanata. This character has a noble, wise, and gentle figure. Yudhistira was told to have white blood in his vains. This idiom shows that Yudhistira has a holy heart. Yudhistira were also called as Dharmakusuma.

-          Bhima

Bhima is the second son of Dewi Kunti and Pandu Dewanata. Who make him the younger brother of Yudhistira. Bhima was illustrated as gallant and muscular figure. His thumb nail often recognised as Pancanaka. Werkudara is another name of Bhima after his marriage with Dewi Arimbi. From this marriage, Gatotkaca and Antareja was born.

-          Arjuna

This character is the third son of Dewi Kunti and Pandu Dewanata. In India’s version of Mahabrata epic, Arjuna is the son of Bhatara Indra. In Javanese culture, it is said that Bhatara Wisnu soul has possesed in Arjuna’s body. Arjuna figure illustrated as sacred, smart, and pretty skilled in using weapons, especially arrow. Arjuna is known as knight without equal, no wonder he is the most famous character from Wayang Purwa.

-          Nakula

Is the son of Dewi Madrim and Pandu Dewanata. He is also the twin brother of Sadewa. He has the truthfulness character, as well as loyal, kind, and very good at keeping secrets. Nakula is known to mastering arrow and spear.

-          Sadewa

Sadewa is the twin brother of Nakula, son of Dewi Madrim and Pandu Dewanata. The meaning of his name is “one god”. He is known as mysticus.

-          Abimanyu

Son of Arjuna and Dewi Subadra. In Mahabrata eic, Abimanyu crushed to death in Bharatuda war because of his own swear and Dewi Utari’s curse, his second wifes. This character illustrated to have same ability as his fathers, skilled at using his very effective arrow that called as Mustikajamus.

-          Aswatama

The only son of Brahmana and Dewi Kropi or an angel called Wirutamawati that at the time change her body as a female horse. In puppets show, Aswatama illustrated as a man with horse foot because his mother is horse incarnation from heaven.

-          Lasmana

The son of Putra Duryudana and Dewi Banowati, as well as the prince of Astine Kingdom. He is the main rival of Abimanyu, son of Arjuna.

-          Gatotkaca

Gatotkaca is the son of Bhima werkudara) with Dewi Arimbi, prince of Pringgandani kingdom. He is illustrated as powerful knight who has wire muscles, metal bones, bronze skins, scissors fingers, et cetera. He also skilled to fly in the sky withous wings.

Across the Nusantara-collection room, there are many rooms with different collection, like cramics room or fabric room. One of the fabric room collections is Songket. Songket is Malaya traditional woven fabric. Usually found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam. Songket is classified as tenunan brokat family. Songket is woven with hand, using the yarn from gold or silver, and commonly used in formal event. The metals fabric that woved inside Songket make this fabric have shining effects.

The word “songket” comes from the term “sungkit” in Malay and Indonesian languages, that means "hook" or "gouged". This relates to the method of manufacture, tie and took a pinch of woven fabric, and then slipped the gold fabric into it. In addition, according to some, the word songket also probably comes from songka, Palembang traditional songkok that is believed as the first time custom weaving with gold fabric started. The term menyongket means weaving with gold and silver fabrics. Songket is luxurious woven fabric that is usually worn at festivity, celebration or party. Songket can be worn like saroong (wrapped around the body), slung over the shoulder, or worn as a headband (or called as tanjak). Tanjak is kind of hat, worn as headdress that made from songket and usually used by the king or prince or the nobles of Malaya Sultanate. According to the tradition, only young women that permitted to make songket,  but now men are participated at making songket. Some of the Sumatra’s traditional songket have a patterns that contain particular meaning.

Songket must woved with eight ranks before becoming a woven fabric and still made traditionally. Because many of the songket makers live in the village, the patterns that usually found in songket is animals or plants that live in the village. Songket are also found with Melayu traditional cake like serikaya, wajik, and tepung talam as the patterns. These cakes are known as the king favorite food.

Songket weaving historically assosiated with Malaya culture and their settlement area. Or some people said that songket weaving technic was first introduced by Arabian and Indian merchants. According to Palembang traditional tales, songket fabric was first known from the era of Tiongkok and Indian merchant. The Tionghoa people provide the silk thread while the Indians provide the gold and silver threads. And that was why songket born. Songket fabric is woven is Melayu traditional wove frame. Intricate patterns are created by introducing the threads of gold or silver with the use of an extra piece of flat needles.

Where does songket come from are not certainly known, according to Kelantan tradition, this woven technic was come from the north, the region between Kamboja and Siam. Later, it will evolved to the west in Pattani and finally come to Kelantan and Terengganu. But, Terengganu songket maker said that Indian merchant is the one who introducing this woven technic at the first place. Songket woven technic are primerly introduced by Indian merchants in Palembang and Jambi which may have started since the era of Sriwijaya kingdom.

Indonesian culture itself said that songket fabric was related to Sriwijaya kingdom golden era. This sea-based kingdom golden years started from 7^th century until 13^th century in Sumatra Island. This is based by the fact that Palembang is the city with many songket craft center. Songket is luxurios fabric that originally needs real golden to make the golden fabric, woved with hand and the result is the beautiful woven fabrics.

History noted that the golden mines in Sumatera was located in Jambi and Minangkabau highlands. Althought gold thread were found in the ruin of Sriwijaya kingdom site in Sumatera, along with rubies that have not been honed, as well as pieces of gold plate. Until now there is no definite proof that the local weavers have used in the early of 6^th century until 7^th century. Songket might be developed at later period in Sumatera. Palembang’s songket is the best songket in Indonesia counted from the quality. It has the name “queen of all fabrics”. Exclusive songket needs time from one until three month to be finished whereas common songket only need three days to finish.

At first men used songket as tanjak or headband. At later time, Melayu women start to use songket as saroong with baju kurung.

Documentation of the origin of songket is still unclear, it predicted that songket comes to Malaya from the marriage or partnership of Malayan lord, because the prescious songket are often used as dowry of the marriage. This practech are oftenly found in Melayu countries to build a strategic bond for two families. Songket craft center oftenly found in kingdom whom politically important because of its expensive production cost. Golden thread are supposed to be made from real golden pieces. Songket as the king clothes are written in Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir manuscript from 1849.

If you have not visited the national museum in recent times, now it had opened a new building. This new building is a lot modern compared to it’s older brother. In my opinion, all museums in Indonesia, or at least Jakarta must at least this good (the technology) so people won’t be lazy to come to the museum.