JOGJAVANESIA CRAFT SHOP

 

The concept of the  place is one-stop shopping handicraft store that sells quality goods at  relatively low prices. It offers handicrafts made of plant fiber such as fibers  of water hyacinth, pandanus, and others. This kind of handicraft turns out to  attract consumers as they are considered environment-friendly and more  affordable.

The idea of  setting up Jogjavanesia is a brainchild of Susmirah, a plant fiber handicraft  maker famous in Kulon Progo. She was concerned about the fact that there was no  center for handicraft shopping in Kulon Progo which accounted for their lack of  buyers. The buyers were keener to go to Yogyakarta  wherein many handicraft centers are.

At  last, with the  supports of fellow Kulon Progo craftsmen, Susmirah set up Jogjavanesia Craft  Shop on August 9th 2010. The place was inaugurated by the Regent of Kulon  Progo, H. Toyo S. Dipo, along with the ex-Coordinating Minister for Public  Health who is now General of Indonesian National Council for Social Welfare  (DNI-KS), Prof. Dr. Hayono Suyono.

Jogjavanesia building comprises three floors exhibiting various kinds of Yogyakarta-style traditional handicrafts, especially those made of plant fibers. Some of the  products are bag, furniture, vase, hat, wallet, tablecloth, door mat, pillow  case, box for keeping clothes, trash bin, tissue box, carpet, parcel bag, and  umbrella place. The prices range from tens to hundreds of thousands rupiahs.  There should be no doubt over the quality as the goods are all finely made.

Jogjavanesia  is an  integrated handicraft center in Kulon Progo which specializes at  plant fiber  handicrafts made of water hyacinth, phloem, banana frond, coconut shell and  coir, and so on. There are also handicrafts made of rattan and recycled paper.

The goods are  affordable and environment-friendly. Most of them are made by Kulon Progo  craftsmen and hand-made.

Jogjavanesia Craft  Shop is situated on Yogyakarta-Wates Road KM. 18 precisely in the area of Ngelo, Salamrejo Village,  Sentolo District, Kulon Progo Regency, Yogyakarta.

The  location is  very accessible. You can go there using your own vehicle. But if you want to  take public transportation, you should go by bus heading for Wates from  Giwangan Bus Station, Yogyakarta. You can get  off right in front of the place as it lies at the side of the 17th kilometer of  Yogyakarta-Wates Road

Jogjavanesia  provides supporting facilities for visitors who come in group with a guesthouse  called Wisma Gebang, not far from there. The guesthouse is often used by  government officials from outside Yogyakarta  who come for a comparative study with Mrs. Sumirah and other Kulon Progo  craftsmen. The comparative study itself usually includes plaiting, weaving,  spinning fibers, and also handicraft marketing.

Angguk Dance

Ten beautiful  girls and pengrawit  (accompanists) at the age of less than 25 years  old danced in synchronous movements. The dance performed was so synchronous and  full of symbolical meanings. Sunglasses, socks, and Western clothes, became the  main costumes. The costumes indicated the military elements of this  dance, particularly  because it resembled the military uniform of Dutch  soldiers during  colonization. In one of the episodes, a dancer ndadi (possessed by  spirit or, in terms of Sufi Dance, is called trance) and changed the lively  situation into a mystical one.

That  is a brief  illustration about the performance of Angguk Dance. The dance was originated in  Kulon Progo as an improvement of Dolalak Dance from Purworejo Regency, Central Java. It is said that the term Dolalak derived  from the musical notes scale in West diatonic, Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si. Regarding  the notes scale, Do and La is the inspiration of Dolalak Dance. It is not clear  who created, brought, and popularized Dolalak dance until it became Angguk  Dance and is recognized as the culture of Kulon Progo Regency.

Angguk  Dance  appeared in Kulon Progo around 1950. At first, this dance was performed as a dance  of teenagers gathering and was usually performed after the harvesting time as a  gratitude to God. Previously, this dance was performed by men. However, at around  1970, there was a change which placed women as the dancers instead of men. Some  art groups were
formed and provided female dancers. The reason of this change  was not obvious. This may be due to the commercialism and entertainment factors  which, unavoidably, recognized that female dancers are more interesting  than  the male dancers.

The  word “Angguk” came from the movemenet of the dancers which often nod their heads. The  movement of Angguk Dance was previously inspired by the army-style drill of  Dutch soldiers. Moreover, the costumes worn by the dancers also resemble the  uniform of Dutch soldiers.

There  are two  types of Angguk dance, namely Ambyakan dance and Pasangan dance. Ambyakan Dance  is performed by many dancers, usually more than 20. And Pasangan Dance is  performed by couples (even number of dancers). Angguk dance delivers moral  messages during its performance in form of traditional verse, advice about life,  and education through the songs sung by the vocalists.

In  every  performance, Angguk Dance adapts the story from Serat Ambiyo, namely the story  of Umarmoyo-Umarmadi and Wong Agung Jayengrono. Angguk  Dance’s duration is  about 3-7 hours. The number of dancers is always  even, ranging from 10 to 20  dancers and pengrawit (accompanists). However, in special occasions,  this dance can be performed in brief course within 15-30 minutes.

The  musical  instruments accompanying Angguk Dance is a combination between  Islam, Javanese,  and Western cultures. The instruments are rebana (a kind of tambourine),  bedug (large drum; usually suspended horizontally in a mosque to summon  to prayer), Kendang
 (a conical-shaped drum resting on crossbeams and  beaten with both hands; used to direct or conduct a group of players) Batangan,  Kendang Sunda, electrical bass, snare drum, keyboard, cybal, and  tambourine. The other personals are the vocalists consisting of 2 male singers  and  1 female singer.

The  costumes of  Angguk Dancer, which resembles the military uniform of  Dutch soldier, is  decorated by golden fringes, varnish, sash, black peaked hat, red or yellow  socks, and sunglasses.

Angguk  Dance is  usually performed in special occasions, such as circumcision or wedding. The  performance can be in the afternoon or during the night. The government of  Kulon Progo Regency always has Angguk dance performance during special events,  such as local art exhibition, official announcement, or cultural events.

Before  the show, a  group of Angguk Dance always hold such ritual as placing offerings around the  show location. Since then, the mystical atmosphere  is obvious. The peak of the  mystical atmosphere is during the scene of  ndadi by one of its dancers.  The dancer sometimes eats the offerings, such as setaman flowers (flower  of seven kinds; water and flour mixture used ceremoniously) or drink the  offerings water.

Angguk  Dance is  unique because it combines the elements of Islam, West (Dutch), and East (Yogyakarta). The element of Islam is represented by Shalawat  Nabi  (prayer to honor the Prophet) which always becomes the opening song of  the performance. In addition, the use of musical instruments bedug and rebana indicates that this form of art is influenced by Islam.

Western  elements are obviously seen from  the movements of the dancers which are inspired by the army-style drill during  the Dutch colonization. In addition to the movements, costumes worn by the  dancers also resemble the military uniform of Dutch soldiers. However, there is  a slight difference. The dancers do not wear trousers like common military  uniform, but they wear shorts.

The  Eastern  elements is represented by the graciousness of the movements. This graciousness  is a unique characteristic of Eastern culture, particularly of Special Province  of Yogyakarta. Moreover, the dance presents the story of Umarmoyo-Umarmadi and  Wong Agung Jayengrono
written in Serat Ambiyo. Therefore, this dance is  a nice  integration of different cultures. The military aspect is beautifully  combined with the graciousness of the movement and the Islamic musical  instruments. The result is a synchronous dance movements full of graciousness.

Angguk Dance also  combines mystical elements into the art of performance. The episode of ndadi  (trance) in the performance is able to change the lively situation into a  mystical one. In addition to Angguk Dance, there are other traditional arts  practising ndadi in the performance, such as Jathilan (horse dance).

The  location of  Angguk Dance traditional art group is spread around the districts of Kulon  Progo Regency, starting from Temon, Samigaluh, to Kokap. Some Angguk Dance art  groups are Putri Puspa Rini from Kulur  Subdistrict, Temon District; Angguk  Sri Lestari from Pripih Village,
Hargomulyo  Subdistrict, Kokap District; and  Angguk Mekar Perwitasari from Tlogolalo  Village, Hargomulyo Subdistrict,  Kokap District.

Angguk  Dance is usually performed during  cultural festivals particularly held by the Government of Kulon Progo Regency.  However, if visitors want to  watch the performance of Angguk Dance,  particularly of Putri Sri Lestari Group, they can come to Pripih  Village, Hargomulyo Subdistrict,  Kokap District, Kulon Progo Regency, Special Province of Yogyakarta.

This  area is  accessible by private two-wheel or four-wheel vehicles. Visitors can also use  public transportation by taking a Yogyakarta-Wates bus, stop at Wates bus  station, and take another public transportation (of yellow color and usually  called colt or colt tuyul   heading for Kokap District.

There  is no  particular charge for watching Angguk Dance performance because it is usually  performed in particular event, thus it is funded by the organizer. However, if  the show is held in a gallery, visitors will be charged for the entrance  ticket.

Visitors  will be  charged if they have special order of Angguk Dance performance  (summoning  Angguk Dance), when there is no performance schedule of the  group. The amount  of the charge depends on the deal between visitors (summoner) and the manager  of Angguk Dance art group.

Visitors  who want  to summon Angguk Dance only need to prepare the fee (summoning cost), while all  other equipments : dancers, vocalists, costumes, musical instruments, and the  sound system will be prepared by  the art groups.

Some  art groups also  provide brief performance which lasts for about 15-30 minutes. The traditional  art group of Angguk Dance Putri Sri Lestari is  able to perform 100 dancers in a  show

Text taken from : wisata melayu.com

The Grave of Nyi Ageng Serang

The name Nyi Ageng Serang must be familiar for Indonesian people. She is one of Indonesian national heroines who struggled to fight the Dutch colonial.

Born in Serang, Purwodadi, Central Java, in 1752, Nyi Ageng Serang’s real name was R.A. Kustiyah Wulaningsih Retno Edi. She was the daughter of Panembahan Notoprojo, the ruler of Serang which was an area under Mataram Kingdom. She was a perseverant soldier in fighting for her country against colonialism. She was truly a female soldier. The people of Serang called her Diajeng Sekar, an honorary title for women who had a character of a champion. She led the Gula Kelapa Troop for Northeast Central Java region.

Nyi Ageng Serang never gave up in her struggle against the Dutch until she was grey. It was the war that brought her to a place where she was buried, i.e. Traju Mas hill which is no known as Menoreh Hills. In time of Diponegoro War, she led her troops for a long march from Serang to
the west then to south through Progo River and then up to Traju Mas. It was in this hill she and her troops planned attacking strategies.

Nyi Ageng Serang passed away at 76. She died of illness in 1828, two years before Diponegoro War ended. She was buried in Menoreh Hills at her own request before she departed. The grave complex lies in Beku, Banjarharjo, Kalibawang, Kulon Progo.

Before entering the complex, tourists will see a monument that marks her as national heroine. There are also some other graves of soldiers who struggled with Nyi Ageng Serang. In the center part, there are two buildings in joglo architecture. The graves of Nyi Ageng Serang, her daughter, and her servants are in one of the buildings. In the other one, there are the graves of her husband, R.M. Kusuma Wijaya, her mother, and her relatives.

The grave in fact is always crowded on Indonesian Independence Day, Heroes Day, holidays, Islamic holidays, and certain other days. Every year, the people of Banjarharjo village hold some art and cultural performances to commemorate Nyi Ageng Serang’s service and struggle.

Another thing that pilgrims should know is that they are not allowed to bring weapon and liquor. Pilgrims should not be noisy nor trigger noisiness. Women who are in period are not allowed to get into the complex. And lastly, pilgrims should take off their footwear before entering the grave complex.

The complex of Nyi Ageng Serang grave has a great historical value to commemorate her struggle to wipe out colonialism. It was in the hill that she and her troops devised strategies. Menoreh Hills and the grave  complex are historical facts that women can be as strong as men, far before feminism movement started in Europe

 The people of Banjarharjo Village hold an art event to commemorate the heroine in a routine basis. It is usually held in Sura (Muharram) month. It features dolalak dance, kuda lumping, shalawatan, and other performances by artists from different areas in Banjarharjo. The event is an expression of the artists in honoring the heroine and at the same time, their efforts to preserve local culture. In the event, there is usually also a bazaar of fruits and food produced by Banjarharjo village.

Aside from having heroic and historical values, the grave of Nyi Ageng Serang has a distinctive attraction. People often come to the grave to seek for good fortune (ngalap berkah), praying for their wish to come true. The rite of praying for those in the afterlife has combined with people’s mysticism. This is evident as a lot of people crowd the place in some certain days, for example, on nights before Kliwon (one of the day in 5-day Javanese calendar) Tuesday or Kliwon Friday.

The location of Nyi Ageng Serang Grave is in Beku, Banjarharjo Village, Kalibawang District, Kulon Progo Regency, about 30 km west of Yogyakarta.

Tourists can use public transports, private transports, or tourism bus to get to the location. The street to the grave is in a good condition so there will be no problem concerning people’s comfortableness.

The route to Nyi  Ageng Serang Grave from Yogyakarta is through Godean Street At the crossroad west of Godean market, take the road that leads to Kenteng, then turn right at the first crossroad. From there, the street has no branches so all you have to do is go straight ahead until you see a direction sign to Nyi Ageng Serang Grave. Take the former road and it will take approximately 20 more minutes to get to the location. Just go straight until there is an ascending left turn. That road leads to Nyi Ageng Serang Grave.

There is no charge  for entrance. However, pilgrims can give donation for the grave upkeep and  renovation. In the complex, there are custodians that will provide pilgrims with information about the grave. For those who want to do ngalap berkah rite, the custodians are ready to help. Usually for that, they will ask pilgrims to bring with them seven certain kinds of flowers and myrrh. Sometimes they will require pilgrims to fast before the rite.

Source : wisatamelayu.com