Pangkadjene

Arriving in Pangkadjene, the first major town on Claire Holt’s trip, I knew that it would not be possible to see the dances that had been performed for her by local people. I decided to search instead for the home of the Dutch ‘Controller’ who had been their knowledgeable host. It quickly became apparent that there was little Dutch architecture. We drove around a little in the area where government buildings are located and started to ask people. Finding nobody, I decided to approach a large house. It struck me as having architecture that combined Dutch and Bugis elements. 

Walking up to the gallery, I met a group of women who most graciously invited me to sit down and explain my mission. 

This I did. They knew nothing about a Controller’s home in the Dutch era. I decided to approach my questioning from a different angle. I complimented them on the beautiful building and asked if it had once been a Dutch building. They quickly acknowledged that it had been renovated. I asked if it was the largest Dutch building in town and they also acknowledged this. It turned out that I had walked up to the home of the Bupati -- roughly equivalent to the Dutch controller in the government hierarchy.  During a later interview with an elderly man, I learned that my hunch that I had stumbled upon the Controller's home was correct!

The first stop: Bantimurung

Our first adventure was the last on Claire Holt’s route. It was a little off the direct road, but I couldn't resist.  It is called Bantimurung. Claire Holt described it as “a narrow roaring cataract that descends vertically from enormous height.” 

Strange, she didn’t mention the butterflies. The falls are home to at least 350 species. The darted around like falling leaves and soared like tiny birds and were hard to capture with the camera.

This tourist attraction had remnants from Dutch days and I wonder what it was like when Claire Holt visited.

We saw an Indonesian tourist attraction, fairly nice, but with still too much litter on the ground for it to be as lovely as it could be. And all the preserved butterflies being sold at the entrance explain why tourism has led to the decline of the butterflies.

The capture of the pretty things should be prohibited so that their numbers again increase. It would make the amazing butterfly habitat a true sanctuary.

Tracking Claire Holt's Dance Quest in Celebes

In 1938 Claire Holt, an American dancer, published Dance Quest in Celebes. The first page is a map of her journey. The rest of the pages are simple, straightforward descriptions of the dances  that she saw and filmed and her experiences. She travelled with Ralph De Maré, the founder and president of Les Archives Internationales de la Danse in Paris.

I have arrived in South Sulawesi to meet MJA Nashir’s muse, Nenek Panggao, the elderly woman who spins. Nobody spins anymore in Southern Sulawesi, but Nenek Panggao still does it everyday. She was a guiding spirit for MJA Nashir when we made our film, Rangsa ni Tonun and she appears in the book that I wrote about our film. I am very anxious to meet her. Her photograph appeared in the Toraja exhibition in the Textile Museum in Jakarta and apparently her granddaughters were flown in to do weaving demonstrations.

Reading Claire Holt’s account, however, was inspiring. I decided to rent a car and travel in her footsteps. Her writings will bring the places that we visit to life.

On top of that, I have been inspired by the little that I know of J.E. Jasper and Mas Pirngadie’s journeys. One of Pirngadie’s sketchbooks, part of the collection of the KITLV, includes a little scribble showing part of their route in Celebes. One day, I would like to know enough to make an interesting journey in their footsteps. But for now I have five days to fill with a journey to Toraja’s Nenek Panggao, guided by the words of Claire Holt.

Today we started in Makassar and we have ended up in Parepare. Tomorrow we will be in Toraja.

I can’t say that our journey was as interesting as Claire Holt’s, but it had its adventures.

Silk in all colours can be purchased in Makassar.

Sunset over the West Coast of the peninsula

Sunset in Makassae

Colourful boats in Paotere harbour, just north of Makassar.

Dutch influence can still be found in the waterways....of course!

Travels with Lasma

Lasma learns how batik is made in the studio
of Nia Fliam and Agus Ismoyo

In Mbak Marie's studio watching how beaded necklaces are made.

An evening discussion about textile heritage in the home
of Nia Fliam and Agus Ismoyo, Yogyakarta.

Pak Doyo explains his plans for tourist
development in Pekalongan.

Lasma at Museum Batik in Pekalongan

With Pak Ricsa in the largest sarong producing factory in the world: Gajah Duduk.

With the head librarian in Pekalongan,
talking about how to build the historical archives of the city.

Having a break at the beach.

The Batik Bazar, an annual event
in Pekalongan, was full of surprises.

With her host, MJA Nashir, in front of a Gajah Duduk truck.

And serious concern about preserving textile legacy.

With the grand dame of Indonesian textiles, Judi Achadi
in a plane heading for Lampung.

A first ride on an elephant in Lampung.

Krakatao!

Reading the morning paper in our Lampung hotel.

Watching proceedings at the TV station in Pekalongan.

Lasma developed skill with the camera.

Amazement at the beauty of some old Batak textiles.

At Unical, the university dedicated to batik studies in Pekalongan
I explained Lasma's wish to maintain the Simalungun textile tradition.

At the Mayor's office in Pekalongan we discussed a project
to maintain the graveyard that was developed during the Dutch era.

Saying goodbye to Pekalongan
wearing the T-shirt given to her by MJA Nashir.

Walking towards the train after saying a final farewell to friends in Pekalongan.

Waiting for Lasma

It is a beautiful day in Yogyakarta. I am staying in the home of Mas Ipong for one day to work on our exhibition about Jasper and Pirngadie. Mas Ipong (Pang Warman) is the designer of the exhibition and the catalogue. Spread out in front of me there is a scene that looks like a Mas Pirngadie painting. The sun is setting and the sky is blue and pink. Two stalwart figures are walking  through the rice field carrying hefty loads of hay on their heads. With the sun gone, it has become cool enough for such arduous labour.  The air is teeming with sounds: the mesjids are calling to prayer and the frogs and crickets are vying with them for attention.

I sit on the front step of the house with my camera beside me. I am hoping to capture the moment of Lasma Sitanggang's arrival. As soon as she arrives, our trip will begin in earnest. Yes, it is finally happening; she is truly on her way, and I am so excited. I am sitting on pins and needles.

I wrote about Lasma in a blog last year. She was the bright, young Simalungun girl who wanted to perpetuate the knowledge of her ancestors. But she is pretty much alone in her struggle. Other people of her age are intent on getting another kind of education. I feel an urgent need to help her. The future of the Simalungun weaving arts depends on people like her. But how to assist?

The answer came as I was preparing for the current journey to Indonesia. I always feel so privileged to be able visit interesting people in Indonesia. I learn so much and feel enriched. But it is wasted unless I do something with it. I decided that it would be a good plan to share this current journey with Lasma.  She would have the opportunity to broaden her understanding of her own culture, her position in the world and the options available to her. She would meet interesting people who could help her develop her vision, people on whom she might be able to rely in the future. Nashir stood firmly by me in this decision and even took it upon himself to handle all of the logistics so that Lasma would be able to get from Sumatra to Java. And now it is finally happening. They just called me from the airport and I await their arrival.

Hopefully it will not be too long before I add a photograph of her to this blog.

Schedule October 2012

There are always things that appear on the horizon. As we move towards them, some disappear while others take on more definite form. During the course of the past few months, I have kept tabs on a very dynamic horizon. Yesterday I finally booked my ticket to Indonesia in the expectation that some things will come to pass. Now I feel confident enough to share some things with the world. This is part of my schedule for the next month:

 27 September: Arrival in Jakarta

•    I hope to meet with the designer of my little book about 'Rangsa ni Tonun', the film that I made with MJA Nashir about Batak weaving techniques. The film will be shown in the Tribal Art Fair in Amsterdam on 27 October, and hopefully we will get the book done on time to send some printed copies to Amsterdam to accompany the film.
•   I also plan to go to Jakarta's Textile Museum to initiate the first stage of setting up our exhibition about J.E. Jasper and Mas Pirngadie. Jasper was a colonial civil servant and Pirngadie was a Javanese artist. In 1912, they published a book together entited De Weefkunst (The Weaving Arts), the first detailed survey of weaving in the Indonesian archipelago. It is 100 years later, and I am gratified that the Textile Museum agreed to allow me (together with MJA Nashir and Pang warman) to celebrate this anniversary of the appearance of the book. We have been working hard on this project for many months.

1 October: Pulang kampung in Pekalongan

•    Participate in a 'Pulang Kampung' event in Museum Batik in Pekalongan. My dear friend, Arif Dirhamzah of the Pekalongan Heritage Society, has organized this around a gift, as exciting as it is unexpected, from Stephanie Belfrage in Australia. Inspired by our Pulang Kampung expedition, she wishes to give her beautiful textile collection back to Indonesia (see my blog of  February 25, 2012). There are four batik textiles in that collection that I am giving to the Heritage Society, which, in turn, will give them to the Museum. This is a very special new form of Pulang Kampung and I look forward to the event tremendously.

2 October: National Batik Day in Indonesia

•    We will celebrate the day with a discussion at the University of Pekalongan coordinated by Pak Zahir who is highly knowledgeable about local batik traditions.

3 October: Opening of the annual Nusantara Batik Market (Pekan Batik Nusantara)

•    We will participate in this market and then head back to Jakarta by train.

9-11 October: Bandar Lampung

•     I look forward to participating in a conference on Indonesian textiles together with the staff of the Textile Museum in Jakarta and sharing information about our exhibition in Jakarta.
•   I hope that Lasma Sitanggang will be able to join us to take in the workshop on the care of textiles. (see my blog of 31 October last year)

12 - 15 October: Jakarta

•    Set up the exhibition on Jasper and Pirngadie's De Weefkunst in the Textile Museum

 16 October: Exhibition, Textile Museum

•   Opening of 100 years De Weefkunst in Jakarta's Textile Museum
•   The opening will be followed by a discussion about the exhibition

 27 October: Tribal Art Fair, Amsterdam

• MJA Nashir and I are proud and privileged that our film, Rangsa ni Tonun will be shown.